As has so often been the case this season, the odds will once again be stacked against eighth-seeded Wisconsin (10-16) as it opens up Big Ten Tournament play Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis against ninth-seeded Indiana, (11-16).

A win over the Hoosiers would put the Badgers into a Friday morning matchup with top-seeded Nittany Lions of Penn State (23-4), who were one win shy of a perfect 16-0 mark in league play.

If the Badgers are to advance past the first round they will have to find a way do it without their junior floor general and third-leading scorer Stephanie Rich. Rich fractured her right hand with five minutes to go in Wisconsin’s regular-season finale against Ohio State, and it was determined that Rich would miss the remainder of the season.

Rich, the only Badger who has started every game the last two years, was averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Rich ended the regular season as the conference’s assist leader with 5.8 per game while finishing sixth in steals with over two per game.

“I was just trying to poke at the ball” Stephanie Rich said. “But [an] elbow came down on my fingers, and I could just feel it right away. It’s frustrating. But like coach said, I’m glad it happened in the last game of the season rather than two months ago.”

This is not the first time this season the team has been without one of its primary players. Senior center Lello Gebisa missed one game after suffering an ankle injury in the early moments of a home game with Iowa.

Sophomore starting forward Kjersten Bakke suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in practice last week and is also out for the season.

Stone’s squad was a recipient of bad news before the season even started when the team learned that backup point guard Shawna Nichols could not continue her career as a result of sustaining too many concussions within a short period of time during her career at UW.

The Badgers have not hung their heads about what could have been, though, and have remained optimistic about what still can be.

If Wisconsin hopes to be a part of postseason play it will not only have to win four games in five days, but several players will need to step up for the Wisconsin, including freshman backup point guard Kandace Evans.

Evans returned to the court against Ohio State after sitting out a game for violating team rules. The freshman has appeared in 23 games this season, averaging 12 minutes off the bench and 2.1 points per game. She has provided the Badgers a much-needed spark off the bench this season by finding open shots with her penetration to the basket.

Evans’ play has been erratic at times; she picked up four fouls and committed two turnovers in the Badgers’ loss to Ohio State. But she will be counted on Thursday to give the Badgers as many minutes as she can at point guard, with help from backcourt mate Ashley Josephson.

“Kandace is obviously going to have to step in and just be a calming factor as much as she can,” Rich said. “I think this is a big learning tool for her as well, into her freshman season and going into next season for her. It’ll be huge for her to have the team on her back kind of and just try to lead them as much as possible.”

The Badgers will possibly benefit from being quite familiar with their first-round opponent, as they faced the Hoosiers and head coach Kathi Bennett less than two weeks ago and came away with a 66-62 nailbiter in Madison.

Indiana has lost nine of its last ten games, including a season-ending overtime loss at home to Michigan State.

The Indiana offense revolves around junior guard Jenny DeMuth and sophomore guard Cyndi Valentin. Demuth and Valentin led the Hoosiers, with 18 and 21 points respectively, in the loss at UW. DeMuth has averaged 18.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, while Valentin has posted 15.6 points and 3.1 rebounds.

The Hoosiers will need to find a way to defend Wisconsin’s tall frontline, as the Badgers drew a total of 17 fouls on Indiana’s five youthful post players.

If UW is to hold off the Hoosiers it will need to get out to a fast start and hit its shots. If it has a lead it needs to find a way not let up. Less than two weeks ago in Madison, Wisconsin hit nine of its first 13 shots and opened up a 23-9 lead Indiana before allowing Indiana to come roaring back in the final minutes. The Hoosiers narrowed the lead to two, and the Badgers narrowly escaped with a win.

Indiana won its first matchup with Wisconsin in Bloomington 60-39 and won last year 52-51 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers aren’t concentrating on those losses though.

“You can’t cry over spilled milk,” Stone said. “We have to (rally) and stay positive and keep battling and finish the season off on a strong note.”

Favorite: No. 1 Penn State (23-4, 15-1)

The two-time defending Big Ten champion Nittany Lions are the obvious favorites to win the conference tournament in 2004. Penn State has won or shared the title five times since joining the conference in 1992-93.

The Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer and All-American, Kelly Mazzante, was recently named Big Ten Conference Player of the Year for the second straight year and leads the team in scoring with 20.6 points per game. Penn State has won 16 out of its last 17 games and is looking for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament

Penn State has shown many times this season that other players can carry the team if Mazzante is struggling. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Tanisha Wright adds 14.7 points per game, while guard Jess Strom and forward Jess Brungo put up 10.5 and 10.4 points per game respectively.

No. 2 Purdue (24-3, 14-2)

If not for losing twice to Penn State, the Boilermakers would be undefeated and have the top seed. Purdue won last year’s tournament title and has won four out of the past nine titles overall. They will rely heavily on four senior leaders to bring home the crown this year.

All-American forward Shereka Wright can create offense instantaneously. She is averaging 20.4 points per game. Point guard Erika Valek has found her teammates with ease all season and averages over four assists along with 2 takeaways per game. The conference’s coach’s pick for freshman of the year, Katie Geralds comes off the bench to average 10.4 points per game.

No. 3 Ohio State (19-8, 11-5)

After starting the conference season with a dismal 2-4 record, the Buckeyes managed to finish with their highest standing since the 1992-93 season ? a season in which they were the runner-up for the national championship. Ohio State has won nine of their last ten games.

The Buckeyes are led by sharpshooting junior guard Caity Matter, who averages 14.9 points per game. Ohio State’s inside game is underrated with senior LaToya Turner, who adds 13.0 points per game, and the media’s pick for Big Ten Freshman of the year, Jessica Davenport, who averages 12.6 points and 2.4 blocks per game. Ohio State was the runner-up at last year’s tournament and looks for its first Big Ten title.

No. 4 Iowa (16-11, 10-6)

The Hawkeyes will need to play well in order to gain an NCAA berth. Iowa is led by a three-player punch. Junior center Jamie Cavey averages 17.1 points per game, senior guard Kristi Faulkner averages 16.4 points per game and senior forward Jennie Lillis averages 10.4 points per game. Iowa leads the league in scoring with 74.0 points per game, but is last in scoring defense giving up 72.6 points per game. Faulkner leads the league in three-point percentage, hitting over 44 percent of her attempts from behind the arc.

No. 5 Michigan State (20-7, 10-6)

Michigan State had a chance to finish as high as second in the conference, but has lost three out of its last four in recent weeks.

Four of the Spartans’ seven losses were to Purdue and Penn State this season. Sophomores Lindsay Bowen, who averages 12.9 points per game, and Liz Shimek, who averages 10.7 points per game, lead the Spartans.

Michigan State is the best defensive team in the conference, holding opponents to less than 38 percent from the field, but hasn’t been to the semifinals of the conference tournament since 1997.

Sleeper: Minnesota (20-7, 9-7)

Minnesota is the only other team in the tournament that has a winning record and a legitimate shot at the championship. The Gophers were on cloud nine as they started the season with a perfect 15-0 record and still were 18-3 in mid-February and had a shot at the regular-season title, but hopes were dashed when they lost All-American guard Lindsay Whalen to a broken hand injury and have lost four of their last six.

Whalen, who averaged 20.7 points per game, was expected to be out six weeks, just in time to return for NCAA Tournament play. Junior center Janel McCarville is the only other play that averages double figures with 15.3 points and also 10.0 boards per game.