Final exams are fast approaching, but the Wisconsin women's basketball team has its mind elsewhere as UW is facing their toughest test of the young season Thursday, when they take on No. 17 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
The Badgers look to rebound from a disappointing loss to Western Illinois Monday, and will be tested against a hungry Notre Dame team which is trying to get back on track after losing two straight to Michigan State and No. 3 Tennessee.
Thursday's game is Wisconsin's first chance to match up against a nationally ranked team in the Lisa Stone era. \We're going down there to compete at a national level and raise the bar,"" said the new Badgers coach. ""I'm a big believer that you play the best to be the best. This is going to be a great test for us.""
The Badgers are certainly playing one of the best when they take on a Notre Dame team that has made the NCAA tournament each of the last eight years, taking home the national championship in 2001.
If Wisconsin hopes to come away from South Bend with a win, they must find a way to slow down Notre Dame's guards, sophomore Megan Duffy, senior Le'Tania Severe and junior Jacqueline Batteast. Batteast is the team leader in points, averaging 16 per game, while Duffy and Severe lead the team in assists, with 20 and 16 respectively.
""Those three guards are the real deal, three point shooters [and] athletes,"" Stone said. ""Their starting five all can score. We can't allow five of them to go off at the same time.""
Because Notre Dame is such a good outside team, shooting .426 from behind the arc, Wisconsin will have to play a lot better on the boards than they did against Western Illinois, where they were out-rebounded by the smaller Westerwind squad.
The play in the paint by senior centers Lello Gebisa and Emily Ashbaugh will be critical if Wisconsin hopes to pull off the upset over the Irish. Gebisa, who stands 6'7', and Ashbaugh, who checks in at 6'5', have a distinct height advantage over Fighting Irish center Teresa Borton, who is only 6'3'. Ashbaugh is the team's leading scorer and second leading rebounder, and looks to continue her success versus the smaller Irish. Against a team that shoots the ball well, it is vital to keep second chance points at a minimum.
Wisconsin must also capitalize off a Notre Dame team which averages 22 turnovers a game. The Badgers only scored two fast break points against the Westerwinds and must take full advantage of Irish turnovers.
The other key factor in the game will be the play of junior guard Stephanie Rich, who has struggled from the field of late, including a two-for-12 performance Monday. One way Wisconsin may be able to shut down Notre Dame's guards is to wear them out and force them to play defense. An effective Rich can tire out the Irish and keep them in a half-court game. Rich, though only shooting 21 percent from the field on the season, was Wisconsin's leading scorer last year, and says she needs to keep shooting and stay confident to break out of her slump.
""I'm not worried about [Rich],"" Stone said. ""She's pressing right now and [her struggles are] something you don't remind [her] of. It will come. I have all the confidence in the world in her.""
The Badgers will need her to snap out of it in South Bend if they hope to take down a national power in the Fighting Irish and rebound with a 'W'.
