Preview: Illinois Women's Basketball vs. Wisconsin

Here’s more information on Illinois' home matchup against Wisconsin:

How to watch Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Wisconsin Badgers:

• Who: Illinois Fighting Illini (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (13-11, 5-8 Big Ten)
• What: Big Ten conference matchup
• When: Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. CT
• Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
• Promotion: International & K-Pop Game
• TV/streaming: B1G+ (Annual pass: $89.99; Monthly pass: $12.99/month. Use code "BESTDEAL50" for 50 percent off an annual pass. To purchase a subscription, click here. For more information, visit bigtenplus.com.)
• Radio/audio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (Champaign: WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM); Fighting Illini Productions; Varsity Network App
• Last week: Illinois most recently dropped a game out west to Oregon last Wednesday and fell to USC at home Sunday. Wisconsin also went 0-2 last week, losing to both Indiana and Washington at home by three and five points, respectively.
• Series history: With a win, Illinois can know the all-time series at 43-43. The Badgers won the teams' previous meeting, 74-51, in Madison a season ago.

What to know about Wisconsin

The Badgers enter Champaign as a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten program still searching for sustained success. Wisconsin hasn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2010, and as the season rolls deeper into conference play, that drought appears unlikely to end this season. Wisconsin opened the year with promise, jumping out to an 11-4 non-conference record, but Big Ten play has exposed some flaws. The Badgers have dropped seven of their past nine games, struggling to find consistency against the league’s physicality and depth.

Still, this isn’t a team that can be taken lightly. Wisconsin brings one of the more entertaining offenses in the conference, leaning heavily on pace, spacing and perimeter shooting. The Badgers lead the Big Ten in three-pointers made per game (9.0), and when shots are falling, they’re capable of putting real pressure on opposing defenses. That attack is spearheaded by senior guard Destiny Howell, who averages 15.2 points per game, scoring at all three levels – but becoming especially dangerous when she gets into rhythm from deep.

For Illinois, the game plan is clear: limit clean looks from the perimeter and make Howell work for every touch. If the Illini can contest shots, control tempo and avoid letting Wisconsin turn the game into a three-point shootout, they will be in strong position to take care of business at home.