Eighteen games in and 10 to go, the Wisconsin women's basketball team has been, quite simply, average. With a record of 9-9 (4-2 Big Ten), the first two thirds of the 2010-'11 season have certainly been somewhat of a disappointment for a team that finished 21-11 last year.
Fortunately for head coach Lisa Stone and her Badgers, the team now appears to be headed in a positive direction, finally healthy following a rash of injuries in the early months that took out big contributors.
Over the winter recess, the team showed hard evidence that they are, in fact, on the rise, compiling a 6-2 record, including 4-0 at home.
In that five week span, the Badgers took down Purdue both in West Lafayette, Ind. and at the home for the first time since 1984. On top of two non-conference victories over in-state rival Milwaukee and Wyoming, Wisconsin took care of the Gophers on the road and Penn State at home.
The state of Michigan proved a tough locale for the team in the past few weeks however. The Badgers lost by 19 at Michigan State Jan. 6 and by 16 to Michigan on the road Sunday.
Although there's certainly little encouragement to be found in that 75-59 loss to the Wolverines, the Badgers understand they also found Michigan on a particularly hot night when the Maize and Blue shot 11-13 from beyond the three-point line.
""Our players know we didn't play well defensively and that's who we are so I expect a great response Thursday,"" Stone said.
Thursday will be an important day for the Badgers, who are looking for their second conference road win of the season when they travel to Minnesota for a rematch against the Gophers.
Although the Badgers find the Gophers at a deflated 0-5 in the Big Ten (8-10 overall), Stone warns this will be no easy contest for Wisconsin.
""Their record is scary because they're a good team,"" Stone said. ""We know that they're much better than their record shows, and at their place, you can't look at their record at all.""
Minnesota, who led by as many as 13 over Penn State on the road earlier this season, has lost their first five conference matches by an average of just six points. They led late against then No. 21 Iowa two weeks ago, and made a late surge against Wisconsin Jan. 9, eventually falling by five.
In that contest, Minnesota fought hard late to bring an 18 point Badger lead down to just three in the final minutes. Wisconsin never made a field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game, but forced 21 Gopher turnovers.
In that win, senior forward Lin Zastrow led the way with 21 points, while senior guard Alyssa Karel added 12.
Thursday's match will certainly be one of the most meaningful for Karel this season, a St. Paul, Minn. native. Senior guard and Minneapolis native Emily Neal will also be making a homecoming Thursday.
Winners of the last four straight contests against the Gophers, Wisconsin will look to forget Sunday's deafening loss at Michigan to notch their fifth Big Ten victory.
""We have to respond, instead of being demoralized,"" Stone said. ""We [must] get tougher and fight through that and keep our chin up and continue to do what we do.""
