The Badgers (3-6 Big Ten, 7-12 overall) look to bounce back from three straight losses Thursday against Ohio State (5-3, 13-7) and electrifying freshman guard Kelsey Mitchell at the Kohl Center at 8 p.m.
This will be the third straight time the Badgers meet the Buckeyes while riding at least a three-game losing streak, but they’ve won both previous contests by an average margin of 15 points.
After a 2-1 start in Big Ten play, the Badgers hit a rough patch, going just 1-5 since. Their defense will have a tough matchup against the eighth-highest scoring offense in the country.
Mitchell leads the Buckeyes with 25.9 points per game, a figure that also leads the country. She also leads the nation in 3-point field goals with 75. Mitchell went off in an overtime win against Purdue last Sunday, tallying 37 points. Of those, 31 came in the second half or overtime.
Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey said the game plan for guarding Mitchell is to “try to just get it out of her hands ... Let’s hope she’s off and she’s missing.”
The biggest problem for Wisconsin during its three-game losing streak has been rebounding. The Badgers have been outrebounded by an average of six boards per game, and have given up 47 offensive rebounds.
This may bode well for them, however, as the Buckeyes are just 295th in the nation with an average rebounding margin of -4.9.
Wisconsin will be without its second-leading scorer in senior forward Michala Johnson, who tore her ACL in an early December game against Miami. In Johnson’s absence, junior guard Nicole Bauman has stepped up to lead the Badgers in points, averaging 12.9 per game.
The sharpshooter from New Berlin, Wisconsin, is shooting 43 percent from long distance this season, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten. The Buckeye defense is just 186th in 3-point field goal defense this season, and the Badger offense may look to exploit that weakness.
What stands out in Ohio State’s Big Ten losses this season is their opponents’ ability to get to the free throw line. In three conference losses, the Buckeyes have given up an average of 23 free throw attempts per game.
In their five conference wins, they have given up just 17. If the Badgers can get some free points at the charity stripe, then they should keep the game in reach.
The Badgers’ defense has stepped up in their three Big Ten wins, holding opponents to just under 32 percent from the floor, compared to 42 percent in their conference losses. If the Badgers can limit Ohio State’s shooting and get to the free throw line, then they should have a good shot at winning.
