Analytics favor Gophers in Big Ten Tournament first round game against Washington

Minnesota is favored to take down the Huskies on Wednesday afternoon.

Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Mallory Heyer (24) drives to the basket past UCLA Bruins guard Kiki Rice (1) during the first quarter at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The 2025 Big Ten women's basketball tournament will begin on Wednesday in Indianapolis with a first-round game between Minnesota and Washington at 2:30 p.m. CT. ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Gophers a 59.1% chance of advancing to the next round.

Wednesday's contest will be a rematch of Minnesota's final home game of the regular season, where it lost to the Huskies 72-62. Junior Washington guard Elle Ladine led all scorers with 26 points on an incredibly efficient 10-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 mark from beyond the arc.

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Both teams will enter the game firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, listed among the 'Last 4 In' according to ESPN analyst Charlie Creme's latest Bracketology. The showdown will come exactly one week following their matchup on Feb. 26.

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Tina Hangley has been Washington's head coach since the 2021-22 season, and she's still looking for her first NCAA Tournament appearence since taking over the program. Ladine leads the Huskies with 17.0 points per game, which ranks eighth-best in the conference. Sophomore Sayvia Sellers isn't too far behind at 15.3 points per game, which ranks 17th best. Washington, Southern Cal and Ohio State are the only three teams in the Big Ten with two top-17 scorers.

Prediction:

In nonconference play, Minnesota was a perfect 4-0 in neutral site games, while Washington went 1-1. The Gophers' experience playing in a tournament setting could help them this week in Indy at the Big Ten Tournament. The key to this game will be whether or not Minnesota is able to slow down Washington's dynamic backcourt of Ladine and Sellers.

Gophers center Sophie Hart had four straight games scoring 14 or more points before she was held to four against Washington. I think she gets back on track and leads Minnesota to its first Quad 1 win of the season and an appearence in the next round on Thursday against Michigan.

• Score: Minnesota 81, Washington 78

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