Gophers May Draw One of Big Ten’s Hottest Teams in Tournament Quarterfinals

The Indiana Hoosiers are one of the hottest teams in the country.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Shay Ciezki (10) walks off the court after her team defeats the Nebraska Cornhuskers during a Big Ten women's basketball tournament game Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana defeated Nebraska 72-69. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gophers women's basketball doesn't play until Friday's quarterfinals at the Big Ten tournament, but that doesn't mean the first two round won't impact their outlook. Here's what you need to know after first-round action on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The first game of this year's Big Ten tournament was between 13-seed Indiana and 12-seed Nebraska on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT. The Hoosiers were 6.5-point betting underdogs, and they knocked off the Cornhuskers 72-69. Nebraska was firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but it ran into a red-hot Indiana team, which has now won four straight games and seven of its last nine.

The Hoosiers will now face five-seed Ohio State on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT for the right to face the fourth-seeded Gophers in the quarterfinals on Friday. Indiana's seven wins consisted of four teams that played on Wednesday night, and all three teams that didn't even make the Big Ten Tournament, but a win streak is a win streak.

Senior Indiana guard Shay Ciezki is averaging 23.2 points per game this season, and that's second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge, making for a tantalizing matchup on Thursday. Ciezki is one of the most efficient scorers in the country, shooting 53.7% from the field, 46.2% from three and 90.8% from the free throw line. She had 22 points against the Cornhuskers, proving she's a handful against any team in the country.

Minnesota blew Indiana out 71-48 at Assembly Hall during the regular season, but they've looked like a different team since February. The Hoosiers will likely be heavy underdogs against Ohio State, but that's the magic of March. Ciezki is one of the best players in the conference, and she can help her team beat anyone in the field.

The other two first-round games went to plan with 10-seed Illinois beating 15-seed Wisconsin 82-70 and 11-seed Oregon took care of business against 14-seed Purdue.

USC and Washington will get things started in the 8/9 matchup at 11 a.m. CT on BTN on Thursday, followed by Ohio State-Indiana, Michigan State-Illinois and Maryland-Oregon as the nightcap.

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