Indiana women set to host NCAA regional after earning No. 4 seed, will face Fairfield

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - The Indiana women's postseason run to avenging last year's heartbreaking Round of 32 loss to Miami at Assembly Hall starts in Bloomington again.

IU, a No. 4 seed in the Albany 1 region, will play No. 13 Fairfield in Bloomington. This marks the third straight year Indiana has hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

This was a team that looked like it could be hitting its stride at the right moment, as IU went 10-2 over its final 12 regular season games, which included an 86-69 rout of Iowa at Assembly Hall on Feb. 22.

But then, there was a letdown in the Big Ten Tournament, as Indiana saw a 17-point lead over Michigan vanish in a 69-56 loss. Leading scorer and rebounder Mackenzie Holmes, who suffered a knee injury in the regular season finale vs. Maryland, only played five minutes vs. the Wolverines.

B10 Michigan Indiana Basketball — Indiana guard Sara Scalia (14) walks down the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball quarterfinal game against Michigan at the Big Ten women's tournament Friday, March 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Abbie Parr

Still, the Hoosiers bring one of the best offenses in the nation to this tournament. They lead the country with a team field-goal percentage of 51% and three-point percentage of 40% while ranking 16th nationally with 79.5 points per game and 15th with 18.1 assists per contest.

If Holmes can be healthy, IU's all-time leading scorer can do her usual damage down low while All-Big Ten guards in Yarden Garzon, Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sara Scalia surround her to shoot.

Holmes and Moore-McNeil are also all-conference honorees as defenders. Indiana ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up 64 points per game while only allowing opponents to shoot 41% from the field, good for second in the conference.

Tenth-year head coach Teri Moren has raised expectations for March as the Hoosiers have risen in recent years. Indiana has now been a No. 4 seed or higher for four consecutive tournaments. However, just one of those seasons saw IU get to the Elite Eight (2021). The program has never made a Final Four.