University of Illinois
Wisconsin
Game Notes | Illini Open Big Ten Tourney Tuesday vs. Wisconsin
March 1, 2022 | Women's Basketball
| ILLINOIS (6-19, 1-13 B1G) vs. Wisconsin 8-20, 5-13 B1G) | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Tuesday, March 2, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, ind. |
| Watch | Big Ten Network |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Listen |
| Live Stats | Stat Broadcast |
| Tournament Central | BigTen.org |
| Printable Notes | Illinois |
| Wisconsin | UWBadgers.com |
| Shop | Online Store |
| Social Media | @IlliniWBB  | #Illini | @IlliniWBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
PREVIEW
Opening Tip
No. 14-seeded Illinois opens the 2022 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, facing No. 11-seeded
Wisconsin in the second game of Round 1.
» Tipoff between the Fighting Illini (6-19, 1-13 B1G) and the Badgers (8-20, 5-13 B1G) is set for 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
» The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Sloane Martin (play-by-play), Christy Winters Scott (analyst) and Meghan McKeown (sideline).
» 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 the 2022 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament with an overall record of 6-19 (1-13 B1G), and will be looking to snap an 11-game skid dating back to a Jan. 9 home win over Wisconsin at State Farm Center.
» The Illini finished 6-9 at State Farm Center, but are in search of their first win away from their home venue. The team went 0-8 in true road contests and dropped a pair of neutral-site games at the Daytona Beach Invitational in November.
» Offensively, the Illini have posted an improved scoring average from last season. Through 25 games, the Illini are averaging 63.6 points per game, an improvement of more four points per game over last year's season average of 59.6 ppg.
» Illinois enters the postseason with a 5-1 mark in games in which the Illini offense scores at least 70 points.
» The Illini are led by a pair of All-Big Ten honorable mention performers in the sophomore duo of Aaliyah Nye and Kendall Bostic.
» Nye, the team's leading scorer, ranks 19th in the Big Ten with a scoring average of 12.12 ppg, an improvement of more than four points per game from her freshman campaign (8.1 ppg).
» Bostic, in her first season as an Illini after transferring from Michigan State, is the top rebounder in the Big Ten and enters play this week ranked 12th nationally at 11.44 rebounds per game. Bostic recorded five double-doubles during the regular season.
» Freshman G Adalia McKenzie ranks just behind Nye and is just shy of a double-figures scoring average at 8.9 points per game. McKenzie also ranks second on the team - behind Bostic - in rebounding (4.2 rpg).
» Behind Nye and McKenzie, the Illini's offensive attack has been balanced throughout the year with eight other players tallying at least one double-digit scoring game, and three others, De'Myla Brown (8.6), Jada Peebles (7.0), Kendall Bostic (6.5), averaging more than 6.0 ppg
About Wisconsin
Wisconsin enters Wednesday's Round 1 matchup as the No. 11 seed in the Big Ten bracket with a record of 8-20 (5-13 B1G).
» Wisconsin opened Big Ten play this season with six consecutive losses, including the 68-47 setback at Illinois on Jan. 9, but bounced back to tally five conference wins.
» The Badgers closed the regular season with a 63-62 win at Purdue on Feb. 27. Overall, since their home win in the rematch vs. Illinois on Feb. 6, the Badgers went 3-4 over their final seven games of the season.
» Wisconsin is been led by junior guard Julie Pospisilova, a 2022 All-Big Ten honorable mention selection. Pospisilova leads the team in scoring (14.0 ppg) and is tied for second in rebounding (4.0 rpg).
» The team played the final eight games of the year without Sydney Hilliard who had averaged 12.8 points and a team-leading 4.7 rebounds per game before announcing Feb. 3 that she was taking 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
Wednesday's matchup vs. Wisconsin marks the 81st in the series between the Illini and the Badgers, and the third matchup this season.
» Illinois trails in the all-time series, 39-41. The Illini are 23-13 vs. Wisconsin in games played in Champaign, while posting a 10-26 mark in Madison. The Illini hold a 6-2 record in neutral-site contests, including a win in the most recent postseason matchup, a 67-42 win in Round 1 of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.
» The teams split two regular-season games this year, each winning on their home court. The Illini captured a 68-47 victory at State Farm Center on Jan. 9. In the rematch at Kohls Center on Feb. 6, the Badgers came away with the 70-62 win.
Illini History at the Big Ten Tourney
The Illini are set to compete in their 29th Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament in 2022.
» Illinois is 21-28 all-time in Big Ten Tournament play, with four runner-up finishes: 1982, 1997, 1999, and 2008.
» Last season, the Illini captured their first Big Ten Tournament win under head coach Nancy Fahey, defeating Wisconsin 67-42 in the opening round of the 2021 tourney.
Up Next
With a victory on Wednesday, the Illini would advance to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament for the second consecutive year.
» The second round matchup would pit the Illini against No. 6-seeded Nebraska (22-7, 11-7 B1G).
» The Round 2 matchup would be the final game of the day and would tipoff approximately 25 minutes after the 6:30 p.m. ET/5:20 p.m. CT game.
» All Big Ten Tournament games through the semifinals will air live on Big Ten Network. Sunday's championship game is slated for broadcast on ESPN2.
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.
