INDIANAPOLIS—In Indiana's two Big Ten Tournament games, one resulted in a win and one in a loss, but in both contests, the Hoosiers played well and fought hard. Indiana showed it can play with anyone in the country with these two performances, giving it hope as the Hoosiers look toward NCAA Tournament play next.
The Hoosiers' season has been incredibly up and down, with consistency a main issue throughout the campaign, but in these two postseason games, Indiana showed up and impressed against tough competition.
While Indiana was bounced in the quarterfinals, these two performances were ones to be proud of. And while the Hoosiers certainly wanted more than a 1-1 showing, their games against Oregon and USC could be positive signs of what's to come when the NCAA Tournament rolls around in two weeks.
In Thursday's game against Oregon, Indiana impressed from the get-go, as the Hoosiers took a 20-7 lead in the opening minutes and played with the lead the rest of the way. The Ducks competed and gave Indiana a run for its money, but in the end, Indiana was simply the better team.
"It was a great first game for us today. I thought a month or so ago, when we went out to Oregon, we did not play our best. We knew there were a couple of categories that we had to win today," head coach Teri Moren said, explaining how much of an improvement her team's performance was in Indianapolis compared to January's game at Oregon.
Indiana scored a Big Ten season-low 47 points in Eugene and struggled with turnovers, particularly in the fourth quarter. This resulted in the Hoosiers blowing their late lead and falling to the Ducks—something they were poised not to do a second time.
"It was just a good feeling to get another crack at them, mostly because we watched the game that we played at Oregon and we were very, very poor—defensively, offensively, turnovers. It was a big emphasis. In the fourth quarter in Eugene, we turned it over, I think, 10 times in the fourth and we only turned it over one time in the fourth today," Sydney Parrish, former Oregon Duck and current Hoosier, said.
She followed that up by saying, "Just watching back this week, the film when we played at Oregon, it was just so sad seeing how bad we played. So we knew that we were going to come out and play much better. I knew we would get them the second time."
This was a great overall performance from the Hoosiers. They made 17 of 18 free throws, shot 44% from 3-point range and won the turnover margin by six—all the makings of an elite showing. This one earned them a spot in the Big Ten quarterfinals against USC.
In similar fashion to the Oregon game, Indiana looked to avenge a loss against USC, though the circumstances were incredibly different. IU played then-No. 5 nationally ranked USC close at Assembly Hall in January, though it couldn't pull out the victory.
Indiana lost by just seven to the Trojans, showing that a victory over the Big Ten regular-season champions was certainly possible. The Hoosiers did all they could this time around to make sure that happened.
"I'm extremely proud of our team today. I thought that they battled for 40 minutes. We asked them to do a lot defensively, change up some coverages and whatnot throughout. I thought that their focus was really good," Moren said, making it clear that while her team lost, it was a valiant effort.
Indiana shot 42% from 3-point range, made 25 of 27 free throws and won the turnover battle once more—all the ingredients of its win against the Ducks—but it wasn't enough against the No. 2 nationally ranked Trojans.
Yarden Garzon went for 23 points and made 5 of 10 3-pointers, while Ciezki, Moore-McNeil and Striplin all scored in double figures, giving Indiana a diverse scoring group. And when they were on, they were on.
Indiana started the game up 7-2 and even had a lead late in the third quarter, but sometimes you don't win even when you play well, and that was on full display on Friday in Indy.
"We should have had this one. We had it right down into the stretch, but I would just say, yeah, just growing from it, growing from the losses, and just getting better out of it," guard Shay Ciezki said, asserting that her team played well enough to get the victory, but it didn't fall in the Hoosiers' favor.
IU may have fallen to USC, resulting in its exit from the Big Ten Tournament, but its performances early in postseason play may translate later—namely in the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Moren said these two games give her team "confidence" heading into the Big Dance. If the Hoosiers can put together performances like the ones seen in Indianapolis, IU should have a great shot at pulling off an upset.
"The great thing about being where we are is that we know there's another tournament we’ll be able to play in, and for our kids, they’re probably most excited about the opponent we haven’t seen yet. It will be a fresh, new opponent for us. I think there will be a whole new level of excitement," Moren said, explaining that while the loss in the Big Ten Tournament wasn’t the goal, there’s more ahead for her team.
When the Hoosiers are hitting threes, making free throws at a high percentage and limiting turnovers, they can hang with anyone, and that was evident these past two days. With the win over the Ducks and the close loss to the Trojans, these are the caliber of teams Indiana will face in the NCAA Tournament, and it proved it belonged both Thursday and Friday afternoon.
"There's not even a case to be made. Based on what we've been able to do, the history the last ten years, with our experience. I'm not worried about trying to make a case. Our team deserves to be in the field," Moren said.
If Moren's comments hold true, Indiana will participate in the NCAA Tournament, and it should begin the 68-team event playing some of the best basketball it’s played all season.
While the two performances in this year’s Big Ten Tournament resulted in just a 1-1 record, the Hoosiers impressed and have a lot to be proud of as they transition toward bigger goals in the NCAA Tournament.
As Moren said, "[We] can play with anybody in the country," and that was clear these past two days in Indianapolis.
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