MADISON, Wis. — Fresh off its win over Illinois, the Wisconsin women's basketball team (6-16, 3-9 B1G) travels to No. 15 Maryland (17-6, 9-3) on Wednesday to take on the Terrapins at 5 p.m. from XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland.
Here are five things to know before tuning in.
1. SENSATIONAL SCHRAMEK: Last time out, in Wisconsin's 70-62 win over Illinois last Sunday, sophomore
Brooke Schramek continued her outbreak season, scoring 17 points, just one off her career high, and tying her career best with six made field goals. Statistically, Schramek sits third in scoring for the Badgers and leads the team in total rebounds averaging 3.9 per game.
One of Wisconsin's best two-way players as her footwork can burn you in the paint as well as her jump shot beyond the arc, head coach
Marisa Moseley has been impressed by Schramek this season and states her importance when she said, "We are not as good of a team when Brooke is not on the floor. She is aggressive and plays hard… Her versatility is just a lot to work with."
2. DISH BEST SERVED HOT: Not only did the Badgers dish out some revenge to the Fighting Illini in Sunday's contest after falling to them on the road earlier this season, but Wisconsin also dished off a season-high 21 assists on 26 made field goals en route to victory. Junior
Julie Pospisilova had nine assists on the day while
Katie Nelson followed close behind with six helpers of her own as she sits sixth in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.1.
3. OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND: Wisconsin scored 70 points in its win over Illinois, the second-most points in a game this season after only scoring 47 against the Fighting Illini earlier this season. The Badgers closed out Sunday's game by sinking six free throws to ice the win. Wisconsin boasted four double-digit scorers in Sunday's win, just the second time this season with four players scoring 10-plus points.
Moseley talked about the importance of closing out games by saying, "We've talked about starts and we've also talked about finishes. The way we start practice is the way we start games and the way we end practice is the way we end games. We have really focused and I think it takes maturity… So for them to come out and respond and handle the pressure and execute, that shows a ton of growth from the beginning of the season to now."
4. SCOUTING MARYLAND: The 17-6 overall Terrapins sit tied third in the Big Ten as they welcome in the Badgers to the XFINITY Center. Their most recent win came over Nebraska where Maryland beat the Cornhuskers, 80-65, last Sunday. Angel Reese and Chloe Bibby lead the way in Maryland's last win and that has been a consistent theme all season. Reese, a sophomore forward, has been dominant for the Terrapins, averaging 17.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Bibby, a 6-2 grad student, has been the team's veteran player this season, playing and starting all 23 games, averaging 12.7 points per game. As a team, Maryland sits among the top Big Ten teams in shooting while also leading the Big Ten in turnover margin, averaging only 12.3 turnovers per game.
5. HOW TO WATCH: Moseley caped off Sunday's win against Illinois by saying, "The crowd was awesome so for us to be able to make a statement about where we're headed and to get new eyes and young eyes on our program."
Fans, new or old, can tune in to Wednesday's matchup on BTN+ or via radio stream on U100.9 FM. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT.
