MADISON – Teams don’t get many second chances in the Big Ten, but by qualifying for the conference tournament, that is the opportunity that awaits Wisconsin.
The Badgers women’s basketball team, which is the 15th and final seed for the tournament, will face No. 10 seed Illinois at approximately 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, in a first-round game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Advertisement
The matchup will serve as a rematch of the Badgers’ 92-60 loss to the Illini on the road Feb. 11. It was Wisconsin’s second-most lopsided defeat of the season and it came immediately following an overtime loss to Washington that lingered into the days that followed.
The Badgers weren’t ready to bounce back.
“We had two days of practice that just were flat and not in a way of feeling sorry for ourselves that we didn’t get the win but exhaustion,” Wisconsin coach Robin Pingeton said after the game on the Badgers’ postgame radio show. “And so how do you pick yourself up and get yourself ready to go battle again?
“That’s truly where I thought the game was lost, before we even stepped between the lines.”
Advertisement
That said, Wisconsin (13-16, 5-13 Big Ten) has a lot of ground to make up.
Illinois (19-10, 9-9) led by as many as 41 points. Six Illini scored in double figures and their 58.1% shooting represents the second-highest percentage for a UW opponent this season. Illinois’ 64.7% 3-point shooting (11 for 17) ties for the highest for a Badgers opponent.
Can the Badgers change their fortunes and get their first Big Ten win since 2020? Here are three keys to success for UW in Indy.
Get on the Illini’s 3-point shooting
Illinois ranks last in the Big Ten in 3-point attempts, but it is one of the league’s most efficient teams behind the arc. They rank third in the conference with a .375 shooting percentage.
Advertisement
Wisconsin may have awakened Illinois’ 3-point shooters in the teams’ first meeting. In the seven games before that game Illinois averaged five 3s per game. In the last five games, the Illini are up to 10.4 per contest while hitting 54.7% from 3.
With five players averaging at least 9.4 points per game, Illinois is able to force teams to pick their poison defensively. In the last game Illini sophomore Aaliyah Guyton was a beneficiary as she went 6 for 6 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 22 points.
Get Destiny Howell, Kyrah Daniels going
Wisconsin has won games while one of its two leading scorers had a down day, but it’s tough for the Badgers to find the firepower to compete if Howell and Daniels are struggling. That was the case against Illinois.
Advertisement
The tandem combined for nine points and 3-for-20 shooting that included 1 for 9 from three-point range. The Badgers are going to need more production from them and that will likely mean needing to hit tough, contested shots.
Continued success for Zaja, Uchenna
Freshman center Dorja Zaja and senior forward Gift Uchenna combined for their most productive offensive game of the season as they finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively, and made 13 of 24 shots. While both were able to finish in the paint, each also benefited from good passes from the guards that hit them as they were cuting to the basket for what would be easy finishes.
Wisconsin could use a win for a variety of reasons. In addition to their drought at the conference tournament, the Badgers have lost nine straight games though they still appear on track to receive an invite to a postseason tournament.
Advertisement
“There’s always a Cinderella team,” Pingeton said. “I think we’ve proven that we can play with the top teams in this conference. We’ve proven that when we’re not assignment correct, and we’re not locked in, anybody can beat us on any given night just like anybody else in this league.”
More: Former Wisconsin basketball walk-on Ronnie Porter gears up for Senior Day
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here’s how Wisconsin can get a win in Big Ten women’s tournament
