It’s do-or-die time for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team. The Badgers (3-15 Big Ten, 7-21 overall) head to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Wednesday for their first,and possibly last) game of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
Many on this veteran UW roster has played in Big Ten Conference Tournament, win-or-go-home, games like this before. Still, as four out of the five starters are now seniors, this game has a different feel going into it than it has in the past. Even though the goal, like always, is to do whatever it takes to get the win, the seniors feel the pressure to find a way to win and keep playing now more than ever.
“It’s the same goal like always,” senior guard Nicole Bauman said. “But this time if you lose it’s done forever. I think that’s just the feeling you have that’s different from past years.”
Wisconsin will be seeded 13th in the Big Ten (out of 14 teams) entering the tournament, and will be challenged by the number 12-seed Northwestern Wildcats (4-14, 15-15). The Badgers played Northwestern once this year, and the Wildcats spoiled Wisconsin’s senior day with a 71-53 win.
“We want to get back at them and we know we can,” Bauman said. “It’s not like they’re fourth in the nation. They have the same record as us. It could go either way.”
In their previous matchup, Northwestern simply tried to wear down the Badgers all game long. Northwestern did not do anything particularly special, nor did they go on any big runs. Instead, the Wildcats just found a way to be a little better in each quarter, and finish each frame with around a five point advantage.
In order to grind out Wisconsin, Northwestern tried to use their size to their advantage. Their two top scorers for the game, senior Maggie Lyon and junior Nia Coffey, are both over six feet tall and could establish body position on Wisconsin.
Even though Lyon is technically a guard, her length at 6-foot-2 allowed her to get inside on the Badgers and pull up over the top of them for 18 points. Similarly, Coffey simply used her strength inside to fight for layups near the hoop for 15 points of her own.
Not only did Wisconsin struggle to guard Northwestern’s stars, but the Badgers' stars could not find a way to consistently score themselves. Senior forward Michala Johnson, along with Bauman, were the only UW players to get into double figures (with 13 points apiece). No one else on the team could find a way to score more than eight.
Going into this game, the Badgers are focused on finding a way to hit their shots. Whether it comes at the hands of senior guard Dakota Whyte driving to the basket, Bauman hitting a three or Michala Johnson using her footwork for easy layups, the Badgers will likely need to put up more than 53 points to win this game.
Still, despite the nerves Wisconsin is feeling as a result of its last loss, the Badgers are equally excited to get back on the court and seek revenge on an even bigger stage.
“I get nervous for every game,” Bauman said. “Right before we're about to go out you kinda get butterflies and you kinda get anxious. Part of it you're nervous, more of it you’re anxious and just ready to go. You just wanna play.”
