After suffering losses to Michigan State and Penn State last week, Wisconsin will prepare to host Purdue Thursday and continue to rebound from a tough road trip.
As the Badgers (4-6 Big Ten, 14-7 overall) struggled offensively against Michigan State, head coach Lisa Stone said her team will need to be prepared for Purdue's aggressive defensive
strategies.
I think they've got tremendous depth. They know what they want to get offensively,"" Stone said. ""They run their sets, their half-court offense very, very well. And defensively, they'll mix some things up '¦ And we need to be prepared for all of that and, again, take good care of the ball no matter which defense they play.""
Wisconsin has not beaten Purdue (6-3, 13-7) since 2001, and though this may put pressure on the Badgers, Stone said playing Purdue right after Michigan State might help her team's comfort level.
""Their guard corps is very, very big, as [it] was last night. Michigan State has one player on their team under six feet tall, so, you know, we went with a big lineup,"" Stone said. ""To play a team similar right away is really good, get right back out there on the court, and to be at home is going to be really fun.""
Although Purdue is coming to Wisconsin fresh off of a 71-60 loss to Ohio State on Sunday, the Boilermakers' offense will be a challenge for the Badgers. Senior forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton scored 16 points against Ohio State, and senior center Danielle Campbell scored 14.
""[Wisdom-Hylton] will be one of the top five draft picks, in my opinion, this year,"" Stone said. ""She's coming off a year where she was pre-season pick to be all conference, injured herself last year, sat, learned a lot, grew a lot. She's their leader, the emotional leader.""
As for other key players on Purdue, Stone also said an injury suffered by ""spit-fire"" point guard FahKara Malone has forced other Boilermakers to step up and perform.
Junior forward Mariah Dunham broke through against Michigan State, leading the Badgers with 14 points and six rebounds while shooting 4-for-7 from behind the arc. Sophomore guard and offensive leader Alyssa Karel added 13 points of her own against the Spartans.
""I think Mariah is breaking out and playing good basketball at the right time. You know, she's defensively given us a hand, certainly, in getting on the glass and, you know, has been making big buckets late in the game. She also has ability to score,"" Stone said. ""If you look at our stat sheet, it's very, very balanced, and that continued balance is important. And players even upping their averages is helpful at this time as well.""
Wisconsin only lost five turnovers against Illinois, but in the last two games against Michigan State and Penn State gave the ball away more than 20 times per contest. The team's winning and statistical inconsistency has given Stone something to worry about, but she has every bit of confidence that all of that can be fixed with the team's desire and ambition to improve.
""That inconsistency there has to get a little bit better and still stay tight with our defense, continue to rebound the basketball, find some good shots and stay balanced, and get some momentum,""
Stone said. ""I'm very optimistic about our kids. They work hard. They want to get better, and that's the main thing. That's our focus tomorrow in practice is to be better, just continue the process of getting better and hopefully get one on Thursday.""
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Kohl Center.
- uwbadgers.com
contributed to this report.
