NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament: Down Go One-Seeds Stanford and Indiana

Even the mightiest can fall when it comes to March Madness. That's exactly what happened to one-seeds Indiana and Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams were predicted by national and local media of various outlets to make Final Four runs, but the Hoosiers and Cardinal who were used to winning this season finally fell despite a heck of an effort.

"It's hard to put into words right now," Indiana senior forward Mackenzie Holmes said after the loss to 9-seed Miami. "Obviously I'm upset. My last game with Grace, and it's been a privilege to play with her these past four years, so I just hate that it has to end like this for her."

Hoosier graduate student guard Grace Berger scored 17 points in the 70-68 Monday-night loss to the Hurricanes while Holmes led with 22 points. It would be the last game Berger would find Holmes in the post or would sink her signature pull-up jumper.

In Stanford's 54-49 loss to 8-seed Ole Miss on Sunday, senior guard Haley Jones also played her last collegiate game after a decorated career and season.

"I have a lot to be proud of for my Stanford career," she said. "It's hard to feel that way right now, but I know at some point that will hit and sink in. I'm happy with my time at Stanford and the relationships I've made that are going to carry on past my playing days here."

Indiana held a 28-4 record and had earned its first Big Ten regular season title since 1983 heading into the second round of the tournament. In the Hoosiers' fall to the Hurricanes though, it was just a poor start from the jump.

"They came out and they stuck shots," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said of Miami. "They stuck shots early and helped build the lead. When you're sticking shots like that, that gives you a lot of confidence."

Moren said her credit goes to the 9-seed that she knew was going to be physical and make the Hoosiers uncomfortable. She added she didn't feel like her squad could get into any offensive rhythm as the team ended up shooting 25-for-61 from the field while Miami was slightly more efficient going 22-for-47.

The Hurricanes kept swishing threes as they shot 57.1 percent from downtown while Indiana didn't get cooking from beyond the arc until the second half. However, freshman guard Yarden Garzon made two clutch triples including one that tied the game up in the final seconds. It wasn't enough.

"You've got to get a stop," Moren said. "That's what you've got to do. You've got to get a stop, and we didn't.

"They went inside to [Destiny] Harden, and we kind of over-shot it a little bit and gave her just enough space. The thing I think hit every ounce of rim and went in."

You can't fault the effort of her team, Moren said. Down by double digits for a big chunk of the game was no easy task to overcome. She said her team kept reminding themselves they couldn't get frustrated and needed to stay level headed all while trying to get stops.

"Miami made us pay in the sense that they run great action, and we certainly had...some game slippage, and that was frustrating over there on the sideline," Moren said.

As for Stanford, it was a similar type of heartbreak in their home arena, Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal hasn't missed a Sweet 16 appearance since 2007 and didn't expect to see that opportunity disappear. Junior forward Cameron Brink and Jones put in the work with a combined 36 points, but 21 Stanford turnovers would cost them.

"I think that we struggled offensively, and I think that I give them credit for working hard defensively," Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. "I think some of the things that we did were self-inflicted. Some of the turnovers, I think the turnovers really hurt us. Just times where the ball just slipped out of people's hands or just making some maybe poor decisions."

Ole Miss came into the matchup with a defensive mindset. The Rebels rank third in the SEC with 5.2 blocks per game and fourth with 42 rebounds per contest.

"I think Ole Miss is a great defensive team," Jones said. "We heard them say that they pride themselves on their defense. They packed it in their suitcase, and they were going to come in and execute that plan. I think they did a great job."

Jones went on to say the team including herself missed shots they usually make, and the Rebels were so aggressive. She was proud of the way the Cardinal stuck together despite the offensive deficit as it still continued to make big plays down the stretch.

Both Indiana and Stanford were ranked high in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll all season long. Both teams fell short of its conference tournament title, and both teams won its regular season title.

A handful of losses between both teams shouldn't discredit the work both groups put into their seasons. Even the strongest can be taken down which is why 'Madness' is paired with March. It's unfortunate as a bracket-buster and for the seniors graduating from the programs, but the remaining accolades still shine bright.

"We can't be soft," Brink said. "We have to always play with a chip on our shoulders and just be gritty. I feel like we were lacking some of that this year, so always room to improve."

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