Two weeks ago, head coach Tracy Roller and the rest of the women's basketball team were living it up in 80-degree weather at the Florida International Sun & Fun Classic in Miami. But the team was brought back to four inches of snow, and back to reality.
With the Mid-American Conference schedule underway, Roller said the Cardinals (10-3 overall, 2-0 MAC) are into a "second season" - the conference season.
Following a win against Marshall on Saturday - which was won by the defense, allowing only 42 points, when the offense struggled - the team will now face another tough defensive matchup against Northern Illinois.
"(The Marshall game) was a struggle to watch," Roller said. "But an ugly win is better than a pretty loss."
The surprisingly resurgent defense by the Cardinals has given a new aspect to a team that Roller said "lived and died by the three." Instead, the Cardinals rank fourth in points allowed in the MAC, giving Roller a more positive view of tough shooting nights.
"We are more like living and feeling a little pain than living and dying by the three," Roller said.
But even Roller admitted that she is surprised at how quickly the team is picking up the new defensive system.
Against Northern Illinois (7-7 overall, 2-1 MAC), the team will be facing two tough tasks: strong Huskie post play and a 2-6 career record playing at Northern, including losses in the last three.
The two top players for the Huskies, Jennifer Youngblood and Jessica Shattuck, are both post players. The 6-foot-4-inch Shattuck comes into the game with 33 blocks in the year.
Junior Tamara Bowie said a big key for the Cards is going to be stopping the duo's rebounding effort.
"We've got to rebound," Bowie said. "We've been winning games and we've been getting out-rebounded. It would be scary to see what we could do if we out-rebounded the other team."
The Cardinals will have junior Amy Zercher back in the lineup after a sprained MCL she suffered in a November practice. She re-joined the team on its trip to Florida and even led the team in scoring against Marshall.
"(My knee's) working," Zercher said. "It's still acting pretty well, but it's still sore like any injury after practice. But when I get out there playing, it's not on my mind at all."
According to Roller, the defense-minded Huskies will pose problems for the smaller Cardinal lineup.
She said she plans to incorporate more drives and cuts into the lane to pull defenders away from the shooters and has three factors that will determine the team's fate:
1. Controlling Northern's defense. Roller said if the team gets frustrated in the half-court game, it will be a long night for the Cardinals.
2. How the post players match up. If they do or don't will decide the game.
3. How the Huskies handle Ball State mixing up the defense.
Nonetheless, Roller, Bowie and Zercher all said the team is playing with a lot of confidence and they look to break the losing streak in DeKalb, Ill.
"We can play with anybody," Zercher said. "If anyone is going to beat us, it's ourselves."
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