Starting Five: Badgers host Minnesota Wednesday

Wednesday, January 12

Madison, Wis.

6:30 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Minnesota

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Julie Pospisilova and Brooke Schramek slaps hands with bench players.

Photo by: Nolan Kromke

Starting Five: Badgers host Minnesota Wednesday

January 11, 2022 | Women's Basketball

Wisconsin takes on Golden Gophers in Border Battle

By: Diane Nordstrom

Venue	Kohl Center , Madison, Wis.
Game Notes	Wisconsin \| Minnesota
Season Statistics	Wisconsin \| Minnesota
Stream	B1G+
Radio	Listen Live on WIBA 1310AM
Live Stats	vs. Minnesota
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram
Tickets	vs. Minnesota

MADISON, Wis. — The Badgers (3-11, 0-4 B1G) return home to host Minnesota (8-8, 1-3) in a Border Battle on Wednesday. Tip time is 6:30 p.m. live on B1G+. The week continues on Sunday at Rutgers (7-10, 0-5). Tip time is 1 p.m. ET from The RAC in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Here are five things to look for at Sunday's game.

1. BORDER BATTLE: The Border Battle is an all-sports competition between the athletic departments of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Badgers currently lead the 2021-22 standings 135-105. Twenty points are on the line on Wednesday.

2. DISHING WITH KATIE: Grad Katie Nelson has turned up her assists the last four games, averaging 4.8 dimes per game over the stretch. On the season, the point guard ranks 16th in the Big Ten and leads the Badger squad with 3.6 assists per game. Nelson also went over 1,200 career points at Illinois on Sunday, scoring 10 points against the Illini.

3. MOST IMPROVED SCORERS: Junior Julie Pospisilova and sophomore Brooke Schramek rank among the top Big Ten players for most improved scorers. Pospisilova ranks sixth, upping her scoring from 8.9 last season to 14.4 this season, an improvement of 5.5 points per game. Schramek ranks 10th, improving her scoring from 2.9 as a freshman to 7.0 this season.

4. STRUGGLING TO SCORE: Wisconsin has struggled with its scoring the last two games, averaging 50 points per game. The Badgers scored a season-low 47 points at Illinois on Sunday, shooting a season-low 32.8% (19-58) at Illinois on Sunday. On the season, UW ranks 13th in the Big Ten with 59.1 points per game and 12th in field goal percentage at 40.3%.

5. SCOUTING MINNESOTA: The Golden Gophers are 8-8 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play, coming off a respectable performance against a top-10 team in Maryland, falling to the Terrapins, 87-73, on Sunday. Without All-Big Ten guard Jasmine Powell (family matter) and head coach Lindsay Whalen (appendectomy), the Gophers had strong performances from Deja Winters (20 points), Sara Scalia (19) and Kadi Sissoko (15) to hang with the high-powered Terrapins. Carly Thibault-DuDonis served as acting head coach for the second straight game.

Scalia leads the Gophers with a scoring average of 15.1 points per game this season. In addition to her scoring prowess, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten, Scalia is fifth in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage at 42.6 percent and is third in 3-point field goals made per game at 3.1 and has made the second most total threes at 46.