Only two regular-season games remain for Maryland women's basketball, both at home. The No. 6 Terps will host Wisconsin on Thursday night and Minnesota Sunday evening before traveling up to Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament.
Maryland enters its final two games 25-3 for the season, and has won four straight. Most recently, the team cruised past Rutgers on Sunday afternoon. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones continue to lead the way, with the former shooting 56.7 percent from three and the latter shooting 67.3 percent overall, both tops in the nation.
Wisconsin's season has gone down the drain in the past five weeks. After starting conference play 2-2, the Badgers have dropped 11 of 12, including a 25-point loss to Maryland on Jan. 20. The Terps outscored Wisconsin 34-10 in the second quarter after trailing by 5 entering the frame. The rematch will start at 6:30 p.m. EST and can be streamed online at BTN Plus.
Wisconsin Badgers (7-19, 3-13 B1G)
The coach
Bobbie Kelsey. Holds a career 49-97 record over five seasons in Madison. It's her first head coaching gig; she was previously an assistant at Stanford when the Cardinal won the national title.
Players to know
Nicole Bauman, senior, guard, 5'10, No. 4. Bauman is one of the best shooters out there. She shot a school-record 48.8 percent from three-point range last season, and is at an even 40 percent this year. She also makes 89.5 percent of her free throws. Overall, she puts up 15.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.
Dakota Whyte, senior, guard, 5'8, No. 1. The senior from Canada averages 13.1 points and a team-high 3.8 assists. She was a member of the Canadian National B Team that won gold at the 2014 Jones Cup. At Wisconsin, she's been a regular starter for two years and consistently reaches double figures.
Michala Johnson, redshirt senior, center, 6'3, No. 25. Johnson transferred to Wisconsin after two seasons on Connecticut's bench and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2013-14. She suffered a season-ending injury last year and is a rare sixth-year senior. She's currently averaging 11.3 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game.
Strength
Three-point shooting. Bauman has made 41.8 percent of her threes in conference play, while White has made 35.8 percent. The rest of the team isn't as impressive, but if either of the Badgers' guards get hot, they could hang around for a while.
Weakness
Rebounding. Wisconsin has a porous -4.3 rebounding margin, and Maryland sits at +15.5. The Terps outrebounded the Badgers 40-31 in the first meeting, including 17 offensive boards. They also scored 48 points in the paint. Look for Maryland to post similar numbers on Thursday.
Prediction
Maryland wins, 84-61.