Coming into the season, some Wisconsin fans were not sure what to expect from the women's basketball team. The loss of three strong team leaders to graduation in Janese Banks, Danielle Ward and Jolene Anderson left this year's team with major gaps to fill. Banks, Ward and Anderson led the Badgers in scoring, combining for 1,201 points, which was just under 57 percent of the team's total.
Additionally, fans were curious to see how head coach Lisa Stone was going to react after having her job put in jeopardy when the team disappointed last season. The Badgers finished 16-14 overall after failing to advance past the first round of the 2008 Women's National Invitational Tournament, losing to Villanova 60-54.
To most programs, an above .500 record is not something to frown about.
However, last season's team returned all of the ladies from the 2006-'07 squad, which closed out the season with a 23-13 overall record and finished in second place at the 2007 WNIT after dropping the final game to Wyoming. Stone's team also set program records with 23 total wins and 17 wins at home.
As one will see, expectations were set high, and when the team did not fare as well as predicted, Stone received the majority of the blame.
Saturday afternoon, however, Wisconsin showed that it is a force to be reckoned with and that it has filled the gaps left by last year's main scorers. The Badgers defeated No. 6 Baylor to claim the Paradise Jam title with a come-from-behind victory. Sophomore guard Alyssa Karel gave UW its first lead of the game with seven seconds left.
Baylor did not give up easily, however. With just a few seconds left, Baylor sophomore guard Melissa Jones came up with a rebound off one of her teammate's missed jump shots. Wisconsin sophomore forward Lin Zastrow quickly fouled Jones and sent her to the charity stripe. The Badgers got lucky, as Jones missed both of the free throws, putting UW on top.
This win marked the first time Wisconsin has knocked down a top-10 opponent since December 2001, when it triumphed over then-No. 7 Purdue. It was also Wisconsin's first victory over a ranked team since it upset No. 17 Minnesota in 2006.
Although this game was a big win for the program itself, it was even more important for Stone. Baylor was the highest-ranked team that Stone has defeated since joining the Wisconsin program in April 2003.
Looking beyond the win tally, it is important to highlight the attitude the lady Badgers carry when the game is on the line. Wisconsin started the second half down 10, but they never gave up.
For this upset to have occurred, the players had to possess a lot of inner strength and trust in each other, and the coaching must have been pretty solid.
The Wisconsin men's basketball team also picked up an intense win Monday night when junior guard Trevon Hughes hit an off-balance last-second shot to beat Virginia Tech. Both the Wisconsin men's and women's basketball teams have gotten off to a great start this season, but the competition and pressure is only going to pick up.
Bo Ryan always seems to put together a solid season, and the way things are looking early on, Stone could have another season for the record books.
After the disappointing season last year, it appears as though the women's team has finally found the identity it has been looking for under Stone's direction.
The season is still very young, yet a great start can't hurt.
What place do you think the Wisconsin women's basketball team will finish in the Big Ten this season? E-mail your responses to Crystal at crowns@wisc.edu.
