Mary Motzko sports writer UW off to Nebraska for TWC ClassicPutting their exhibition games against Athletes in Action and Parana of Brazil behind them, the Wisconsin women's basketball team is ready to take their game on the road. The Badgers will face their first on-the-road competition this weekend at the Time Warner Cable Classic at Lincoln, Neb. "We're real excited to go on the road," UW head coach Jane Albright said. With an away record of 3-11 last season, the Badgers are aware that they need to improve on the road this season. Wisconsin should have no problem getting off on the right foot Friday night, when they take on Southern Illinois. With a record of 6-21 and a first round exit from the Missouri Valley Tournament last season, UW should easily handle the Salukis. But Albright won't tell you so. "We've got to go out and play Friday, really respect Southern Illinois, and execute what our game plan is," Albright said. The real competition for Wisconsin will come from host-team Nebraska. The Cornhuskers also have a relatively easy match-up against Georgia Southern on Friday, and should win easily. UWand Nebraska will likely meet in the championship game on Sunday. Coming into the season, Nebraska is ranked No.24 in the AP Poll, two spots ahead of Wisconsin. Although the Cornhuskers are ranked higher and have the home-court advantage, the Badgers remain optimistic. "If we can just go out there, execute, and do what we need to do, we can come out winning the tournament," Wisconsin freshman center Nina Smith said. The Badgers remain confident for the weekend tournament, even after Monday night's loss to Parana of Brazil. To prepare for weekend play, and to correct mistakes shown against Brazil, the team watched film from Monday night's game, and brought in "the practice guys" to give the team more physical competition. According to Smith, Wisconsin has focused primarily on their transition game, zone defenses, and making sure that everyone on the court is on the same page. "We know that [Parana of Brazil] was an extremely good team, but we still know that we made mistakes out on the floor," Smith said. If the Badgers want to pull off an on-the-road upset, they will have to make sure they have their rotation and game plan kinks worked out.
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