Michigan
Wisconsin
Wolverines to Head to Wisconsin to Start Big Ten Action
12/7/2021 2:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
» Michigan is back on the road for a midweek contest, traveling to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers in U-M's Big Ten opener.
» The Wolverines will make their first appearance this season on the Big Ten Network.
» U-M has six players averaging at least 7.0 points per game.
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Dec. 9 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 8 p.m. CST
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team (8-1, 0-0 Big Ten) hits the road to begin Big Ten action, heading to Madison to take on Wisconsin (2-7, 0-1 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center. The game is set for 8 p.m. CST and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Wolverine Notes
• Michigan's offense exploded the last time out, scoring a season-high 93 points -- the most points since scoring 92 against Wisconsin on Dec. 31, 2020. The Wolverines shot 64.7 percent (33-for-51) from the field, the first time at 60 percent since Jan. 4, 2021, at Northwestern. U-M also dished out a season-high 22 assists in the game, paced by Maddie Nolan's career-best seven helpers.
• Michigan is kicking off Big Ten play this week, starting with a contest at Wisconsin Thursday (Dec. 9). U-M will then host Minnesota on Sunday (Dec. 12) before returning to non-conference action. U-M will face Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa in home-and-home series, while hosting Purdue, Indiana, Minnesota and Rutgers. The Wolverines will face Nebraska, Penn State, Northwestern and Illinois only on the road. U-M finished fourth in the Big Ten last season with a 9-4 record.
• For the first time since the 2009-10 season, Michigan is playing a Big Ten contest before completing non-conference action. During the 2009-10 season, U-M traveled to Iowa on Dec. 6, 2009, for a 54-51 win. The Wolverines played three more non-conference games that season before closing with 17 straight Big Ten contests.
• Through nine games, Michigan has already used five different starting lineups, with Emily Kiser and Danielle Rauch the only Wolverines to start all nine games. This season, Kiser, Elise Stuck, Michelle Sidor and Laila Phelia have each started their first career game. Rauch, Kiser, Nolan, Phelia, Sidor and Ari Wiggins are the only Wolverines to appear in all nine games.
• Michigan will make the trip to Madison to take on the Badgers in the Big Ten opener, marking the sixth straight season that the Wolverines are playing at the Kohl Center. Michigan has played at Wisconsin every season dating back to the 2016-17 season. U-M came away with a 69-40 win at the Kohl Center last season behind a 21-point performance from Maddie Nolan. Michigan and Wisconsin have faced off six times since the start of the 2018-19 season -- the freshman season for this year's senior class.
• Through nine games, Michigan has a trio of double-figure scorers and another three players averaging at least 7.0 points per game. Naz Hillmon leads the way for Michigan, averaging 20.1 points per game and scoring at least 12 points in all eight games she has played. Leigha Brown is putting up 12.3 points per game on the strength of four double-figure scoring contests, highlighted by a 23-point effort against Mississippi State (Nov. 27). Emily Kiser is averaging 10.2 points per game to round out U-M's double-figure scorers. Maddie Nolan (7.4 ppg), Laila Phelia (7.1 ppg) and Danielle Rauch (7.0 ppg) are each scoring at least seven points per game. U-M is coming off a game with five double-figure scorers.
• Wisconsin (2-7, 0-1 Big Ten) has lost three straight entering Thursday's (Dec. 9) contest, opening up Big Ten play with a 61-49 loss at Northwestern (Dec. 5). The Badgers are averaging 58.1 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting, while allowing 63.2 points per contest on 40.6 percent shooting. UW features a pair of double-figure scorers in Julie Pospisilova (14.1 ppg) and Sydney Hilliard (14.0 ppg)
