Preparation took a new form on Wednesday afternoon, as the ASU women’s soccer team made its way across the nation.

It became a day of travel, of comfort and a way for the Sun Devils to get ready for their NCAA Tournament first-round matchup with Wisconsin that kicks off on Friday in the Badger State.

After the flight, on the bus ride from Milwaukee to Madison, the players were entertained by the holiday comedy “Elf,” and then the Sun Devils began adapting to their new environment.

“It’s nice to get some place and settle in a little,” coach Kevin Boyd said. “We needed to get used to the different climate conditions. I wanted to get them into that and realize it’s no big deal.”

Though the 45-degree weather isn’t exactly the temperature the Sun Devils are used to playing in, they find comfort in extremes.

“It’s cold weather,” senior defender Liz Harkin said. “We play in the heat. It’s the same kind of idea — it’s just extreme temperatures. We will be fine.”

As soon as the team got in Wednesday night, it went to train on the practice field, knowing that every little bit will help in Friday night’s game.

The Badgers were selected to host the first and second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament today and Sunday at the McClimon Soccer Complex, and tonight’s matchup between the Sun Devils and the Badgers will be their first-ever meeting.

The winner will play the victor of the game between Milwaukee and Central Florida in the second round on Sunday.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” Boyd said. “We know Wisconsin is a good team. I feel more than anything else it’s going to be a battle, which is something we experienced the last weekend. I expect it’s going to be similar to that. The only difference is we are going to be at their home field.”

Wisconsin finished the regular season on a seven-game unbeaten streak to take third in the Big Ten. This is the Badgers’ first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2005, when they earned an automatic bid after winning the Big Ten Tournament title.

Still, this is not a game the Sun Devils will take lightly.

“We still have the river at our backs,” Boyd said. “It’s fight or die. It’s not just another game in the sense that it’s [the] playoffs, yet at the same time, our preparation will be the same [and] our mindset will be the same. We’re going into it the same way we try to go into every game we play.”

Though this will be the first time since 2003 the Sun Devils will appear in the NCAA Tournament, they are going to prepare in the same way they have all season.

“From one aspect, we don’t want to build it bigger than it is,” Boyd said. “From the other, we have to recognize that there isn’t a tomorrow. We only get to play on Sunday if we win the game. We have to go into it putting everything we have into that moment.”

In August, ASU came out on top against Tennessee 3-2, while the Badgers dropped a 1-0 decision to the same team a week later. Both teams fell to top-ranked Stanford this season, Wisconsin in a 6-0 defeat and ASU by a score of 3-1.

“We have been a team that really hates to lose,” Harkin said. “I think that is one of our best character points, so we’re just trying to roll with that and make it that way all through the tournament — we will see what we can do.”

The Sun Devils will bring both Harkin, who earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors for the second year in a row, and junior midfielder Alexandra Elston, who received an honorable mention after leading the Sun Devils in points (20) and goals (seven) and tying for the team lead in assists (six).

Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu