Opening Tip
The Fighting Illini return to the court for the first time since Jan. 23, traveling to Madison, Wis., for a Sunday afternoon matchup vs. the Wisconsin Badgers.
» Tipoff between the Fighting Illini (6-11, 1-5 B1G) and the Badgers (5-16, 2-9 B1G) is set for 1 p.m. CT at UW's Kohl Center.
» The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Meghan McKeown (analyst).
» Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM).
» Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
About the Illini
Illinois enters Sunday's game at Wisconsin with an overall record of 6-11 (1-5 B1G), and will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak and complete a regular-season sweep of the Badgers.
» The Illini are 6-4 at home, but have struggled away from State Farm Center, going 0-7, including a pair of neutral-site losses as part of the Daytona Beach Invitational in November.
» Offensively, the Illini have opened the season with an improved scoring average from last season. Through 17 games, the Illini are averaging 65.5 points per game, an improvement of nearly six points per game over last year's season average of 59.6 ppg.
» Illinois enter Sunday's game at Wisconsin with a 5-1 mark in games in which the Illini offense scores at least 70 points.
» Leading scorer, sophomore G Aaliyah Nye, is averaging 11.7 ppg, an improvement of nearly four points per game from her freshman campaign (8.1 ppg).
» Junior G De'Myla Brown ranks just behind Nye and is just shy of a double-figures scoring average at 9.7 points per game.
» Behind Nye and Brown, the Illini's offensive attack has been balanced with seven other players tallying at least one double-digit scoring game, and two others, Adalia McKenzie (8.8) and Jada Peebles (8.1), entering action at Wisconsin averaging better than 8.0 ppg.
» Sophomore F Kendall Bostic is the top rebounder in the Big Ten Conference and enters play this week ranked fifth nationally at 11.88 rebounds per game.
About Wisconsin
Wisconsin enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 5-16 (2-9 B1G), and sits one spot ahead of the Illini in the conference standings.
» The Badgers went 3-7 in non-conference play and opened the Big Ten slate with three straight losses vs. Indiana, at Illinois, and vs. Minnesota before breaking through for a 49-45 win at Rutgers.
» Following a setback at league-leading Michigan, the Badgers grabbed their second conference win vs. Penn State (69-57), but have lost three straight - at Nebraska, at Minnesota, and vs. Iowa - entering Sunday's matchup.
» Four of the Badgers five overall wins have come at the Kohl Center where the team is 4-8 on the season.
» Wisconsin has been led by a pair of junior guards in Julie Pospisilova and Sydney Hilliard who average 14.3 and 12.8 points per game, respectively.
» Hilliard, who also ranks as the team's top rebounder (4.7 rpg), missed the first game of the season vs. the Illini with an injury and announced Feb. 3 that she would take a leave of absence from the team.
» Head coach Marissa Moseley is in her first season at the helm of the UW program after previously serving as the head coach for three seasons at Boston University (2018-21).
Series vs. Wisconsin
Sunday's matchup vs. Wisconsin marks the 80th in the series between the Illini and the Badgers, and the second of two regular-season tilts scheduled for this season.
» Illinois trails in the all-time series, 39-40. The Illini are 23-13 vs. Wisconsin in games played against in Champaign, while posting a 10-25 mark in Madison, and a 6-2 record in neutral-site contests.
» The Illini have won each of the last two matchups vs. the Badgers with a 67-42 victory in the opening round of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind., last March, and a 68-47 win in the first matchup this season at State Farm Center on Jan. 9.
» The Badgers captured a 69-47 win in the last meeting in Madison on Jan. 31, 2021. .
Up Next
The Fighting Illini open a three-game home stand on Wednesday, playing host to No. 6/5-ranked Indiana at State Farm Center.
» Tipoff between the Illini and the Hoosiers is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+.
» Indiana (15-3, 7-1 B1G) sits one spot behind Michigan in the conference standings.
» The first scheduled matchup between the Illini and the Hoosiers, on Jan. 27, was postponed due to COVID-19-related concerns within the Illini program.
» Indiana hosts Purdue on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Follow The Illini
For more Fighting Illini women's basketball news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniWBB on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
