It’s been 12 years since IU has won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championship in the same season.
IU secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and became the first team in Big Ten history to go 8-0 in conference play after defeating No. 12 Michigan State on senior day.
Despite defeating every opponent in the bracket, IU received the most difficult road to the title.
Here’s how the road toward a Big Ten Tournament Championship stacks up for the Hoosiers.
Quarterfinals
After No. 8-seeded Northwestern beat No. 9-seeded Ohio State, it secured a quarterfinals matchup against No. 1-seeded IU.
On Nov. 4, IU defeated Northwestern 2-1 in overtime. After scoring in the 80th minute, IU conceded a goal in the 89th minute, forcing overtime.
It took the Hoosiers six minutes to find the golden goal off a cross from senior Francesco Moore and a header from sophomore Spencer Glass.
IU outshout Northwestern 27-2 in the match.
Semifinals
The tournament now moves to Westfield, Indiana, where IU will play No. 5-seeded Maryland on Friday.
On the same day IU beat Northwestern, Maryland pulled off the upset in East Lansing, Michigan, defeating No. 4 Michigan State in overtime. The Spartans were the only ranked team in the Big Ten outside of the Hoosiers.
When IU took on Maryland earlier in the season, it was senior defender Andrew Gutman who scored with 18 seconds left to seal the victory at the end.
The Terrapins have won four out of their last five matches with the only loss coming against Michigan in the final regular season game. They also have an impressive win over No. 9 Denver that started the winning streak.
It won’t be any easier this time around for the Hoosiers considering they’re still without the services of sophomore midfielders Griffin Dorsey and Justin Rennicks. Gutman had a brace in the last matchup and will need to have a similar performance if they want to make it back to the Big Ten Tournament championship match.
Championship
It’s easy to imagine a rematch of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament championship match.
After neither IU nor Wisconsin could score through 110 minutes, it was Wisconsin who came away with the tournament trophy after holding a 4-2 penalty kick advantage. Wisconsin has always proven a difficult opponent for IU.
Wisconsin, the No. 2 seed, will take on Michigan, the No. 3 seed, on Friday following IU's match versus Maryland.
Wisconsin earned the No. 2 seed after only losing two matches against IU and Penn State. The Badgers have won five of their last seven matches, including three straight which propelled them toward the top of the conference standings.
In the first Big Ten game of the season, IU came away from Madison, Wisconsin, with the 3-1 victory after Gutman had a brace. Despite the three goals, it was competitive throughout, but IU still had a 17-7 shot advantage.
Michigan is 4-2-2 in the conference and lost to Wisconsin in overtime earlier this season. The Hoosiers also defeated the Wolverines 1-0 in Ann Arbor on Oct. 7.
The championship match will take place at noon on Sunday in Westfield.
