3 Takeaways From IU Women's Basketball 68-54 Loss Vs. Illinois

Hoosier Fall To 12-5 Overall And 4-2 In The League

Assembly Hall In Bloomington Where Indiana Played Illinois On Thursday

Illinois Was Already A Matchup Problem And Not Having Holmes And Scalia Makes It Even Worse

Bloomington-Illinois coach Shauna Green has built a team that thrives on taking away the three-pointer while conceding drives and layups. On the offensive end, she also likes to try to get points by going to the hoop and scoring with athletic guards.

This already created a matchup problem for an Indiana team that likes to shoot from long range. However, in past years the fact that Illinois would concede easy buckets in exchange for this allowed Mackenzie Holmes to have huge games down low. She also could rim protect somewhat when the Illini backcourt players drove to the hoop.

IU senior Sydney Parrish said that while Holmes’ expired eligibility was indeed a factor in defeat, they cannot use that as an excuse for the loss.

“Mackenzie was great for us,” Parrish said. “We know she was an All-American. However, with or without her we have the ability on our team to be able to beat this team.”

With post-play an issue now for the Hoosiers, they rely on shooting from their guards even more to offset it. However, with Illinois placing an emphasis on not allowing this to occur, Indiana is especially at a disadvantage with limited play down low and a lack of ability to drive which is what the Illini will give you.

While the Hoosiers made a run at it, it was not enough to offset the personnel problems as the home team fell 68-54. Due to a schedule that is far tougher at home than on the road, it would not be surprising to see IU go 4-5 at home in league play and 6-3 or 7-2 away from Bloomington. With the emphasis on road victories come the postseason, this could work out for Indiana when their March Madness resume is reviewed.

Help May Be On The Way For Matchups Like This One

Illinois’ athletic guards and talent have given Indiana problems ever since Green showed up in Champaign to turn that program around. However, the help for this may be on the way next season.

Nevaeh Caffey is committed to the Hoosiers for next fall and could well be the antidote for this type of team as a more athletic guard who likes to drive to the basket. Throw in Moren’s seeming recognition of an upgrade in the post being needed based on comments all season and postgame, and a fix should be on the way in both facets.

Moren indeed said after she thought that current starting center Lily Meister was not at her best.

“Lily has to be better,” Moren said. “She has to be better offensively. She has to be better defensively. As of late she’s just been ok. We don’t need an OK Lily. We need a really good Lily to help us”

However, for this season, Hoosier fans will have to accept that certain matchups like this one will not have a victory in the cards. As a result, this team continues to be on track for roughly a 10-8 Big Ten record and probably a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament being the most likely outcome.

Team Fights Every Night But It Won’t Always Be Enough

Unlike their counterparts across the hall, effort is never a problem for this squad. In seemingly the worst matchup possible, Indiana still never let the lead get completely out of hand and made a push from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to just four.

However, Illinois answered each time and never was in danger by the end. While this squad has several flaws, energy and effort are not amongst them and they will always force their opponent to dig deep to come out on top. Even with leading scorer Yarden Garzon held to three points and seemingly everything going wrong, IU never folded despite multiple times when they could have.

It does not get easier on Sunday when an elite USC squad comes to Bloomington in what should be a rocking Assembly Hall. While this may well not be a victory even if IU is at its best, a couple of very winnable road games follow.

The ability for IU to pick themselves up following defeats and effort will always give this squad a chance going forward. However, there is a hard ceiling on what the Hoosiers can achieve with limited post-play and a lack of athleticism.

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