Indiana women’s basketball entered the halftime locker room at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, up 1 point over the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Twenty minutes separated the Hoosiers from shocking the nation by beating a No. 1 seed Sunday and advancing to the Sweet 16.
Indiana had a great string of victories going into the tournament, with a Big Ten Tournament win over Oregon and a win in the Round of 64 against Utah. But South Carolina was a whole other challenge for the Hoosiers.
After 40 minutes, the Hoosiers exited the Big Dance, falling to the Gamecocks 64-53.
Indiana made the Gamecocks play on the Hoosiers' terms in the first half, being physical on defense and denying many chances for the Gamecocks. But a halftime cool down spearheaded by South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley chipped away at Indiana’s momentum. Staley and graduate student guard Te-Hina PaoPao noted the message was to stay composed and stay the course. That led the Gamecocks to outscore Indiana by 14 in the third quarter.
Indiana could have won this game, but in the end the better roster with home court advantage walked away victorious.
Next season, the Hoosiers can be that team, but strides need to be made.
In the current landscape of college athletics, one offseason can move an average program to elite status, especially a school with the resources like Indiana. The moves just need to fit the identity of formerly successful teams coached by Teri Moren and the proven formula of success in women’s basketball.
Indiana will have an above-average point guard with junior Shay Ciezki coming back and some wings as well with sophomore guards Julianna LaMendola and Lenée Beaumont, who both missed the game against South Carolina. Beaumont has missed the entire season due to injury. It will also have a four-year veteran in junior forward Lilly Meister down low.
But the Hoosiers need to match teams that have seen late March and early April. Indiana needs a game-wrecking big at or above 6-foot-3. Indiana needs its Angel Reese or Cameron Brink. It had it a season ago with Mackenzie Holmes but must find it once more. Indiana needs a dual threat big — that and play-making guards are dominating the game right now. Indiana already has potential in Ciezki, and another year of development can raise her to that status.
But where name, image and likeness tends to not work is when the money is at the forefront. Moren will not let that money determine the fate of her team. It starts with finding the right players, ones that want to be Hoosiers for the process of getting better at a better program. Once those players are identified, then the money will come into play.
Moren even alluded to graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil's dedication to the process, saying players like her are gone in the NIL age.
“The standards are the standards, they are not going to change what we are going to do,” Moren said postgame. "We want to continue to win at a high level. You have to find the right kinds of kids that want to be a part of the grind and the climb every single day.”
There is no question that money comes first for most in the transfer portal. But whoever picks Indiana will get to learn from an amazing head coach who knows how to win and develop talent. But most importantly, Indiana will end up with players that will fall in love with Moren and company’s process throughout these next handful of months.
“Would you like to have five All-Americans? No doubt, you know, two All-Americans, okay, that’d be great too.” Moren said. “But we’re going to recruit the kids that fit us, that’s the most important thing to me.”
Indiana’s program will forever be in the right direction under Moren, but the next step to kickstart a legendary season will have to come during an offseason. Hoosier nation will long for that offseason to be this one.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball offseason.
