Karisma Penn and Adrienne GodBold are used to being the underdogs.

The Illinois women’s basketball team’s seniors have never been favored in their three appearances in the Big Ten Tournament and have never came in higher than a No. 9 seed, yet have found moderate success, going 3-3, including becoming the first No. 11 seed to make the semifinals in 2011.

First-year head coach Matt Bollant is looking to change the underdog mindset.

“We want them to believe that we should win, that they deserve to win,” Bollant said. “One of the things you do as a winning program is you believe you should win and you believe when you step on the court that you’re going to win.”

For the first time in four years, Penn, GodBold and the Illini are favored to win their first-round game in the Big Ten Tournament this Thursday, when they face No. 11 seed Wisconsin at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. To demonstrate the change, the Illini were given dog tags before their trip to the tournament that said, “Started from the bottom now we’re here.”

Illinois has already defeated Wisconsin twice this season in a 64-56 win Feb. 3 and a 60-53 win Feb. 18.

“That gives you a lot of confidence,” Bollant said.

The first two meetings between the Illini and the Badgers were similar in many ways. Not only were the final scores and margin of victory just points apart, but the Badgers had 27 turnovers and shot 37 percent and 39 percent in both of their losses.

“It wasn’t as tough as it was the first time,” GodBold said. “We pretty much know how they play. I’m not too much worried about it.”

GodBold, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, said stopping Wisconsin junior Morgan Paige will be key beating the Badgers. Paige scored 23 points in the first meeting between the two teams but was limited to 14 in the second. She also committed 14 combined turnovers in the two meetings.

Illinois would have to win four games in four days to win the Big Ten Tournament, a task that has no team has accomplished since the tournament’s inception in 1995.

“It’s more mental,” GodBold said. “Yeah, there’s physical wear and tear on your body, but mentally you have to be tough. This is the Big Ten.”

Physically, the quick turnaround may be more difficult for the Illini, who only give six players significant minutes. Bollant thinks his team can handle the turnaround.

“This time of year, if you win and move on and you’re playing in the quarters, or the semis, or the finals, the excitement and the adrenaline, that should mean a lot to you,” Bollant said. “They’re ready to go. Our starting five is as fit as anybody in the conference and almost any team in the nation.”

The tournament has become more important for the Illini after they lost their final two games of the regular season and three of their last four, with the only win coming over last-place Indiana.

The recent slide has turned Illinois from a solid NCAA tournament team into one on the bubble. A win over Wisconsin would give a small boost to the Illini’s tournament chances, though Illinois could greatly improve its resume with a win over Wisconsin and over No. 3 seed Purdue on Friday.

“I feel like we deserve to be in, but you’re always trying to increase your resume,” Bollant said. “For us, we want to end on a good note.”

Illinois lost to potential opponent Purdue on Sunday, though Bollant said his team was playing some of its best basketball of the season.

“As much as any loss that I’ve had as a coach, watching the film, I felt really good about how we played, how hard we played, how together we were.” Bollant said. “Hopefully, we can carry that into the Big Ten Tournament and play extremely well there.”

Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and @jhett93.