Lisa Stone led her Wisconsin Badgers (7-9 Big Ten, 18-11 overall) to their first winning season since 2002 and now they will have one more shot to prove their mettle against conference foes.
The Wisconsin women's basketball team heads to Indianapolis this weekend to participate in the Big Ten Tournament. They open against the Michigan Wolverines, who were the 10th-ranked team in the conference.
""When you play a team for the third time, it's always a challenge,"" Stone said of Michigan. We've beaten them twice, but you can throw that away because it's the Big Ten Tournament and everyone is playing for the NCAA Tournament and a Big Ten Tournament Championship.""
""Offensively we need to continue to attack the basket, continue to find Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks,"" Stone added.
Junior guard Anderson has been the Badgers' star this season, leading the conference in scoring with 19.3 points per game and being named first team All-Big Ten. Junior guard Banks scored more than 13 points per contest and attempted the most free throws on the team.
""[The scoring title] is a major accomplishment that I'm proud of,"" Anderson said. ""I have to thank my teammates and coaches for putting me in the position that they do each and every day. Obviously team goals come before personal goals and our team is still playing basketball, that's the great thing.""
The Wisconsin defense will be challenged by a Michigan team that can penetrate and attack the basket. They were up to the task in the last meeting, as they held Michigan to 31 percent shooting.
The Wolverines' depth presents a challenge for the Badgers, as they have 12 players who play more than 10 minutes per game. Their top scorer averages only eight points per night but they get strong scoring and rebounding numbers from almost every player on the team.
That top scorer is 6'6\ freshman center Krista Phillips, who hails from Saskatchewan. Phillips anchors an athletic defense and blocked 33 shots this season.
""We'll probably play her straight up,"" freshman forward Mariah Dunham said of Phillips. ""Some three-quarters but not all the way fronting so we do not get lobbed on. Our weak side will need to be a factor coming into the game.""
Another Badger who had a great Big Ten season is freshman guard Rae Lin D'Alie, who led the conference in assists with five per game. If Wisconsin can advance deep into the tournament they will need to face some of the better teams in the country.
""Illinois has had a wonderful year, they have surpassed a lot of expectations."" Stone said, ""Ohio state did not surprise me they are just that good, they are very talented and deep ... Purdue and Michigan State have developed a tradition and are holding up their end of the bargain and that is where we want to get our program to.""
Stone sees a bright future for the Badgers far beyond this weekend.
""It's been a great year, these are all players that we recruited and that are all going to be back next year,"" she said.
