Had the Badgers (15-13, 10-6) beaten the Buckeyes, they may have ended up on the opposite side of the Big Ten tournament bracket with the likes of Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa, three teams that the UW had a combined record of 0-4 against this season.
Instead, Wisconsin missed its opportunity at a first round bye but also receives the potential of more favorable pre-championship game matchups versus Indiana, Purdue, Penn State, Michigan and Illinois, against whom Wisconsin had a combined record of 6-2.
“We like the side of the bracket we are on. It is all about matchups,” assistant coach Oties Epps said. “We feel like if we can take care of business there, the road to where we want to get is very favorable.”
In their opening game of the tournament, the Badgers will be set in a rematch against the Fighting Illini (7-22, 2-14) Thursday. In the only regular season contest between the two teams at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin was able to walk off the floor with a comfortable 60-47 victory, but as history shows, matchups can be very unpredictable when each team’s back is against the wall.
“It is going to be really different; it is tournament time, and anything can happen,” junior guard Jade Davis said. “[The Illini] are trying to make a run to the NCAA Tournament just as we are, so the way they played here can be totally different than the way they are going to play in the Big Ten Tournament.”
Illinois, despite its unimpressive record, still boasts talented assets, most notably sophomore forward and All-American candidate Karisma Penn. Penn is averaging 18 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
“Everything [Illinois] want[s] to do surrounds Penn,” Epps said. “For us, it is great having that knowledge. It makes it a little easier for us to prepare and game plan for some of the things that we want to do.”
And there are concerns outside of Penn herself. The Illini feature a fast paced, up-and-down game that, without a collective defensive effort, could really pose some problems for the Badgers.
“They are explosive, and their athleticism [stands out],” Epps said. “I think teams like that are always dangerous because if they can dictate tempo, if they can get out and make it an open court game, force tempo a little bit, it can be a rough game for us.”
One part of Wisconsin’s game will clearly be gone since the last meeting between these two teams: Tara Steinbauer. In the previous contest, Steinbauer led the Badgers with 19 points, and with Steinbauer now sidelined with a torn ACL, junior forward Anya Covington will slide into the starting lineup again for only the seventh time this season.
Since Steinbauer’s injury, Wisconsin has used multiple rotations and different starting lineups such as four-guard, one-post lineups as well as the more conventional three-guard, two-post combos. In this instance, however, it was Covington’s experience that led to her getting the starting nod.
“She is the most experienced of out reserve posts. I think what has gotten us to this point is experienced players, so we are going to continue to ride that,” Epps said.
Covington seems more than ready for action.
“You have to be ready right off the jump,” Covington says. “Ball goes up; it is time to play. You don’t have time to sit there and watch other people and see what they have done; you have to go out there and do it.”
Wisconsin’s side of the bracket may seem favorable, but past success means nothing when every team is scrapping for an NCAA Tournament bid. Despite Wisconsin finishing third in the Big Ten, the odds remain slim, and the pre-NCAA Tournament brackets don’t show much promise for the Badgers’ tournament hopes.
It may actually take a visit to the Big Ten Championship game or a tournament title itself to deliver Wisconsin to its second straight NCAA Tournament.
