Game Coverage
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 3 p.m. — Champaign, Ill.
Game notes vs. Illinois
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's basketball team travels to Champaign, Illinois on Sunday for a 3 p.m. tipoff with the Fighting Illini. The contest will air live on the Big Ten Network, marking the Badgers' fourth TV game this season.
1. LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BADGERS:Â Despite cutting Indiana's lead to six with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Badgers (8-14 overall, 1-8 Big Ten) fell Wednesday night to the Hoosiers, 69-55.
2. MCBUCKETS ON A TEAR: Senior Cayla McMorris had an explosive fourth quarter at Indiana and helped make it an exciting game. She put up 11 points in the final frame alone, cutting IU's lead to six points twice under the six-minute mark. McMorris led the Badgers with 20 points against the Hoosiers, her third 20-plus point game this season and her fifth straight game in double figures. Her 20 points against the Hoosiers brings her career total to 978 and she is only 22 points shy of the 1000-point mark in her career.
3. DOUBLE THREAT: In Big Ten games, UW has two players that average double-figure scoring. Senior Cayla McMorris (14.1), and junior Marsha Howard (11.1) have been dominating in conference play. Howard scored 17 points at Indiana, her third-straight game in double figures and her fifth game in the last six contests with 10-or-more points.
4. WE'VE GOT HISTORY: Illinois narrowly leads the all-time series, 36-35 but is 20-11 in games in Champaign. The Illini have taken two of the last three contests but the Badgers won the most recent meeting, 59-55, on Feb. 22, 2017 in Madison. The last time the two teams played in Champaign was on Jan. 27, 2016.
Illini first-year head coach Nancy Fahey is a decorated Wisconsin women's basketball player. A 1981 UW graduate, Fahey was a four-year letterwinner and started two years at point guard for the Badgers, serving as a captain her senior season and graduating with honors. She led the team in assists in the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons. She ranks ninth all-time in UW season records with 124 assists in 1980-81 and ninth for 4.45 assists per game that same season. She served as a court coach for the U.S. team in 2001 and previously served as the head coach at Washington University in St. Louis for 32 years, winning five NCAA Division III national championships. As a player, Fahey and the Badgers had a 1-2 record against the Illini.
5. SCOUTING THE ILLINI: Illinois is averaging 62.4 points per game, while its opponents are averaging 71.2 points per contest. The Fighting Illini are 9-13 on the season with an 0-8 mark in Big Ten play and a 6-6 record at home, including an 0-4 mark in Big Ten home games. They are led by Alex Wittinger, who averages 13.8 points per game and also leads the team with 8.9 rebounds per game. Two Badgers average double digits against the Illini in their careers when playing more than 10 minutes. Cayla McMorris averages 12 points (14 in 2017, 10 in 2016) and Courtney Fredrickson tallied 12 points against the Illini in 2017.
