The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (10-10, 1-8 Big Ten) have not enjoyed the greatest start to life in the new-look Big Ten, which saw Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington join the conference and further expand it to the “Big 18.”
Despite the Badgers’ current skid, which has seen the team drop the last eight games against Big Ten opponents dating back to Dec. 28, their stars have been on a career-high pace in almost every stat.
Junior forward Serah Williams, who led the Badgers in points, rebounds and steals as a sophomore last season, not only continues to lead the team in several categories but is on pace to surpass her averages from last year. The Brooklyn, New York native is second in the Big Ten in rebounds-per-game with 11.1, second in blocks-per-game with 2.4 and ranks fourth in points-per-game at 18.6.
But, Williams is not the only player leading the way for the Badgers. Junior guard Ronnie Porter’s 4.8 assists-per-game puts her third in the Big Ten, and the St. Paul, Minnesota native also leads the team in steals-per-game with 1.7.
The duo of Williams and Porter shows the Badgers have what it takes when it comes to recruiting prospects out of high school, but in recent years, the NCAA has evolved beyond the promise of good coaching staff, training facilities and the chance to go professional.
In comes the transfer portal — and name, image and likeness deals — which have seen recruitment tactics shift to lucrative offers and sponsorships, and teams that want to succeed in the NCAA have to learn to adapt to these changes.
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Last offseason, the Badgers recruited two highly-touted prospects from other universities. Sophomore center Carter McCray transferred from Northern Kentucky, where she led Norse in points and rebounds as a freshman. Grad student guard Tess Myers joined the Badgers after four years at Duquesne, where last year she helped lead the Dukes to fifth in the Atlantic 10 conference, their highest finish since the 2018-19 season and to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Both of these transfers came into the program at different points in their careers, but have been able to make a positive impact to the team.
McCray and Myers have started in every game so far this season. Having made the jump up from their previous conferences to the Big Ten, one of the strongest conferences in the NCAA, both have been able to put up solid numbers this season, despite what results might show.
But, when programs bring in new talent, some of the current stars also transfer out looking for new opportunities, and Wisconsin is no exception.
After seeing limited playing time last season, sophomores Ana Guillen and Imbie Jones, junior Tessa Towers and senior Sacia Vanderpool all left the program. Jones has gone on to start for Nevada, while Vanderpool, Guillen and Towers are putting up career-highs in scoring at North Dakota State, Yale and Ball State, respectively.
The biggest loss in the transfer portal for the Badgers was junior guard Sania Copeland, who departed from Madison for Kansas last offseason. The Kansas City, Kansas native started for the Badgers during her sophomore year, averaging 7.3 points and 2.6 rebounds. This season she has started every game for the Jayhawks and is setting career highs in rebounds and blocks.
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This season the Badgers face what might be the toughest-ever Big Ten schedule, as they have already faced No. 8 Maryland, who at the time had only lost one game, No. 9 Ohio State, who won the Big Ten last season ahead of the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 23 Minnesota, who always play a tough Border Battle.
The ranked matchups do not seem to stop for the Badgers, as they will also face No. 24 Michigan, No. 4 USC, No. 21 Michigan State and No. 1 UCLA as they round out the schedule this season.
The Badgers, like any sensible program, are looking to improve on their results from last year, which saw them advance to the Great Eight of the WNIT despite going 6-12 in conference play and 13-16 overall.
Badger fans should not be worried about the record, however, as head coach Marisa Moseley has improved the program since signing on in 2021. In each of her three previous seasons with the Badgers, the team’s record has improved — first from 8-21 in 2021-22, to 11-20 in 2022-23, to the 13-16 record from last year.
These trends, combined with the potential from stars like Williams, Porter, McCray and Myers, should give Badger fans hope that the team will continue to turn it around and maybe cause an upset or two before turning their focus to potential postseason play.