After a tough 69-60 loss to Purdue Sunday, the Badgers received a much needed bye this week. Although the bye week brings some advantageous rest, it definitely won't bring a sense of complacency. In her recent press conference, Badgers head coach Lisa Stone made this point perfectly clear.
""We want to make sure our kids understand this is not a time of year to be complacent and lay off, and that message comes clear with us,"" Stone said.
UW, currently fifth in the Big Ten, looks to rebound in its final regular season game of the year as they travel down to Iowa City this Sunday to take on the Hawkeyes, currently dwelling in ninth place in the conference.
With a win this weekend, the Badgers would finish the season a respectable 8-8 in the conference and give themselves a chance to move past Illinois into fourth place overall in the Big Ten. While the Badgers play Iowa, a team they beat by 11 points in their previous meeting, the Illini play their final two games against two top-20 teams in Purdue and Michigan State—teams that beat them in their previous meetings by an average of 11 points.
With four teams jockeying for fourth place, the Big Ten race has intensified. Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota are all looking for that crucial win to gain the slightest hint of momentum going into postseason play. A win this weekend leaves the Badgers with a very good shot of holding the fourth seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Hawkeyes have been playing better recently with the return of Megan Skouby, arguably their best player. Although Skouby's return will be a factor on the interior, Stone's focus remains primarily on her teams play rather than the opponents.
""Consistent shooting is one of the number one things on my list, as well as handling the basketball and continuing to work on our defense,"" Stone said. ""But [Skouby's] presence inside is very, very important.""
As coach Stone suggested, recent stretches of inconsistent shooting have hurt the Badgers' chances in close games. These dry spells can be attributed to nothing other than bad luck, a problem fixed only by confidence and practice.
""They're balanced shots,"" Stone said. ""They're in rhythm. They're within the offense. We just have to knock those down. So again, it's repetition. I'm not going to yell at a kid for missing a shot. We just need to continue to work on repetition and catch to shoot, knees bent, etc., some little things that way. But you make one of those shots, it might change the pendulum swing.""
With Big Ten supremacy and postseason tournament seedings still up in the air, much is riding on this last week of Big Ten regular-season play. A much sought-after win boosts Wisconsin's ranking in the conference, but more importantly provides the Badgers with the confidence and swagger necessary for success this time of year.
