Indiana women’s basketball notched its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth Sunday, earning a No. 9 seed. The Hoosiers will match up against the University of Utah in the Round of 64 on Friday.
Since falling to No. 4 USC in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals March 7, the Hoosiers were a mainstay in ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme’s “Last Four Byes” grouping. After the loss to the Trojans, Indiana head coach Teri Moren said there was “no question” whether her squad, which finished the season 19-12, would qualify for March Madness.
The Hoosiers began the season with a pair of nonconference losses to Harvard University and Butler University, starting their campaign with a 1-2 record. The Cream and Crimson then won nine of their next 10 games with victories over then-No. 24 Stanford University and then-No. 18 Baylor University.
Sitting at 10-3, Indiana then lost three of its next four games with three consecutive losses inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 USC and Illinois.
After going 1-1 on their West Coast trip, the Hoosiers won back-to-back games at home before falling to Minnesota and Michigan.
Over the final five games of the regular season, Indiana dominated Purdue twice and defeated then-No. 8 Ohio State at Assembly Hall. However, the Hoosiers fell to a pair of ranked opponents in then-No. 22 Michigan State and then-No. 19 Maryland.
Despite handling Oregon in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana eventually fell to USC by just 5 points as it awaited its NCAA Tournament fate.
Now, the Hoosiers will head to Columbia, South Carolina, to take on No-8 seeded Utah. Should Indiana advance to the Round of 32, a matchup with the No. 1 University of South Carolina would be likely with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The Hoosiers fell to the Gamecocks in the Sweet 16 last season.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
