Is Indiana Women’s Basketball Better Than Wisconsin?

In this series, Hoosiers On SI examines where Indiana basketball stands against its Big Ten foes. Today, we look at how the Hoosiers stack up against the Badgers.

Wisconsin forward Serah Williams (25) is double-teamed Iowa center Sharon Goodman (40) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the first half of their game Sunday, December 10, 2023 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than each of its Big Ten opponents?

Nine categories were chosen. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think of it like you would the Supreme Court.

The categories: Point guard play, free throw shooting, inside scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, how much proven Power Five talent is on the roster, and intangibles.

The daily series will cover both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and it will alternate between the teams.

Wisconsin’s women’s basketball team is next in the series. The Badgers have been struggling on the wrong end of the Big Ten for a long time. Wisconsin has not exceeded six Big Ten wins in a single season since 2011. The last NCAA Tournament bid came in 2010.

Coach Marisa Moseley enters her fourth season, and Wisconsin does have hope. Forward Serah Williams (17.4 ppg, 10.7 rpg) was a preseason All-Big Ten selection, and three of the top four leading scorers return.

The Badgers have talent, but they have to prove they can win. That’s often the toughest hurdle to clear for a program trying to finish stronger.

Here’s how the battle between the Hoosiers and Badgers shakes out.

Wisconsin Badgers guard Ronnie Porter (13) works around Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Amaya Battle (3) during the second half at Williams Arena. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

• Point guard play – Next to Williams, the most important returning player for the Badgers is Ronnie Porter (10.6 ppg, 4.1 apg). A junior, Porter provides a veteran presence in Wisconsin’s backcourt. Another player to watch is freshman Alba Martin Mesa. She’s played professionally in Spain and averaged six assists for her team.

Porter is solid, Martin Mesa is promising, but Indiana’s Chloe Moore-McNeil is proven and one of the Big Ten’s best. Edge: Indiana.

• Free throw shooting – Wisconsin will be solid at the line. Duquesne transfer guard Tess Myers (85.7%) will provide immediate quality. Returning Badgers Natalie Leuzinger (81.5%), Williams (79.5%), guard D’Yanis Jimenez (75.7%) and Porter (71.4%) all top 70%. Indiana has good-to-great free throw shooters in Shay Ciezki (90.2%), Sydney Parrish (79.2%) and Moore-McNeil (76.1%). But the Badgers have more options. Edge: Wisconsin.

• Inside scoring – Williams has already established herself as one of the best post players in the Big Ten. Joining her on Wisconsin’s front line is Northern Kentucky transfer Carter McCray – who averaged a double-double (15.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg) in the Horizon League. They form a formidable 1-2 punch for the Badgers in the paint … assuming McCray’s game translates to the Big Ten. Indiana’s post players are not as experienced. Edge: Wisconsin.

Duquesne Dukes guard Tess Myers (24) dribbles the ball as Richmond Spiders guard Rachel Ullstrom (22) defends during the first half at Henrico Sports & Events Center. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

• Perimeter shooting – Yarden Garzon (42.2%), Moore-McNeil (40.9%) and Parrish (40%) all topped 40% for the Hoosiers in 2024. Wisconsin has solid shooters in Myers (36.1%), Hallie Douglass (35.4%), Williams (33.3%) and Leuzinger (30.8%), but they collectively fall short of Indiana’s trio of sharpshooters. Edge: Indiana.

• Rebounding – McCray led the Horizon League in rebounding at an 11.2 per game clip for NKU. Williams (10.7 rpg) was formidable within the Big Ten a year ago. Lilly Meister and Karoline Striplin have promise, but the Badgers’ duo is a bit more proven. Edge: Wisconsin.

• Perimeter defense – One of the few players Wisconsin lost was guard Sania Copeland, who transferred to Kansas. She averaged 1.5 steals. Overall, Wisconsin was an upper-half defensive team in terms of field goal percentage allowed, but that didn’t extend to the perimeter, where the Badgers ranked 12th in Big Ten games in 3-point defense. Indiana excels at perimeter defense. Edge: Indiana.

• Defense at the rim – If Wisconsin struggled at 3-point defense and still finished in the upper half of the league in field goal defense, logic suggests they could get stops in the paint. No team in Big Ten games was better at 2-point field goal defense in conference games than the Badgers were at 45.4%. Williams is an elite-level shot blocker (2.8 bpg), and the addition of McCray doesn’t hurt. Edge: Wisconsin.

• Proven Power 5 ability on roster – The standard here is whether a player averaged 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at their current or former school.

Williams, Porter and Leuzinger all make it over the bar, but Indiana has more Power Five experience with Ciezki, Garzon, Moore-McNeil and Parrish all with more minutes per game in 2024 at the Power Five level. Edge: Indiana.

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Marisa Moseley reacts during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

• Intangibles – As mentioned, the hardest thing for a program that has struggled is to turn things around. This is what Wisconsin confronts. The pieces appear to be there, but until they can prove they’re capable of a turnaround, it can’t be assumed that it will happen. As a proven winner, Indiana gets, and deserves, the benefit of the doubt in this department. An Indiana roster with at least as much talent as Wisconsin also makes this so. Edge: Indiana.

• Verdict – Indiana wins a 5-4 decision. Wisconsin won’t likely be as beatable as it’s been in recent years, but the Hoosiers still have enough talent in their corner to keep ahead of Wisconsin in the Big Ten women’s basketball pecking order.

Previous Is Indiana Better Than Women's Basketball Results

Oregon – Indiana 5-4.

Rutgers – Indiana 5-4.

Maryland – Maryland 7-2.

USC – USC 6-3.

Penn State - Indiana 8-1.

Minnesota - Indiana 6-3.

Michigan - Indiana 9-0.

UCLA - UCLA 8-1.

Ohio State - Ohio State 5-4.

Iowa - Indiana 5-4.

Michigan State - Michigan State 5-4.

Washington - Indiana 5-4.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• WHAT MOREN SAID: What Indiana women's coach Teri Moren said to Indiana fans at Hoosier Hysteria. CLICK HERE.

• IT'S MEISTER'S TURN: Indiana center Lilly Meister will get a much bigger stage on which to show her talent in 2025. CLICK HERE.

• IU WOMEN PICKED 25TH IN PRESEASON AP POLL: Indiana's women were ranked in the AP preseason poll for the sixth consecutive season. CLICK HERE.

• PARRISH READY FOR NEW SEASON: Sydney Parrish is ready to lead the Hoosiers this season. She also warns against the size the Big Ten's new West Coast teams possess. CLICK HERE.

• IU WOMEN TO BE FEATURED ON NATIONAL TV: Hoosiers will make 13 appearances on national TV in 2024-25. CLICK HERE.

• NEW HOOSIER STRIPLIN HAS VERSATILE GAME: Karoline Striplin, a transfer from Tennessee, is excited to show what she can do as a Hoosier. CLICK HERE.

• GARZON READY TO SHINE IN 2025: Indiana's Yarden Garzon is ready to take further steps in her basketball development. CLICK HERE.