:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24680515/20131124_wb_060_mb.0.jpg)
When: Saturday, December 7, 2013, at 7pm
Where: Al McGuire Center
Audio/Visual: It's a home game, so that means FREE VIDEO STREAMING for y'all out of towners. Live stats will be here.
Twitter Updates: @MarquetteWBB
After two solid wins in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout, Marquette returns home for their end of Badger Hate Week. It's just the 21st meeting between Marquette and Wisconsin, but after last year's 71-68 win at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin holds an 11-9 advantage in the series.
Marquette senior forward Katherine Plouffe has picked up Big East honors in two of the three weeks of the season so far. KP is averaging 20.0 points and 10.6 rebounds, both team highs. Katie Young is right behind Plouffe, though, at 16.1 points and 10.3 rebounds. With the two seniors performing so well, you can see how Marquette has jumped out to a 6-1 record to start the season.
But even with two solid rocks to build the season on, you need point guard play. Brooklyn Pumroy is much more comfortable with her role on the team after being thrust into the starting lineup early last season. The sophomore guard has an assist to turnover ratio of 2.7/1 while leading Marquette in minutes played at 32 mpg. Pumroy's also leading the Golden Eagle defense, averaging just under 2 steals per game.
Wisconsin comes in to the McGuire Center with a record of 5-2 after a 74-59 win over Boston College on Thursday night. Games away from the Kohl Center have been their weakness this season. The Badgers fell 70-62 to Alabama in Tuscaloosa before dropping an 81-69 decision to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Of course, we all remember that Marquette went into Memorial Gymnasium and defeated the Commodores earlier this season.
This is the point in the preview where I would tell you about the preseason conference accolades that Wisconsin earned. Unfortunately, the Big Ten only releases the top 3 teams in their preseason poll, and they only name a five player preseason all-conference team. The Badgers are not in the top 3, and they don't have one of the five best players in the Big Ten. *shrug*
Senior guard Taylor Wurtz leads the Badgers with 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, and junior forward Michala Johnson is right behind Wurtz with 15 points and 7.9 rebounds. Marquette may have an advantage in the game when it comes to depth. Four Badgers average over 30 minutes per game, and a fifth is averaging 29.4 mpg. Keep an eye on reserve guard Tessa Cichy. The sophomore is only averaging 11.3 minutes per game and is shooting just .316 on the season to average just under 3 points, but she exploded for eight points down the stretch of the Boston College game to help spark UW to score 32 points in the last 9+ minutes and turn the game from a 7 point deficit to a 15 point win.