Reeling from its first loss in more than a month, the women's basketball team travels to Eastern Michigan tomorrow for a Mid-American Conference showdown between each division's respective second-place team. The Cardinals (11-5, 5-1 MAC) are currently tied for second in the West while Eastern (7-11, 4-3) is in second in the East.
Despite the loss of one of its best players in school history, Stephanie Smiley, to graduation, Eastern has surprised many teams in the MAC with its good start to the MAC season.
But the Eagles are not the same team that head coach Tracy Roller and the rest of the Cardinals saw a year ago. The usually perimeter-oriented Eagles are now more focused in the post and playing a more rough style of ball, according to Roller.
"For years Eastern has killed people from the perimeter," Roller said. "Now they are using (Abby) Wiseman and others to really play a different style of game."
Even though the Eagles differ so much from years past, Roller said the Cardinals will have little trouble adjusting to their new style as the team has seen many of Eastern's games on tape.
Nonetheless, Eastern is known for playing a 34-court pressure defense designed to force opponents into turnovers before they get the ball into the post. But for the Cardinals, turnovers from the guards have not been a problem and Roller said it is when the ball gets down into the post that she gets worried.
"When you look at our turnovers, it's not our guards," Roller said. "Bowie and Reiter are giving up three or four turnovers a game. It is something we just can't allow to happen against a team like Eastern."
So far this season the Cardinals are notorious for blowing big leads early in the game and struggling when the game gets into crunch time, something the Cardinals have been trying to fix since last season.
"I'd like to say that we're getting better at not blowing leads," Roller said. "But we keep proving time and time again that it just isn't so."
With the game against Eastern kicking off a four-game week - three of them on the road - Roller said this game is not more important than the rest, but it is essential to get started right.
"We have got to get better right now," Roller said. "This week is huge and we can't afford a letdown at the beginning. There is no doubt that we are the most ready for this game and that we will be fired up and ready to play."
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