The answer may decide the fate of their season, but no one can figure it out.

Many members of the Michigan women's basketball have tried to explain the Wolverines' biggest problem. Some say it’s about confidence, others say the team needs to be more aggressive and Michigan coach Kevin Borseth isn’t quite sure:

Why can’t this team win on the road?

Senior forward Melinda Queen recognized the team’s hustle at home after its 52-44 win over Illinois on Jan. 8. But she said she doesn't know where that hustle goes when the Wolverines travel away from Crisler Arena.

Ignoring Michigan’s two victories in its neutral-site Thanksgiving tournament in Mississippi, the team is 1-6 this season on the road. At home, the Wolverines have posted a solid 6-1 record.

Even at the beginning of the year, Michigan’s problem on the road was foreshadowed. Seniors Carly Benson and Jessica Minnfield represented the team at Big Ten Media Day, and both acknowledged the fact that their team would live and die by the 3-point shot this season.

And by those standards, the Wolverines certainly have died on the road.

Michigan has been relying too much on the outside shot instead of driving to the basket or getting the ball into the post.

The solution to Michigan’s road woes will be to open its offensive possibilities. The Wolverines need to utilize their post players and give opponents different looks.

Junior center Krista Phillips and senior forward Stephany Skrba are more than capable of carrying the load in the post. And outside of the two traditional post players, Borseth designs the offense so that every player has the opportunity to get the ball and score inside.

If the Wolverines can consistently attack the paint away from home, they will see the results. At home, the team doesn’t rely on its 3-point shooting like it does on the road. Making opponents guard against both threats is the difference between road failures and home successes.

When more shots are taken in the paint, it opens up more 3-point opportunities. On the road, Michigan hadn’t been attacking defenses who were applying pressure. But something must have clicked Sunday.

Michigan trailed by as much as 18 in the second half at Wisconsin. The Wolverines came out determined to gain the momentum and crawled their way back into the game. They fell short, losing by four points, but it was a far cry from earlier, blowout road losses.

“Well, we got down near the basket,” Borseth said. “They fouled us (and) we got a lot of free throws during that stretch. We kept getting to the rim … and we’d make it.”

Dribble penetration and pushing the ball into the paint propelled the Wolverines’ comeback, and exemplified how Michigan can find positive results by just getting closer to the basket.

Maybe Michigan found the key to success on the road, but who is going to lead the Wolverines there?

Minnfield is Michigan’s strongest ball handler and the team’s floor general, and she has also posted up in the paint at times. For the Wolverines to succeed on the road, she needs to continue to incorporate the main post players into the offense and also penetrate the lane herself.

At 2-3 in conference play, Michigan is now eighth in the Big Ten standings. The conference is considered one of the weakest in the nation, so it isn’t likely more than four teams will make the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolverines may have found the answer on the road Sunday in Madison. But if they don’t continue to build on it, just knowing what to do won’t mean much.