The Fighting Illini are now 4-2 all-time in first round games of the Big Ten conference tournament. On top of that, this is the second straight year where they were bounced from the conference tournament in the first round. They lost to Michigan, 68-53, in last year’s Big Ten conference tournament.

Illinois had a really nice first half on Thursday. They led the Badgers, 30-20, at the half and looked really solid. However, things went sour in the second half.

“Wisconsin became the most aggressive team in the second half, and that was the difference,” said head coach Matt Bollant about his team’s play. “In the first half, I thought we did a great job of weathering the storm with Karisma (Penn) in foul trouble. We just needed to step up and play aggressively in the second half and we didn’t. I think we got caught up in thinking about the end result and quit playing aggressively and attacking, and that really hurt us” (Source: fightingillini.com)

The Illini trailed Wisconsin by 10 with 5:59 left in the game. They went ahead by three with 42.4 seconds left after Amber Moore hit a huge three-pointer. Although, the Badgers hit four free throws to upset the Illini.

November 20, 2011; Berkeley, CA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Amber Moore (42) shoots the ball during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois’ three main scorers were Adrienne GodBold, Ivory Crawford, and Amber Moore. Crawford led the team with 14 points. She went 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Moore led the Illini in three-point shooting on the night. She hit three of the team’s five threes (two of them coming with 42 seconds left in the game).

One player that struggled for Illinois was Karisma Penn. Coming into their first round match-up with the Badgers, the Fighting Illini were 10-3 when Penn scores 20+ points. She did not even hit double-figures. She finished with only eight points and only hauled in four rebounds. The Badgers were able to take her out of the game.

One thing Wisconsin did well in Thursday’s tournament game was shooting free throws.

Overall as a team, they went a perfect 21-of-21 from the foul line. Four of those 21 free throws came in the last 42 second to win the game.

The leading scorer for the Badgers on Thursday was Morgan Paige. She scored 18 points and made ten of her team’s free throws.

Another key player for Wisconsin was Cassie Rochel. Rochel recorded a double-double in the game as she scored ten points and 13 rebounds. Rochel also added a defensive boost for the Badgers with three blocks in the game.

The Fighting Illini are now 16-13 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten as they await their postseason destiny (selection is on Monday, March 18th).

Right now, Illinois’ chances for the NCAA Women’s Tournament do not look bright. ESPN has the Illini listed as one of the “First Four Out.” This is why they needed to win a game or two in the Big Ten conference tournament to increase their postseason chances.

In the end, the conference tournament loss to the 11th-seeded Wisconsin Badgers will not look good to the selection committee. Although, do not count the Fighting Illini out of the postseason. They might not make the NCAA Women’s Tournament, but will most likely make the WNIT.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

Like the us on Facebook at Writing_Illini.

The Fighting Illini defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their last game, 76-66. They had three players score over 20 points in the game. The biggest players for the Illini were Karisma Penn and Adrienne GodBold. Both recorded double-doubles as Penn recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds while GodBold recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds.

This game will be the second meeting between Illinois and Wisconsin this season. In their first meeting, the Illini beat the Badgers, 64-56. GodBold led the Illini with 18 points in that game. She also hauled in 13 rebounds and recorded six steals to get the Fighting Illini the win in Madison.

Wisconsin comes into Monday’s match-up with an overall record of 11-14 and a Big Ten record of 3-9. They are 1-2 in their last three games. They are coming into this match-up after losing to the Purdue Boilermakers, 48-58, at the Kohl Center in Madison.

February 7, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard/forward Jacki Gulczynski (35) takes a foul shot against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Schottenstein Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The Badgers have two players averaging double-digit points so far this season.

They are junior Morgan Paige (16.7 points per game) and sophomore Jacki Gulczynski (12.7 points per game).

In the first meeting against the Fighting Illini, both Paige and Gulczynski recorded double-digit points. Paige led the team with 23 points while Gulczynski had 10 points.

Morgan Paige is among the best scorers in the Big Ten. She is currently ranked seventh in the Big Ten in scoring.

The Badgers are ranked eleventh in the conference in scoring offense, but they stay in games with their defense. They are ranked sixth in scoring defense (59.6 points per game).

On the boards, Wisconsin is led by Jacki Gulczynski (6.4 rebounds per game), junior Cassie Rochel (8.5 rebounds per game), and senior Tiera Stephen (6.0 rebounds per game).

In the first meeting in Madison, Gulczynski, Rochel, and Stephen combined for 25 of their team’s 35 rebounds. Gulczynski led the team with nine rebounds while Rochel and Stephens both recorded eight rebounds. Stephens also added 14 points to her stat line the first time around.

Rochel is ranked fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding this season. As a team, Wisconsin is ranked ninth in rebounding margin (-0.3).

This will be the 65th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers. Illinois leads the series, 33-31.

Illinois will need to do a better job rebounding than they did the first time against Wisconsin. Everyone knows that the Fighting Illini are going to get their points each game, but can they take their game to the next step and out-rebound the Badgers on Monday.

Penn and GodBold will score in double-figures and might even be guaranteed double-doubles. However, Illinois should be able to win if Penn and GodBold can get some help from Amber Moore and/or Ivory Crawford.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

Like the us on Facebook at Writing_Illini.