Following an offseason which head coach Lisa Stone said was one of the program's best in recent memory, and two relatively easy exhibition victories, it's time for the Wisconsin women's basketball team to play for keeps.
The Badgers will begin their 2010-'11 campaign on the road this Friday as the team travels to St. Louis, Mo. to take on the University of St. Louis Billikens—the first meeting ever between the two programs.
And while the city will be uncharted territory for Wisconsin, the Badgers themselves will be stepping into new frontiers on the court as they kick off the season.
Wisconsin is coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years last season, losing in the first round as a No. 7 seed. This year, the team has sets its sights on pushing even further—the Sweet Sixteen.
Fighting for that goal this year though will be a team with some new faces in new roles. The Badgers will be without team leader Rae Lin D'Alie as well as Teah Gant, both of whom started every game last season as seniors.
Although the team's leading scorer from last season, senior guard Alyssa Karel, will be returning, along with fellow seniors Tara Steinbauer and Lin Zastrow, two players will be forced to step in as big-time contributors this year.
Sophomore Taylor Wurtz and Jade Davis are both expected to start on Friday in St. Louis. Wurtz, who showed explosive skills on the court at times last season, feels she is ready to step into a bigger role this year and her coach could hardly agree more.
""I think Taylor is eager,"" Stone said. ""She's earned it. She spends more t-ime working on her game than anyone I've coached.""
Davis, meanwhile, has found it to be an easier transition into her role on the court this season than she had expected.
""Your teammates are there to help you through it all,"" Davis said. ""All the seniors, they've been there, they've done it and they've helped me to understand that even though I'm playing more, it's still the same as every other year.""
This weekend, however, the Badgers will be without team captain and pre-season All Big Ten selection Alyssa Karel following an injury suffered in the team's opening exhibition match last Thursday.
Filling in for Karel will be the true freshman, Morgan Paige. Paige, who has been thrust into a starting role far sooner than she ever expected, is certainly ready to fill the role in the eyes of her coach.
""She's played on a high level her whole life,"" Stone said. ""She's a coach's kid. She knows what pressure means and she knows how to handle it.""
The Badgers will also be without transfer sophomore Tiera Stephen, who is still nursing an early injury as well.
The Billikens enter the season and match against Wisconsin following two exhibition wins, but coming off a rough 2009-'10 campaign. Last season, St. Louis went just 11-19, good for ninth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team also lost two of their top three scorers from last season.
Wisconsin's focus is less on their opponents and more on themselves, however.
""We've really stressed that it's about us,"" Davis said. ""It's not about our opponents, [it's about] getting what we need to do done.""
