Following Sunday’s back-and-forth triumph against the Penn State Nittany Lions, Marisa Moseley’s Wisconsin squad (5-13, 2-6 Big Ten) faces the Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-4, 2-4 Big Ten) in Lincoln on Jan. 27.
The two teams last squared off in January 2021, with Nebraska beating the Badgers in a 84-68 blowout. With a 2-12 mark since 2012 and 2-8 record in their last 10 matches against Nebraska, UW aims to add another conference win and reverse their track record against the Cornhuskers on Thursday evening.
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Led by Amy Williams, the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year and two-time Summit League Coach of the Year, the 2020-21 group went 13-13 and clinched a WNIT playoff berth. Through 17 games this campaign, Nebraska manages 81.4 points shooting 45.9% from the field — the ninth-highest scoring output in the nation. They turn their defensive effort into offense with 18.1 points off turnovers per contest. With 17.6 assists each time out, the Cornhuskers rank 16th out of 348 qualified groups in the NCAA.
With recent improvement, UW averages 58.6 points per outing off 40% from the field and 30.6% from outside. The Badgers force 7.5 steals, chalk up 11.3 tallies off turnovers and snatch 29.9 rebounds per match — the sixth worst clip in the country. Despite glaring offensive woes, the Badgers hold an 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, turning it over 14.9 times per battle. Wisconsin lands in the top-third of the pack in giveaways per bout.
Even after registering an uncharacteristic 25% mark from the floor against Penn State, Wisconsin junior Sydney Hilliard ranks second among guards in the country with a stellar 54.2% split from the floor. The Monroe-native notches 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 swipes in 33.6 minutes of action each time out. Without taking a single shot from behind-the-arc this season, Hilliard is responsible for 84 two-point field goals — 24 more than any other Badger.
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Through 35.9 minutes per game over 16 appearances, junior Julie Pospíšilová averages 14.6 tallies, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Coming off a 24-point, three-steal performance last weekend, point guard Katie Nelson leads UW with 57 assists. Freshman guard Krystyna Ellew earns 7.4 points off 33.3% from downtown.
Nebraska names to monitor:
Sophomore Jaz Shelley, a member of the Australian National Team, secures 13.8 points, 7.5 boards and 4.4 assists over 28.8 minutes per contest. The 5-foot-9-inch guard ranks 19th out of 153 qualified student-athletes in three-point field-goal percentage with 43.5% efficiency from deep, so Nelson and Pospíšilová will need to play with discipline on the perimeter.
Accountable for a team-leading 52.8% efficiency, forward Alexis Markowski racks up 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in only 16.4 minutes her game. Alongside Shelley and Markowski, guard Sam Haiby adds 11 points and 3.8 dimes. The junior also leads the Cornhuskers with an 86% mark from the charity stripe, minimum 20 attempts.
Though Moseley’s Badgers remain in the bottom of the conference against other Big Ten groups, UW’s momentum is undeniable. Nebraska also shoots 70.8% from the line, so if Wisconsin can knock down its free throws and score a few buckets off turnovers, the Red and White could make some more Big Ten noise on Thursday night.
