BLOOMINGTON — Finality is an endlessly difficult thing for humans to come to grips with. It presents itself in different settings, taking different forms, and carrying different meanings. Sometimes it’s a slow burn, like seeing an ailing relative on their deathbed. And sometimes it’s instantaneous, like opening a rejection letter from a dream college. For Indiana women’s basketball, Monday night presented the instantaneous version, in its most painful form, with meanings that the players will need a long time to grasp. Indiana, a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history, saw a golden opportunity to reach its…
Author: Seth Tow
Indiana women’s basketball saw its remarkable season end in heartbreaking fashion Monday. The No. 1-seeded Hoosiers fell to Miami (Fla.), 70-68, on a shot in the paint by guard Destiny Harden. Both teams traded big shots in the fourth quarter, but it was the Hoosiers who ultimately came up on the wrong end. Here are three keys to the defeat. Miami dictated everything in the first half The Hurricanes, from the opening tip through the halftime buzzer, were in full control. They opened the game with an inside bucket to set the tone, and played the next 20 minutes like…
Indiana women’s basketball will take the court in Bloomington one last time this season, with the most at stake to date. The No. 1 seed Hoosiers take on No. 9 seed Miami (Fla.) on Monday at 8 p.m. at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner advances to the Sweet 16 in Greenville, S.C. Miami is looking to avenge its second-round loss to South Carolina last year and make its first Sweet 16 since 1992. IU is vying for its third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, something that would have seemed impossible a decade…
The final game for Trayce Jackson-Davis in an Indiana Hoosiers uniform embodied what defined IU teams throughout his career. Jackson-Davis battled like a warrior. And he didn’t get enough help. Fourth-seeded Indiana men’s basketball saw its 2022-23 season end in unceremonious fashion on Sunday, with an 85-69 loss to No. 5 seed Miami (Fla.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers enjoyed their most successful campaign in seven years, but couldn’t reach the second weekend of March Madness. Indiana had a size advantage over Miami. But the Hurricanes threw everything they had at Jackson-Davis, as if to…
BLOOMINGTON — The moment wasn’t extraordinary for Lilly Meister. IU women’s basketball coaches hinted, in the days leading up to the NCAA Tournament opener against Tennessee Tech, that she may receive her first career start, with All-American Mackenzie Holmes limited. There wasn’t some big announcement of that news; no private meeting with IU head coach Teri Moren. It hit Meister while the Hoosiers reviewed their defensive gameplan earlier on Sunday. Coaches causally mentioned who she’d be guarding, and she realized what that meant. She’s worked all season, developing her game, for an opportunity like this. After regularly battling with Holmes…
BLOOMINGTON — In its first game in two weeks, Indiana women’s basketball took care of business to open the NCAA Tournament. The No. 1-seeded Hoosiers pulled away from No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech for a comfortable 77-47 win on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. IU advances to the second round and will face No. 9 seed Miami (Fla.) on Monday. First team All-American Mackenzie Holmes missed this game with knee soreness. Around an hour before tipoff, the program announced that the senior would be available but limited, but she did not end up playing. Freshman Lilly Meister started in her…
From the beginning of Indiana’s game against Kent State, it was clear what the moment meant to Race Thompson. While some IU players needed time to settle into this NCAA Tournament first-round game, Thompson gave maximum effort right away. Whether it was running the floor in transition, diving across the floor to go after a loose ball, or playing good defense, Thompson was on his game. He’d let out emphatic screams after big plays, matching his passion to his energy. Thompson’s performance was huge in helping Indiana over the line Saturday. The Hoosiers defeated Kent State, 71-60, in Albany, N.Y.…
Indiana women’s basketball knows it’s a popular pick to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers have seen brackets pour in across social media since Selection Sunday, with many people pegging them as a Final Four or national championship team. And they’ve found it cool, or even surreal, to see those predictions. But those aren’t the brackets that stick out to Grace Berger. She fixated on the ones that have the Hoosiers falling out earlier. “I’d pick us too if I was them. But there are a couple brackets that have us losing early. I think those…
Indiana football had trouble finding the right way to utilize its running backs on many occasions in 2022. IU recognized Jaylin Lucas was its most explosive option out of the backfield, and that Josh Henderson was its most productive, but struggled to get them enough touches to make a big impact in a lot of games. The Hoosiers started to figure that out more near end of the year, though. And with both Henderson and Lucas back in 2023, IU will hope they both continue making plays. Those two are likely to lead the Indiana backfield in 2023. Lucas earned…
Mackenzie Holmes’ historic season for Indiana women’s basketball just added a new headline. Holmes was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press on Monday. It’s the first time a Hoosier has earned that distinction. The senior placed seventh in the country with 22.3 points per game, and her 68.8 field goal percentage ranked second in the nation. She also averaged 1.9 blocks per game (32nd in the country), which helped her earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. She added 7.3 rebounds per game to those figures. Holmes is a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award,…