Green Bay, Minnesota ready to tip off (Mar 14, 2018)
When No. 7 Green Bay and No. 10 Minnesota meet on Friday, it will feature one of the best defensive teams in the Phoenix against the one of the highest scoring teams in the nation in the Gophers.
Being separated by just under 300 miles away from one another, Green Bay and Minnesota will each travel over 2,000 miles to face off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 2 p.m. in Eugene, Ore.
"We felt extremely confident that we were in," Minnesota head coach Marlene Stollings.
"We're playing Minnesota, so we're excited for an opportunity to play," Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth said. "I think we were seeded exactly where people thought we'd be seeded."
The Phoenix are led by senior guards Jessica Lindstrom and Allie LeClaire -- Lindstrom was named first-team All-Horizon league while LeClaire was named MVP of the Horizon League Tournament.
"They're a storied program and we have a lot of respect for them, for what they do and what they've done," Stollings said of the Phoenix. "We'll know they'll be tough and a very formidable opponent right off the bat."
Lindstrom is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Standing 6-foot-1, she's proven to be a matchup nightmare inside and out, knocking down 38 percent of her 3-pointers while using her size to take advantage of smaller guards.
LeClaire is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game, but averaged 20.3 points per game in the Phoenix's run to the tournament championship.
"I like it. ... I think it's going to be a good matchup," LeClaire said. "A few of our teammates have actually been to Oregon so they're excited to get back there but we're excited to win some games."
Green Bay point guard Jen Willintz is the only other player -- apart from Lindstrom and LeClaire -- to start all 32 games on the year. She was named as the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year, anchoring the nation's best defensive scoring team.
The Phoenix surrender just 46.1 points per game, more than three points better than the second-place team. Their 19.1 scoring margin is fifth in the nation.
Trying to handle that defensive pressure will be the third-highest scoring team in college basketball. The Gophers, who average 85.2 points per game, have four players averaging double-figures and are led by redshirt junior guard Kenisha Bell.
Bell averages 20 points, 6.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. What makes her so difficult is her supreme athleticism and quickness, allowing her to break down defenses and get into the paint at will.
"We just have to keep playing the same we've been playing ... keeping the same mentality that we can't be stopped," Bell said.
Bell's running mate, senior guard Carlie Wagner, is Minnesota's other big-time scorer, averaging 18.8 points per game. She's the sharpshooter of the unit, knocking down 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.
"This is just the beginning in preparing for Green Bay," Wagner said. "This is the start of a long tournament so we're really excited and ready to roll."
Wagner was recently named to the Big Ten all-tournament team while both her and Bell were named first-team All-Big Ten.
Destiny Pitts is the player to watch for Minnesota, coming off a year in which she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She also knocked down 36 percent of her 3s and 88.3 percent of her free throws.
