Wisconsin (3-12 Big Ten, 7-18 overall) is gearing up for what ought to be an emotional afternoon on the Kohl Center floor. Saturday marks the last game this group will play together at home, and the senior day festivities and traditions will continuously remind the veteran corps of the last opportunity that they have to wear the Cardinal and White in front of their home fans. Still, despite the distractions and emotions that will be present throughout the game, the Badgers’ ultimate goal remains untarnished: beat Northwestern.
“That’s our main focus,” senior guard Nicole Bauman said. “We want to go out on a positive note.”
This will be the Badgers’ first matchup against Northwestern (3-12, 14-13) this season. Both Wisconsin and the Wildcats have taken remarkably similar paths to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. Northwestern started out the conference season relatively well, winning two of its first five games, while the Badgers started 2-2. However, over the last month, the Wildcats have struggled to win any games or build any momentum, losing nine of their last 10, including a current four-game losing streak. Similarly, the Badgers have lost 10 of their last 11 and are currently riding a three-game losing streak.
The Badgers and Wildcats comparable seasons have led the teams to a tie for 12th place in the Big Ten, with a win Saturday not only proving a one-game boost in the standing, but a sense of pride and accomplishment as well.
Come Saturday, the Badgers know what they need to do to capture that elusive victory.
“We want to look for a solid team win,” Bauman said. “Those are the best kind, and that’s usually what we need for us to get a win.”
Bauman was referring to the team as a whole, including the starters and the players coming off the bench. However, Bauman understands the importance of getting big games out of all of the four starting seniors.
Over the course of the season, seniors Bauman, Dakota Whyte, Tessa Cichy and Michala Johnson have alternated games in which they put up big numbers, rarely having more than one of them put up significant offensive stats in the same night.
On senior day, the Badgers veteran group will have the stage set for all of them to contribute offensively against a team who has struggled defensively as of late. NU’s struggles peaked when it gave up 112 points earlier this month against Minnesota.
Still, highlighting coach Kelsey’s season-long sentiment, the Badger seniors must know their roles, whether that involves scoring or not. Specifically, Northwestern is a team that likes to play big. In fact, in their last game, three of their top five minutes leaders were forwards over 6-foot-1. In practice leading up to this game, the Badgers have been working on boxing out and Johnson will have to find a way to do just that against Northwestern’s biggest forwards.
Bauman knows that her role is to be the primary shooter and scorer for this team. Despite consecutive poor shooting performances, Bauman still leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage and points.
Still, Bauman knows that the team has to improve, and she is working hard to set that example herself. After the Badgers’ last loss, while everyone else was getting ready to leave the Kohl Center, Bauman was out on the empty court, practicing her pull-up jumper.
All season long, the Badgers have talked about that “no quit” attitude that Bauman exemplified after last game. Whether after consecutive losses or a shaky start to a game, the Badgers have found a way to battle back and keep games competitive. Now, Bauman, Johnson, Whyte, Cichy and the rest of the seniors have one last chance to get a victory at the Kohl Center. The seniors, and the rest of the Badgers, will attempt to pull out one last home victory by exemplifying that fighting attitude and playing a full four-quarter team game.
Wisconsin and Northwestern tip off at the Kohl Center Saturday at 1 p.m.
