Heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Drake University Bulldogs, only one of the two University of Wisconsin basketball teams remains undefeated. Here’s a hint: It’s not the team that has gone to two consecutive Final Fours. Instead, it is the Wisconsin women’s basketball team (1-0) that hopes to compound its win against Louisiana Tech with another quality victory against Drake (1-0).
“[They’re] a really confident team that can really shoot the three ball well. They work well as a team and have a lot of different threats,” assistant coach Anya Covington said.
Even though the Badgers’ sample size is small, their experience and leadership has created a high ceiling for their potential. After the Badgers’ 79-65 win over Louisiana Tech last weekend, Lady Techsters head coach Tyler Summitt said just as much.
“They looked like a well-oiled machine and a veteran team and so got to credit them for this game and their coaching staff for a great game plan,” Summitt said after Saturday’s game. “I see a veteran team when they bounced back in that third quarter.”
One of the experienced members of that “well-oiled machine” is sixth-year senior Michala Johnson. Johnson had 13 points and five rebounds against the Lady Techsters thanks to a flurry of post moves, mostly involving quick jump hooks or step-throughs past her defender.
Johnson, though, is still on a 20-minute cap, so don’t expect to see a lot of her against Drake Wednesday night.
Drake is coming off a huge win against Iowa State. Much like the Badgers, the Bulldogs propelled themselves to victory in the third quarter when they outscored the Cyclones 21-13, extending their one-point halftime lead to 9.
Much like the Lady Techsters, the Bulldogs are very inexperienced, as they have only one senior on their team in center Emma Donahue. Last Sunday, junior forward Lizzy Wendell led the way for the Bulldogs with 16 points in 27 minutes. Wendell took eight 3-pointers in their win and, though she made only two of them, she has proven to be a consistent threat from behind the arc in her career.
The Badgers’ new defensive philosophy involves packing the paint and allowing opposing players to shoot 3-pointers, so if the Badgers aren’t careful they might get themselves into a hole as a result. But no matter if the Bulldogs make or miss their perimeter jump shots, Wednesday night’s game should be a good test for Wisconsin.
