Men’s Basketball
The Badgers (5-4 Big Ten, 13-9 overall) enter their upcoming matchup with Ohio State on a four-game winning streak, with their last win coming on the road at Illinois.
Despite Ethan Happ and Bronson Koenig (who fouled out) facing foul trouble and the team committing nine turnovers in the second half alone, the Badgers managed to come out on top 63-55. Head coach Greg Gard wasn’t blown away with his team’s performance, but was happy to take home a vital road win.
“It wasn't pretty and the most in the fashion you would like to close a game out, but on the road I understand, having been in this league for a long time, that we don't get style points,” Gard said at a Monday press conference. “We're not swimming and diving, and we're not in gymnastics.”
The Badgers’ coach singled out freshman guard Khalil Iverson’s excellent performance, as the first-year player starred against Illinois. In what was probably his best performance of the season, Iverson scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in 30 minutes, providing solid energy and athleticism on both ends of the floor.
Gard, however, focused on Iverson’s mental abilities, claiming his performance on Sunday was a result of his increasing basketball intelligence.
“I think with Khalil he's starting to continually figure out the game,” Gard said. “How he can play the game and keep it simple.”
Iverson likely won’t be playing 30 minutes per game for the rest of the season, but a solid spot in the rotation looks within reach if he continues his strong play.
Women’s Tennis
After beginning the current season with a 2-0 record, the women’s tennis team will face a major test this weekend, as the Badgers host the ITA National Indoor Championship.
This tournament, aside from the hosting Badgers, will include the top 15 teams in the country and will be played at the Nielsen Tennis Center. Head coach Tina Samara has fond memories of this tournament from her playing days at the University of Georgia, and is looking forward to its 2016 edition.
“For my sport, it is one of the most prestigious events of the year,” Samara said. “We hosted it in the past but it's taken a hiatus, and we're very happy to have it back.”
Samara told the media Monday that the differences between her squad and Vanderbilt—last season’s national champions—are mostly in the “little things,” but realizes that these “little things” are anything but little in terms of significance.
The head coach is hoping her team will make some of these subtle improvements over the course of the season, and is optimistic about her team’s chances in this upcoming tournament.
“It's really very similar to golf where it's like course management. We just have to get better at managing our decisions and taking care of the little things a little bit better,” Samara said. “But I think there are some teams in there we could give them a run for their money.”
If the Badgers are to make a splash in this tournament, senior Lauren Chypyha will certainly need to play her best. Chypyha has been named to the All-Big Ten First-Team the last two years, and beat the No. 34 player in the country last weekend.
Women’s Basketball
The struggles for Wisconsin continued after double-digit losses to Nebraska and Michigan State last week. Head coach Bobbie Kelsey said it is key to get all of her main scorers going for the team to have success.
“We have to figure out how to get all three of our big ones scoring at the same time, Dakota [Whyte], Nicole [Bauman] and Michala [Johnson], because each one has given individual performances, but Nicole being the most steady of the three,” Kelsey said. “But we need those other two to come along and really push in the last month and a half of the season, or two months, however long it lasts, to assert themselves."
Kelsey also praised Whyte’s play in the Big Ten.
“Dakota has done a good job in leading us, being at the point guard position. She can score in many different ways, she can shoot the three, obviously she will—her pull up is there,” Kelsey said. “We look for her to continue to do that on a consistent basis.”
Wisconsin (6-14 Overall, 2-8 Big Ten) hits the road for a tough matchup with Ohio State (16-4 overall, 8-1 Big Ten) Thursday at 6 p.m.
Kelsey believes her team will be ready to compete.
“This is another big challenge for us. It's how you play the games; you always come out and believe you can win,” she said “We're going to give them confidence and then motivate and inspire them to keep pushing forward.”
Women’s Hockey
No. 2 Wisconsin (20-1-1 WCHA, 26-1-1 overall) continued its home-ice dominance last weekend at LaBahn Arena by sweeping St. Cloud State and recording back-to-back 3-0 shutouts.
Head coach Mark Johnson said that while it appears his team is making it look easy, that is not the case.
“I think everybody can attest, whether it's in hockey or some of the other sports, you can get into the second half of your season, you start playing the opponent the second time, the third time, and the fourth time, things get more challenging, and you have to be on your 'A' game if you're going to get an opportunity to be successful,” Johnson said.
As the regular season nears its completion, Johnson is pleased his team is still learning and improving.
“I certainly am impressed with the learning process there, and as you get to the last part and chunk of your season things become tighter, and it becomes more challenging to score goals, and St. Cloud's goaltender both nights played very well, had 40-plus saves in each game, but we did a lot of things that are going to certainly help us as we prepare for our last six games here,” Johnson said.
The Badgers head to Columbus, Ohio, for a weekend series against Ohio State (5-16-1, 9-18-1), with games Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.
