Finally, a major opponent.
Halfway through a season-opening 12-game homestand, Kansas University’s women’s basketball team is 6-0, yet unranked because of the so-so status of its six-pack of opponents.
Now comes Wisconsin. Not a Wisconsin with a hyphen. The real Wisconsin. The one from the Big Ten Conference.
“This will definitely prove if we’re there at 6-0,” said Crystal Kemp, the Jayhawks’ leading scorer at 15.7 points a game. “It’ll prove if we’re serious about what we’re doing.”
Tipoff will be at 1:05 p.m. today in Allen Fieldhouse.
Wisconsin has had a baffling season. The Badgers rocketed to a 4-0 start, but since have dropped four in a row, including three at home. The latest was a stunning 68-65 loss to South Dakota State on Thursday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
The Jackrabbits forced Wisconsin into a season-high 26 turnovers.
“We just had a horrendous time handling the basketball,” UW coach Lisa Stowe said. “We talked about how hard South Dakota State plays. They play their butts off the whole game. They’re relentless in their defense.”
Kansas has been relentless on defense, too. The Jayhawks forced their last two opponents – New Orleans and UMKC – into 28 turnovers apiece. KU foes are averaging 20 turnovers a game. Furthermore, KU’s assists-to-turnovers ratio is a glossy 124-77 in six games, while Wisconsin has 127 assists and an unsightly 150 turnovers in eight games.
At the same time, the Jayhawks have been shooting at a decent 47.8 percent clip from the field and a sizzling 47.1 percent from three-point range. Compare those numbers to Wisconsin’s 42.1 FG percentage and chilly 29 percent from beyond the arc.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Stowe said about today’s clash with the Jayhawks.
Wisconsin features two of the best sophomores in the country in guards Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks.
Anderson is the reigning Big Ten freshman of the year after averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game last season. The 5-8 native of Port Wing, Wis., is averaging 14.9 points this season, while the 5-10 Banks leads the Badgers with a 17.3 average.
Anderson likely will be guarded by Ivana Catic, the Jayhawks’ freshman point guard who has been impressive in averaging 11.5 points, 6.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
“I’m definitely excited,” Catic said. “I can’t wait. I look at it as a challenge, as a test.”
KU coach Bonnie Henrickson also considers today’s game a litmus test.
“I think we’re ready,” Henrickson said. “It isn’t going to be a tell-all for us, but it’ll be a good measuring stick.”
Because of final exams, KU won’t play again until a week from today against Florida International.
