When the women's basketball team leaves town for the University of Indiana and Penn State, it brings a 16-2 overall record, a chance to win in hostile territory and a team that's raring to go.
One thing the Badgers will miss, however, is their star true freshman forward, Ebba Gebisa. Gebisa sprained her ankle during the Jan. 20 loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and will sit out both away games.
\We've definitely got to make adjustments,"" Head Coach Jane Albright said. ""We don't have anyone that is as quick and athletic and does the things exactly like her but ... everybody will step up their game a little bit.""
""She's a great player and we really counted on her for a lot of things so we're actually going to do a little bit more four out, one in, which is a more guard-oriented offense,"" senior guard Kyle Black said.
Despite Gebisa's injury, the team is prepared to face the Indiana Hoosiers Thursday and the Nittany Lions Sunday. Indiana has lost its last five games, despite the talent of senior Jill Chapman, who averages 16.2 points per game. Penn State, meanwhile, has defeated Wisconsin eight times in a row at State College.
Although the Hoosiers are in a slump, Albright said the Badgers won't ease the pressure they put on Indiana.
""We know they've lost some confidence but we also know at any time they can come out of it,"" Albright said. ""We expect them to really be coming at us.""
In addition to their losing streak at Penn State, the Badgers will need to be wary of sophomore Kelly Mazzante, as she averages 25.6 points per game, the nation's highest.
Guards such as Black will need to contain Mazzante in order to win.
""Black is an excellent one-on-one defender. ... I'm really confident that she'll come to play some defense that game,"" senior forward Jessie Stomski said.
""We'll have to ... keep fresh people on [Mazzante], try to limit her touches, try to make her work hard for what she gets,"" Albright said.
Wisconsin's defense has struggled recently, an aspect of the game the team has focused on in practice.
""We really worked on our defense a lot in practice and that's definitely something we had to get better at,"" Black said.
Though the Badgers suffered a loss against Minnesota, they feel prepared to face their next foes.
Black believes the loss to Minnesota lit a fire under the team.
""We really just have to refocus on who we are as a team,"" she said. ""I think that we'll be the team we want to be, now that we have the loss.""
Albright said that victories in the upcoming games are especially crucial.
""I think, really, we've gotten back the aggressor mode. If we want to win a Big Ten Championship ... these are games we've got to win,"" she said.
And as far as tournament berths go, hopes are high for Stomski. Her goal is to ""go 9-0, win the Big Ten, win the Big Ten Tournament and go deep into the [NCAA] Tournament.\
