Albright's squad looking to improve before Big Ten season

After completing their first eight games of the season, UW finds itself with a record of 5-3. Although these three losses include games against powerhouses such as Tennessee and Rutgers, one can legitimately say that the season has been a bit of a disappointment thus far.

"I think realistically we've got a few more weaknesses than I thought we had earlier in the year," Albright said.

Picked to finish third in the Big Ten by the coaches in the preseason polls, UW must improve on its weaknesses in order to earn that high of a ranking.

The most glaring weaknesses have been poor guard play, lackluster rebounding and too many turnovers. Looking at the Badgers' lineup at the beginning of the season, one would think these would have been their strengths.

"You play the cards that you have, and then if they don't work, you shuffle them," Albright said.

Albright was dealt a great hand of players, but now they need to execute effectively.

With UW reaching the tallest heights in the Big Ten, there is no explanation for the lack of rebounds. Jessie Stomski has done her share, recording four double-doubles so far this year, and Nina Smith is improving on her skills.

At 6-foot-4, Smith should be able to dominate the boards. According to Albright, she doesn't want to throw too much on her freshman center yet, but is confident that the rebounding skills will come once Smith grows accustomed to collegiate play. Smith took a step in the right direction on Sunday when she recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career.

Part of the reason Stomski and Smith have been successful in recent games is because of improving guard play. The guards are finally getting the ball inside, allowing the post players to get more touches. The duo of Stomski and Smith in the post has the potential to be very threatening to opposing teams. Now the veteran guards need to get them the ball more consistently.

After struggling with guard play in their previous games, UW showed signs of improvement on Sunday. Tamara Moore did a good job of getting the ball inside to Stomski and Smith, and Dee Dee Pate showed signs of improvement by making some key steals and assists. Fellow guard Kyle Black also performed well coming off of the bench on Sunday.

Although UW seems to be improving on these troublesome areas, Albright said they would concentrate on those problems over winter break. UW will have about two and a half weeks before their Dec.30 meeting with defending national champion Purdue. During this long stretch, UW will take it easy during exam time, and then practice hard starting Dec.27, when the team returns to campus.

This break will allow the players to go home and spend some time with their families, and according to Albright, it will give the players' parents a chance to take them to the gym and work on their free throws.

When the players return to campus, one of the areas the team will focus on is their turnovers. Getting into the holiday spirit, Albright said that atop of Christmas list is a game with less than 20 turnovers. The Badgers came close to giving their coach an early holiday gift on Sunday, but they eventually surpassed the mark, and ended the game with a total of 21 turnovers.

The Badgers will need to keep possession of the ball if they hope to challenge in the Big Ten this season. When the Big Ten season tips off on Dec. 30 at the Kohl Center, the Badgers will need to be in top form, with all of their kinks and weaknesses worked out.