The last time the UW women's basketball team played No. 15 Michigan State, the Badgers came within six points of knocking off last year's defending co-Big Ten champions and national runner-up. That was back in January and at the Kohl Center.
This time around, getting the upset will be a much harder task as Wisconsin travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face the Spartans Sunday afternoon.
And to put even more pressure of head coach Lisa Stone and her squad, the game will be televised on ESPN2.
"This is one that's shown to a national audience and we need to perform well, jump out early, find ways to break down their zone," Stone said. "I mean, they're a national runner-up and the challenge is there."
While having the game aired on a national stage may bring some added nerves, it certainly has its positives.
"Obviously, it's great for recruiting," Stone said. "You need to play well."
Wisconsin will have to focus in on the Spartans' senior forward Liz Shimek once again, as she is second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (8.6) — right behind last year's conference player of the year, Jessica Davenport of Ohio State.
Shimek scored a game-high 18 points last time versus Wisconsin, but it was really junior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry who kept the Spartans in the game with her deadly outside shooting, as she ranks second in the Big Ten in three-point shooting (.420).
In that previous meeting, Wisconsin actually found itself with a 10-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the second half, but a meltdown in the final two minutes — something Stone has become accustomed to this season — allowed Michigan State to recapture the lead, and the game.
Nevertheless, it was still one of the best games the Badgers have played this season and Stone is hoping they can achieve the same success in the re-match.
"We're hoping we perform, well, like we did the last time against Michigan State, there's no question," Stone said. " We didn't win the game, but we had a tremendous showing."
What hurt the Badgers the most in the last game versus Michigan State was the Spartans' press in the final minutes, but Stone is hoping her squad can learn from those mistakes and continue to grow as a team.
"That Michigan State game was a terrific game here at the Kohl Center, and one that was a sad ending for us once again, but we were playing one of the top teams in the country right to the wire and unfortunately didn't get it done, coughed the ball up late in the game," Stone explained. "So, again, (we're hoping to improve our) fundamentals and press break, and confidence — instilling confidence in our players and keep believing in them. We care about each other, we believe in each other. This is less about who we're playing and more about us and getting better."
