How Far Can Indiana Go in the NCAA Tournament?
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — There was much less anxiety than there has been in the past for Indiana women's basketball on Selection Monday.
The Hoosiers knew they were easily in the tournament, as high as a three seed, as low as a four seed, and all they were awaiting was the matchup.
They didn't have to wait long. The first region revealed by ESPN on Monday, the Mercado Region, is where Indiana was revealed as No. 4 seed, taking on No. 13-seeded VCU in the Round of 64.
"Obviously it was exciting to hear our name called," Grace Berger said. "But now it's time to get to work."
There was a strong urge from some of the players to start looking at potential matchups down the road.
"I think a lot of us actually already started," Berger said.
The team isn't looking past VCU, but this year the expectations are high for Indiana women's basketball. The program has never made it to the second weekend before, and this team is capable of making history.
They've already made history this season, too. Indiana achieved the highest ranking in program history at No. 9 in the Associated Press top-25 poll. The Hoosiers broke the program record for conference wins in a season with 16.
Mackenzie Holmes became the first player in program history to receive AP All-American recognition. Berger became the first player in program history to record a triple-double, and she not only did it once, but did it three times this season.
"I don't want us to forget some of the things we've accomplished this year," Moren said.
But still, with all of that, Moren says her players don't care. All they've done is go to work every single day and not let the highs get too high or the lows get too low.
There's more basketball left to be played, and Indiana has lofty goals.
"We talk about making deep runs and playing not just for a Sweet Sixteen, an Elite Eight, but a Final Four," Moren said. "We're not afraid to talk about it because I think you have to."
The first step to that is a VCU team who finished fifth in A10, but won its conference tournament to earn an automatic bid into the big dance.
If Indiana can get past the Rams, it will play the winner of Gonzaga/Belmont in the Round of 32.
The Bulldogs are 23-3 on the season and are a five seed in the tournament, so that 4-5 matchup between Indiana and Gonzaga could be a big challenge for Indiana.
If the Hoosiers were able to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, there's a good chance they'd matchup against the No. 1 seed in their region, which is NC State, who is 20-2 this season.
Of all the No. 1 seeds Indiana could run into, the Wolfpack could be the most beatable. The other one seeds are Stanford, South Carolina and UConn.
There is a viable path for Indiana to get to where it wants to go in San Antonio this month. If the Hoosiers can get to the second weekend for the first time in program history, then anything can happen from there.
This is a team that believes it can beat anyone. Indiana was riding a nine-game winning streak heading into the Big Ten Tournament before getting upset by Michigan State in the quarterfinals.
The Hoosiers were upset by the loss, but they knew they had a lot more basketball left to be played. The first of those games start Monday, March 22, at 2 p.m. ET against VCU on ESPNU.
That could be the start of a historic run for Indiana women's basketball
"We know how much work we've put in to get to this moment," Mackenzie Holmes said. "I think we're all just super excited for the opportunity that we have in front of us because we didn't know if we were even going to get this opportunity at the beginning of the season. So now that it's here and in front of us, we're gonna work really hard to have success down there."
Below is the full bracket:
Related Stories:
- SENIORS SHARE SPECIAL BOND: Indiana seniors Ali Patberg and Keyanna Warthen have a special relationship that started three years ago. CLICK HERE
- PATTERSON OPTS OUT OF SEASON: Indiana's Danielle Patterson has opted out for the remainder of the year. CLICK HERE
- BERGER ADDED TO WATCH LIST: Grace Berger joins Ali Patberg on the Wade Trophy Watch List, getting added as a midseason addition. CLICK HERE
- PENN OPTS OUT OF SEASON: Indiana senior guard Jaelynn Penn has opted out for the remainder of the year. CLICK HERE
- CARDANO-HILLARY PROVIDING SPARK: Transfer Nicole Cardaño-Hillary has been a huge lift for IUWBB off the bench this season. CLICK HERE