It may be 21 players versus 11 on the roster, but on the court it’s still Marquette women’s basketball versus Carthage in the Golden Eagle’s home opener.

“We don’t know anything about Carthage right now,” sophomore forward Katherine Plouffe said. “We just have to be prepared to play together like it was a Big East team, like it was a NCAA team.”

A member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, Carthage finished fourth in the standings last season with an 8-6 record in conference play and a 17-9 record overall.

The Lady Reds have played in the CCIW Tournament semifinals every year since 2003, losing in its only championship appearance against Illinois Wesleyan in 2009.

Other than looking at Carthage’s statistics, the team’s preparation has revolved around getting the freshmen ready for Saturday’s home opener.

Sophomore guard Gabi Minix said that in training for the exhibition match, the Golden Eagles have been focusing on defense. Now that height can be used as an advantage, Minix said there’s “no excuse” for not getting rebounds.

All three returning players — Plouffe, Minix and junior forward Sarina Simmons — emphasized team chemistry with six new freshmen.

“Precision and execution would be two of the biggest things, with us having a whole new team, trying to find our identity,” Simmons said. “But the biggest thing for us to instill in the freshman is to be consistent and go all out with everything.”

Although Simmons has made a slight position change in the Golden Eagle line-up — moving from an inside forward to a shooting forward — her role will include matching up against key players on opposing teams.

“Last year I did play post, but I did a lot of guard work, so I think it’s going to work to my advantage, being more versatile than average wing players,” she said. “I can play inside, and I can be that crucial rebounder and help in our post and just mismatch with different size advantages and speed advantages.”

This versatility could help in guarding Carthage’s junior forward Cailee Corcoran.

Corcoran and Simmons share almost identical statistical averages from last season. Corcoran averaged 5.0 rebounds per game, scoring double figures in 14 of 26 games, while Simmons averaged 5.7 rebounds, scoring double figures in 12 games.

It may be an NCAA Division I program versus a Division III team, but Marquette is taking this exhibition just like any other game and playing the same as it would against other Big East competition, Plouffe said.

“We know we have a lot to prove since we’re so young,” Minix said.

The Big East coach’s poll recently ranked the women 11th out of 16 teams in the conference, though the players do not put much stock in the selection.

“It’s just a prediction,” Plouffe said. “I honestly think that through that ranking, they don’t think we’re very good. The rest of our conference probably doesn’t have high expectations of us, but that’s just something that we can use as motivation to do better.”

Thinking about Big East play is not on the minds of players right now, though.

“I hope we take advantage of this game,” Simmons said. “Carthage is coming in here, and they want to win and we’re just going to have to step up and play to a higher level of competition.”