After a tough loss to the eventual co-conference champion Iowa, Wisconsin can now look ahead to the Big Ten tournament and possible NCAA hopes.

Sunday was senior day at the Kohl Center, marking the last home game for the seniors, including top scorer and Big Ten Player of the Year Jolene Anderson. Anderson has set numerous records throughout her career, including the all-time scoring leader for UW men�s or women�s basketball.

�I think Jolene statistically is the best in the league. I mean, you look at her rebounds. You look at her overall stat sheet here, and every category she surfaces,� head coach Lisa Stone said. �She is the two-time scoring leader, back to back. I certainly think that she is, in my opinion, the player of the year.�

With eight wins in the past 11 games, the team is the hottest it�s been all season. When all seemed lost in Michigan on Thursday, the Badgers strung together nine second-half three-point shots to pull off the 20-point comeback win on the road. The team was in a similar hole against Iowa on Sunday.

�Down by 20 two games in a row, certainly not something you want to project going in, but I have to give Iowa credit,� Stone said. �They didn�t let us take the lead, and unfortunately for us, we put ourselves in too big a hole.�

Contributing to the early deficit were shooting woes and rebounding margins. Wisconsin has only lost in the rebounding column four times this season, but it was out-rebounded by almost 20 against a taller Iowa lineup.

�The difference came down to rebounding. We got pounded on the glass,� Stone said. �It�s something that we need to make sure that we pay attention to when we go into the Big Ten tournament.�

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Illinois up next

The end to the regular season snapped a five-game Badger win streak, but spirits are high and the team is optimistic about the postseason.

Tip-off for the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, Ind. starts at 11 a.m. Thursday, with eighth-seeded Wisconsin taking on ninth-seeded Illinois in the early evening later that day.� The team split the season series, with each teaming winning on their own home court.

�We see we�re going to play Illinois � I do like our matchup,� Stone said. �My staff is eager to practice today, but we�re going to take the day off and get ready for a great tournament run.�

When the team lost to Illinois earlier in the year, it was amid the 1-6 start to the season, which has since turned around to a series of win streaks. Most notably different, the freshmen have stepped up into their roles and are now major factors in the team�s success. Against Iowa, it was the three freshmen who led the team in scoring.

�I like our bench strength and our depth, the maturity of our freshmen going into this game,� Stone said. �It�s a good first game for us, and I�ve got a very focused team.�

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NCAA hopes not gone yet

With a .500 record in the conference, the Badgers are far from an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Of course, if the team were to win the tournament, they would earn a bid outright.

�If we�re successful on Thursday against Illinois and we play Ohio State, a ranked team, it�d be a significant win for us,� Stone said. �If we can beat Ohio State, advance to the semis and continue to get to the championship game, I think a lot of things will come into play.�

A lot can be accomplished yet by this Wisconsin team, playing their best basketball to start the postseason. The team has notched wins over the top seeds in the tournament and kept games against the top two seeds Ohio State and Iowa close until the very end.

�Look at our team right now. We�ve shown some resiliency, some toughness,� Stone said. �You know, we�re out there, we�re swinging. We�re doing everything we can. And I like that. They�re hungry.�