With half of the season already in the books, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team faces a daunting conference schedule in the way of clinching a post-season birth for the first time since the 2011 season.
The Badgers (6-8, 2-2) hope to use big wins against conference rivals Indiana and Penn State as a springboard into what will certainly be a challenging second semester slate.
High profile games against top 10 opponents Ohio State and Maryland need to be upsets for the Badgers in order to earn an invitation to post-season play.
Wisconsin hopes their recent shooting form — 66 percent from beyond the arc and tying a school record with 12 three pointers against Penn State —continues into the second half of the schedule.
“We encourage them to work on their shot,” head coach Bobbi Kelsey said. “You just try to encourage them to improve. That’s what our motto is here. You come in one way, you won’t leave the same.”
Wisconsin will need to continue to look for new ways to produce on offense, as guard Tessa Cichy has been sidelined the past four outings with an injury. Kelsey highlighted Cayla McMorris as someone who has vastly improved on her shooting in Cichy’s absence, saying how she was not a shooter when she first arrived and is now doing step-back threes.
But, up to this point, the Badgers have relied upon the dynamic backcourt of Nicole Bauman and Dakota Whyte to lead the team offensively.
Bauman, who averages a team-high 15.1 points per game, reached the 1,000-point milestone in the team’s matchup with Iowa. The duo leads the team in scoring and will continue to log heavy minutes as long as Cichy, who is second on the team with 33.9 minutes per game, remains out.
“[Cichy] is the ‘glue’ kid,” Kelsey said. “She can hit shots, she screens, she guards the best offensive player on the other team and she is not afraid. She just does a lot of things that maybe some of the young ones aren’t ready to do.”
Kelsey also hopes the Badgers can rely on forward Michala Johnson more throughout conference play. The senior is battling back from her third ACL injury but is averaging 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in limited minutes so far.
Johnson is not yet 100 percent back, according to Kelsey. However, as she recovers, Kelsey said the senior is getting more and more confident every day.
“It kind of puts your mind in a place where you’re still a little bit afraid,” Kelsey said. “You got to get through that part of it, but I think as she plays, she sees that she can explode off her legs [more].”
The Badgers will need to rally and hope for around nine more victories to feel comfortable about their chances at a WNIT birth.
