IU braces for Wisconsin

The Badgers beat the Hoosiers by eight points when they played at Assembly Hall in January.

But now, in order to have a chance to make the NCAA tournament, the Hoosiers must take their 1-3 conference road record into Madison and come out with a win.

Not only does IU (13-11, 6-7) have to play well on the road, but they must play against one of the best defensive teams in the nation. Wisconsin (17-7,7-6) is currently ranked first defensively in the Big Ten, and 13th in the NCAA, only allowing opposing teams to score an average of 53.9 points per game. They also hold their opponents to an average of 35.5 percent shooting from the field, good for 24th in the nation.

The only defensive stat in which the Hoosiers outperform the Badgers is their 3-point defense, which is ranked 12th in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten. But having a strong defense against the deep shot won’t matter if the Hoosiers continue the lackluster play they exhibited against Iowa.

“I think that we know what we made our mistakes on. We know that now, in the Big Ten race, it’s kind of up for grabs,” senior guard Jamie Braun said. “We threw it away here at home, so we just need to refocus and come out even harder at their place.”

IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack also said the team cannot expect to defeat a good defensive team like the Badgers without consistent effort, particularly in rebounding.

“We’re going to have to get better in two days,” Legette-Jack said. “Wisconsin’s not going to feel bad that we lost a basketball game.”

The Hoosiers can look to find inspiration and motivation to push past the Badgers in their smallest player, junior guard Whitney Lindsay.

Lindsay’s play has been improving throughout the season, and she has slowly evolved into one of the go-to players on both offense and defense. But her most impressive quality is her work ethic, Legette-Jack said..

“She says, ‘Coach I’ll go until my legs pop off, but I’m going to give you everything,’ and she believes in what we’re trying to do,” she said. “Even though people aren’t here to help support, due to the fact of injuries or they quit, or whatever, that’s not going to be a reason why we fail. The more people that step off because of situations, the more she buys into what we’re trying to do.”

Team unity will be crucial, especially after struggling against an Iowa team who was without one of their star guards and after squandering a seven-point lead with five minutes left.

But as the clock continues to tick for the Hoosiers to rack up enough quality wins, junior guard Jori Davis said the team can win if they come together as one unit.

“We have a better teamness, oneness on the court,” Davis said. “That’s the thing we are going for, and when we do that, we’re unstoppable.“