MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Wisconsin women's basketball team (13-15, 6-12 B1G) will head to Minneapolis to play in the Big Ten Tournament which begins Wednesday, Mar. 6. Finishing at 10th place in the Big Ten, the Badgers were awarded a first round bye and will face the seventh-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions (18-11, 9-9 B1G) for the second time this season on Mar. 7. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. from the Target Center and the game can be streamed live on Big Ten Network or listened to on 1070 WTSO-AM.
Here are five things to know before the Badgers Big Ten Tournament matchup against the Nittany Lions:
1. REGULAR SEASON WRAP UP: With a 78-52 loss to Michigan State Sunday, Mar. 3 inside the Kohl Center, Wisconsin concluded its regular season play. Serah Williams finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds to record her 15th-straight double double and 18th of the year. The sophomore tied Megan Gustafson's Big Ten record of 15 consecutive double-doubles set in the 2018-19 season and will have a chance to claim the title outright in Thursday's game. Natalie Leuzinger added 11 points of her own, including a trio of three pointers and Brooke Schramek collected a career-high four blocks.
2. HISTORY WITH PENN STATE: Wisconsin and Penn State will play one another for the 54th time in each program's history and the third time in neutral territory. In its game Feb. 11, 2024, Wisconsin overcame a 17-point first half deficit to win 69-64 inside the Kohl Center. The Badgers and Nittany Lions competed in the first round of the 2019 Big Ten Conference Tournament with UW seeded No. 13 and PSU seeded No. 12. Playing inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN, Wisconsin won, 65-57 behind a 17-point performance from Imani Lewis.
3. SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Penn State finished its season 18-11 overall and 9-9 in the Big Ten. Seeded as seventh in the conference, the Nittany Lions finished out its season with a 93-88 win against Purdue in West Lafayette, followed by a 90-34 win against Minnesota at home. Penn State's scoring offense ranks at seventh in the NCAA, with the team averaging 84.4 points per game. PSU is led in scoring by Ashley Owusu, who averages 18.0 points and 5.9 rebounds a contest. The graduate student is accompanied by Makenna Marisa who scores 13.7 points a game, 18th in the Big Ten.
4. UW'S HISTORY IN THE B1G TOURNAMENT: Wisconsin heads to the Big Ten Tournament as a 10 seed, tied for the Badgers' highest seed since 2012. The team's overall record, dating back to its first tournament game Mar. 5, 1982 is 15-29. Wisconsin has played two or more games in 11 of the 30 seasons but has never won more than two games at any given tournament. Last season, Wisconsin played Purdue in the second round before losing 57-55.
5. TARGET CENTER BAG POLICY: Permitted items inside the Target Center for the Big ten Tournament include bags that are no larger than 5" x 9", diaper bags and medical bags(subject to search upon entry). Feminine hygiene products are available free of charge at Guest Services in Section 116. As a reminder, Target Center is not a clear bag policy and the policy is based on bag size.
