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After a tough loss to the eventual co-conference champion
Iowa, Wisconsin can now look ahead to the Big Ten tournament and possible NCAA
hopes.

Sunday was senior day at the Kohl Center, marking the last
home game for the seniors, including top scorer and Big Ten Player of the Year
Jolene Anderson. Anderson has set numerous records throughout her career,
including the all-time scoring leader for UW men?s or women?s basketball.

?I think Jolene statistically is the best in the league. I
mean, you look at her rebounds. You look at her overall stat sheet here, and
every category she surfaces,? head coach Lisa Stone said. ?She is the two-time
scoring leader, back to back. I certainly think that she is, in my opinion, the
player of the year.?

With eight wins in the past 11 games, the team is the
hottest it?s been all season. When all seemed lost in Michigan on Thursday, the
Badgers strung together nine second-half three-point shots to pull off the
20-point comeback win on the road. The team was in a similar hole against Iowa
on Sunday.

?Down by 20 two games in a row, certainly not something you
want to project going in, but I have to give Iowa credit,? Stone said. ?They
didn?t let us take the lead, and unfortunately for us, we put ourselves in too
big a hole.?

Contributing to the early deficit were shooting woes and
rebounding margins. Wisconsin has only lost in the rebounding column four times
this season, but it was out-rebounded by almost 20 against a taller Iowa
lineup.

?The difference came down to rebounding. We got pounded on
the glass,? Stone said. ?It?s something that we need to make sure that we pay
attention to when we go into the Big Ten tournament.?

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Illinois up next

The end to the regular season snapped a five-game Badger win
streak, but spirits are high and the team is optimistic about the postseason.

Tip-off for the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, Ind.
starts at 11 a.m. Thursday, with eighth-seeded Wisconsin taking on ninth-seeded
Illinois in the early evening later that day.? The team split the season
series, with each teaming winning on their own home court.

?We see we?re going to play Illinois ? I do like our
matchup,? Stone said. ?My staff is eager to practice today, but we?re going to
take the day off and get ready for a great tournament run.?

When the team lost to Illinois earlier in the year, it was
amid the 1-6 start to the season, which has since turned around to a series of
win streaks. Most notably different, the freshmen have stepped up into their
roles and are now major factors in the team?s success. Against Iowa, it was the
three freshmen who led the team in scoring.

?I like our bench strength and our depth, the maturity of
our freshmen going into this game,? Stone said. ?It?s a good first game for us,
and I?ve got a very focused team.?

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NCAA hopes not gone yet

With a .500 record in the conference, the Badgers are far
from an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Of course, if the team were to
win the tournament, they would earn a bid outright.

?If we?re successful on Thursday against Illinois and we
play Ohio State, a ranked team, it?d be a significant win for us,? Stone said.
?If we can beat Ohio State, advance to the semis and continue to get to the
championship game, I think a lot of things will come into play.?

A lot can be accomplished yet by this Wisconsin team,
playing their best basketball to start the postseason. The team has notched
wins over the top seeds in the tournament and kept games against the top two
seeds Ohio State and Iowa close until the very end.

?Look at our team right now. We?ve shown some resiliency,
some toughness,? Stone said. ?You know, we?re out there, we?re swinging. We?re
doing everything we can. And I like that. They?re hungry.?