After suffering five consecutive defeats, including three tough losses in Madison, Marisa Moseley’s Wisconsin squad (2-9, 0-2 Big Ten) tips off against the Illinois State Redbirds (3-6, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference) at the Kohl Center on Thursday.
The two last met in December 2016, with the Badgers handling the Redbirds in dominant fashion, 64-46. Even though these Midwestern foes total three all-time battles, UW holds a 2-1 mark and two-game winning streak over Illinois State since November 2014.
Led by Kristen Gillespie, the anchor of a 71-53 Redbird program during her five-year tenure, the 2020-21 team went 16-9 and secured a postseason bid to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament for the first time in eight years.