The Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team will visit the Illinois Fighting Illini tomorrow, February 11th, before embarking on a tough stretch of games.
Following a difficult past few seasons and the resignation of Coach Marisa Moseley, Wisconsin ushered in a new era this off-season with the hiring of Coach Robin Pingeton. Along with a new roster, Pingeton brought with her an impressive pedigree and plenty of success as both a coach and a recruiter. The rise of the Badgers’ success was not expected to be overnight, but Pingeton has had some flashes in her first year in Madison.
At 13-11 and 5-8 in Big Ten play, the Badgers are currently sitting in the 12th spot in the conference with strong wins over ranked opponents in Michigan State and Nebraska. The Badgers have also suffered 20-point losses to Ohio State, Minnesota, Maryland, Michigan, and Washington. Wisconsin also lost to Northwestern earlier in the season, a team that only had one conference win prior to the game.
Pingeton and company still have plenty to prove this season, but the possible window to do so might be closing in on the team.
Wisconsin Badgers Visit Illinois Fighting Illini For Lone Meeting of the Season
Over the last four games Wisconsin has dropped each contest but did have better results last time out against the Washington Huskies. The Badgers took the contest into overtime before eventually losing to a strong ranked team in the Huskies.
Illinois is a team that is very similar to Washington and likely will pose many of the same threats against the Badgers during the game. The Fighting Illini traveled to Washington and defeated the Huskies recently but have since lost games to Oregon and USC. With a record of 16-8 this season, Illinois is currently in 10th in the Big Ten standings while averaging 77.4 points, 36.4 rebounds, and 15.6 assists per game.
The Fighting Illini are led on offense by forwards Berry Wallace and Cearah Parchment who are the two main contributors. Wallace averages 19 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field. The forward is a volume shooter who is not afraid to take any shot when the right space presents itself. Parchment, however, is a more traditional forward who is shooting 41.5% from three-point range while primarily serving as a backup perimeter scoring option.
Parchment and Wallace have two very different playing styles and aim to accomplish different things on the court. However, Wisconsin will need to find a way to slow down both players in order to keep the Fighting Illini away from a possible win.
In just five games this season someone not named Wallace or Parchment led the Fighting Illini in scoring and twice Gretchen Dolan was the player leading the team. The guard averages 12.9 points per game and had previously been the supplementary scoring presence the team needed. Dolan missed the last two games for Illinois and without the guard the team lacked another experienced scoring option.
For the Badgers, defeating Illinois would be big at this stage in the season and would certainly help towards any possible post-season opportunities. Wisconsin will need to find a way to force Illinois, in particular Wallace, to throw up bad shots as that has been an issue the team has faced this season. Empty possessions will be key to Wisconsin taking down a strong team in Illinois.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter (X) @JarrettGuerrera, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on all things Wisconsin sports, click here
