Game Coverage
Friday, Dec. 8 | 6 p.m. — Indianapolis, Ind.
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's basketball team heads southeast for its last non-conference matchup on the road, taking on Butler on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT.
Friday's game will be broadcast on Facebook Live and can be heard live on 100.9FM, while a live statistics link can be found at UWBadgers.com.
1. LOOKING BACK: The Wisconsin women's basketball team dominated Wednesday night, defeating UT-Rio Grande Valley 82-54 at the Kohl Center. The Badgers (6-4 overall) controlled UTRGV (8-3) early, shooting 50 percent (16-32 from the field) to take a 13-point lead at the half that the Vaqueros never recovered from. The 28-point victory was the Badgers' largest margin of victory this season and UW tied its season high with 30 field goals. Wisconsin held UT Rio Grande Valley to an opponent season-low 54 points.
2. SHARING IS CARING: The Badgers had a season-best 22 assists against UT Rio Grande Valley, led by Kendra Van Leeuwen (6) and Niya Beverley (5). Van Leeuwen's six assists tied a Wisconsin game high that was set by Beverley against Vanderbilt on Nov. 25.
3. SCOUTING BUTLER: The Bulldogs clinched their fifth win of the season at Illinois State on Sunday, winning 56-45 and outscoring the Redbirds 17-5 in the first quarter to give them a strong start. Butler's defense was the story of the game, holding Illinois State to just 13 field goals and 13 free throws, only shooting 25 percent from the field.
Butler is 5-4 on the season and two of its losses came to ranked teams, USF and West Virginia. Butler is outscoring opponents 628-602 and primarily in the first (152-144) and third (172-137) quarters. The Bulldogs are averaging 69.8 points per game and holding opponents to 66.9 points per game. The Bulldogs, who are averaging 38.3 rebounds per game, are undefeated with two wins at home this season.
4. SERIES HISTORY: The two squads have faced three times in program history, as most recently as last season. Wisconsin holds an unblemished 3-0 record over the Bulldogs but the two teams have never faced in Indianapolis before. The Badgers won 61-46 in 2003, 68-48 in Madison in 2011 and 60-55 in Madison in 2016.
5. REMEMBER THAT ONE TIME: Head coach Jonathan Tsipis' first win at Wisconsin was against Butler on Nov. 20, 2016. The Badgers won 60-55 last year behind three players scoring in double digits, including Cayla McMorris who had 10.
