Gophers women's basketball faces huge step up in competition on Tuesday night

Minnesota will face a Power Conference opponent for the first time this season on Tuesday night.

Mar 8, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Cara Consuegra watches from the sideline as they take on the Villanova Wildcats at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Gophers women's basketball has won its first two games of the season against North Dakota and Manhattan by an average of 55.0 points, yeah, you read that right. They have a huge step up in competition on Tuesday night, as they welcome (2-0) Marquette to Williams Arena. Here's what you need to know.

What you need to know about Marquette

Led by second-year head coach Cara Consuegra, the Golden Eagles were voted to finish second in the preseason Big East media poll. They won their first game of the season by 32 over Winthrop, and then picked up a hard-fought win over in-state rival Wisconsin, 65-62 in overtime.

Junior forward Skylar Forbes leads the team with 19.0 points per game, followed by senior guard Jaidyn Mason, who averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Junior Halle Vice leads the team with 12.5 rebounds through two games.

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Keys to the game

Barttorvik.com ranks all 363 teams in Division I women's college basketball based on an analytical model, and Marquette is currently No. 53. Minnesota's first two opponents, North Dakota, rank No. 273, and Manhattan is No. 247. The Golden Eagles have the 37th-best adjusted defensive efficiency on the site, so the Gophers have a big test in front of themselves.

Two games are far too small a sample size to make a big judgment, but Consuegra has leaned on defense throughout her coaching career, going back to her 13 seasons at Charlotte, before taking over at Marquette.

Prediction

Despite the surprise transfer of Mallory Heyer and now the loss of veteran forward Taylor Woodson for the season, Minnesota has proven that it will be a deep team again this season. The Gophers have averaged 95.0 points per game on 45.3% shooting from the field, 79.2% at the free throw line, and 38.3% from long range. They could have as many as six players average double figures this season with Mara Braun, Amaya Battle, Grace Grocholski, Tori McKinney, Sophie Hart and Makena Christian.

Minnesota's offense ranks 17th in the country, on the same Barttorvik model. I think the Gophers lean on their home crowd and give Marquette too much to handle. Braun looked like her former self on Friday night, and I think she has a big game and leads her team to a statement win over a potential NCAA Tournament team.

Score: Minnesota 81, Marquette 70