The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (5-17, 0-9 Big Ten) will try to avoid losing 10 straight games since beginning conference play as they welcome No. 14 Ohio State University (20-5, 10-1) to the Kohl Center for a showdown Saturday.
The Badgers also look to end their streak of three straight 20-point losses going into the matchup with Ohio State Sunday. They desperately need to get back in the win column as they have gone nearly two months since their last victory — a one-point win on Dec. 12 against UW-Green Bay. The Badgers have not won more than one game in a row this year.
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Pulling off the upset against Ohio State will be no easy task, however, as the Buckeyes come into the Kohl Center this weekend ranked No. 14 nationally and second in the Big Ten behind No. 3 Maryland.
The Buckeyes need a win as well to stay right on the tail of Big Ten-leading Maryland. The Buckeyes will have a pivotal game against the Terrapins on Feb. 20 which will likely decide the Big Ten regular season champion.
The Badgers have to score more than their 60.8 points per game against the high-flying Buckeyes. The Buckeyes come into the game averaging 86.8 points per game and outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.4 points per game. During UW’s nine-game losing streak, they have only scored more than 60 points twice and seven times all season.
UW could score the upset if they keep OSU’s leading scorer, Kelsey Mitchell, under her season scoring average (22.8). Mitchell is a dynamic player who also leads the Buckeyes in assists, and she will be on the front page of Wisconsin’s game plan going into Sunday.
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Scoring and playing tough defense will be the name of the game for the Badgers if they want to compete with the Buckeyes. The Badgers’ leading scorers, Cayla McMorris (12.9) and Avyanna Young (10.1), will need to be at the top of their games to give UW the best chance to pull off their first Big Ten win in front of the home faithful.
The Badgers will also have to play their best defense of the year to slow down the potent Buckeye’s offense. This will be a challenge as the Buckeyes have scored more than 60 points in every single game but two this year.
The Badgers will continue their quest for their first Big Ten win at 1 p.m. airing on Big Ten Network.
