Coatney's Call: Wisconsin Preview

#16 Nebraska at Wisconsin
Thursday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m. (central)
Kohl Center (Madison, Wis.)
Live Video: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
107.3 FM, Lincoln; 93.3 FM, Omaha; 880 AM, Lexington; 1310 AM, Fairbury; 94.5 FM, Hastings, 94.1 FM, Scottsbluff; 1340 AM, Sidney

Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com

No. 16 Huskers Begin Big Ten Road Trip in Wisconsin
If you’ve followed the 16th-ranked Nebraska women’s basketball team the last four years, you know that senior forward Hailie Sample almost always is assigned to guard the best offensive player the Huskers are facing. In Monday night’s game against Purdue at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Sample was the primary defender against 6-2 Whitney Bays, who came into the game as the Boilermakers’ leading scorer.

Sample scored 15 points, outscoring Bays by one, to help Nebraska break a five-game losing streak to Purdue in a 69-59 win. The Huskers have won four games in a row after losing their first two to start Big Ten Conference play. Nebraska begins a two-game road swing Thursday night when they travel to Madison to face the Wisconsin Badgers at 7:05 p.m. (central).

The Badgers have already matched their 2013-14 Big Ten Conference win total with three league wins. They picked up their first road conference win in over a year with a 65-56 win at Purdue last week. It was only Wisconsin’s third win in the last 30 years at Mackey Arena. The Badgers, who are 7-10 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten play, have won six of the 11 games they’ve played since losing 2014 first-team All-Big Ten forward Michala Johnson for the season to a knee injury. She had a game-high 24 points in last year’s 71-70 overtime Nebraska win in Madison.

While many observers felt Johnson’s absence would serious hinder Wisconsin’s attack, the Badgers have found a way to pick up league wins over Michigan and Penn State in addition to Purdue. However, Wisconsin is 0-5 against ranked teams this season and in its last two games, they’ve struggled from long-range. They made just two triples, a season low, against Purdue and combined for just 5-of-25 from beyond the arc against the Boilermakers and Rutgers. The Badgers rank last in the Big Ten in scoring offense (59.6 points per game), steals (5.2 per game), and turnover margin (-5.35). However, the game will probably move along quickly as Wisconsin ranks 20th nationally and third in the conference in fewest personal fouls per game (14.6) while Nebraska leads the league and is second nationally, committing an average of just 12.2 fouls each game.

Wisconsin has used the same starting lineup for each of the 11 games since the injury to Johnson. They have a consistent eight-player rotation with the three players coming off the bench each averaging over 13 minutes per game.

Senior forward Jacki Gulczynski has been the team’s leading scorer in conference games (11.9 ppg). A versatile wing who can shoot the three or invert to the block, Gulczynski has knocked down 41 percent of her three-point attempts (14-of-34) in Big Ten games and is second on the team in three-pointers made. Gulczynski also is nearly perfect at the foul line, making 19-of-21 foul shots this season.

Nicole Bauman, a 5-10 shooting guard, missed two games in early November with a sprained ankle. She has a team-leading 32 three-pointers and is the leading scorer among active players on the season (12.1 ppg).

The Wisconsin player who has improved their offense the most lately is 5-8 junior point guard Dakota Whyte. She has scored in double figures in four straight games, averaging 16.2 points over that span. Her season scoring average has been elevated to double figures (10.0 pppg).

Tessa Cichy, a 5-11 junior, has started the last 14 games and has been a force on the glass. In 72 career games, she has a 2.4 rebound per game average, but in seven Big Ten games this season, Cichy is averaging an impressive 7.3 boards. For the season, she averages 7.2 points per contest.

Senior Cassie Rochel rounds out Wisconsin’s probable starting lineup. The 6-4 center missed all of the 2013-14 season with a lower back injury. She played with back pain throughout much of the 2012-13 season when she led the Big Ten Conference in blocked shots and field goal percentage. She has started all 16 games she’s played in this season and adds 5.8 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per contest.

Wisconsin Head Coach Bobbie Kelsey is in the middle of her fourth season in her first head coaching job. She spent 14 years as an assistant coach with stops at Boise State, Florida, Evansville, Western Carolina, Virginia Tech and Stanford where she also helped the Cardinal to three Final Four appearances in five years as a player including the 1992 NCAA Championship.

Even though Nebraska is 5-0 against Wisconsin since the Huskers joined the Big Ten Conference, all five games have been close and nail-biters. Tear’a Laudermill erupted for 21 points and five three-pointers in NU’s overtime win in Madison last season. The all-time series is tied 5-5, with the Badgers winning the first five meetings in the overall series, all when the teams were non-conference foes.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women’s basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Thursday evening begins with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network including KBBK (B107.3) in Lincoln, KFFF 93.3 in Omaha, KRVN 880 in Lexington, KGMT 1310 in Fairbury, KLIQ 94.5 in Hastings, KNEB 94.1 in Scottsbluff, KSID 1340 in Sidney, and many others. Thursday night’s game is available for free on the TuneIn Radio app on your tablet or phone. Search for the IMG Husker Sports Network. All Husker Women’s Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com. I hope you can join us.

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker women’s basketball via social media. You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women’s Basketball Facebook page or follow the team on their official Twitter page @huskerswbb. I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red!

Matt