MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin women's basketball team faces off against Illinois Sunday afternoon from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on B1G+.
Here are five things to look for at Sunday's game.
1. LAST TIME OUT: After returning to play in the new year, Wisconsin fell to No. 6 Indiana Wednesday night at the Kohl Center, 76-53. Coming out with new energy after not playing a game in 20 days, junior guard
Julie Pospisilova led the Badgers in scoring with 15 points while
Sydney Hilliard and
Halle Douglass followed close behind, finishing with 10 and nine points, respectively. Wisconsin shot the ball well in the second half, but was unable to make up the deficit of Indiana's sharp outside shooting.
2. BATTLING BROOKE: Over the last five games, sophomore
Brooke Schramek has turned up her scoring, ranking second on the team over the span with 11.0 points per game. The 6-foot-1 guard has scored in double figures in three games and seven-or-more points in all five contests. Over the span, she is shooting 43.9% (18-41) from the field and 75% (15-20) from the free-throw line. She also adds 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
3. MOST IMPROVED SCORERS: Junior Julie Pospisilova and sophomore Brooke Schramek rank among the top Big Ten players for most improved scorers. Pospisilova ranks sixth, upping her scoring from 8.9 last season to 14.5 this season, an improvement of 5.6 ppg. Schramek ranks eighth, improving her scoring from 2.9 as a freshman to 7.0 this season.Â
4. ALL HAIL HALLE: Sophomore Halle Douglass has earned a starting role the last two games. Against Illinois State on Dec. 16, she scored a career-high 12 points and pulling down a career-best nine rebounds. While starting, the 6-foot-1 guard is averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, shooting 47.4% (9-19) from the field.
5. SCOUTING ILLINOIS: Currently sitting 5-8 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, the Illini enter Sunday's matchup in search of their first Big Ten win. Offensively, both teams are evenly match, shooting 41% from the field. Wisconsin has the advantage from the free-throw line (71% - 63%) and turnovers (15 - 19) but Illiois has the edge in rebounding (37-32). Aaliyah Nye leads Illinois with 11.1 points per game while three other players average around nine points per game. The Badger lead all-time against the Fighting Illini, 40-37.
