3 Takeaways From IU Women's Basketball 71-61 Win Vs. No. 8 Ohio State

Hoosier Now 17-9 Overall And 9-6 In League To Likely Secure 6th Straight NCAA Berth

Assembly Hall In Bloomington Where Indiana Played Ohio State On Thursday

Hoosiers Play Best Game Of Season To All But Secure Sixth Straight NCAA Tournament Berth

Bloomington-IU played easily their best game of the season and picked up their first win over an elite team on Thursday by outlasting no. 8 Ohio State 71-61. Indiana had victories over tourney-bound Columbia, Baylor, Iowa, Washington, and Nebraska so far in 2024-2025

However, their ability to punch their ticket to March Madness for the sixth straight season was contingent on one more victory vs. the ranked Buckeyes, Michigan St, or Maryland in these three consecutive games. The Hoosiers did not leave anything to chance and got the signature outcome on their first try in this trio of contests. This improves them to 17-9 (9-6 in conference) and all but certainly puts them into yet another NCAA Tournament.

This sets up two showdowns with the Spartans and Terps where the Hoosiers will be underdogs and playing with house money. However, more positive results could improve their seeding in both the Big Ten and March Madness tournaments.

Because of getting their first victory over a likely NCAA host school in the top 16, they have now taken most of the pressure out of these next couple of contests. The MSU showdown is next on Sunday at 2 pm on BTN in East Lansing.

Hoosiers Shred Buckeye Press As OSU Loses Cool Late

While the Hoosiers have fared far better against the always top Buckeyes in the last few seasons overall than ever before, IU has still struggled with the signature OSU press at times. Tonight, however, Indiana shredded the signature Ohio State strategy for easy baskets in transitions while dishing out 21 assists.

The IU guard trio of Shay Ciezki, Yarden Garzon, and Sydney Parrish each put up 16 points as Indiana’s backcourt was exceptionally strong both from long range (the team was 9-17 on the night) and at the rim after handling the OSU press on most possessions. After Indiana built a 26-17 lead after a quarter, the Buckeyes scored the first nine points of the next segment prompting a timeout. From there IU stepped right back on the gas and built a double figures lead they would hold most of the rest of the night.

Parrish said the team was very much prepared for everything their opponent brought.

“This will do a lot for us,” Parrish said. “We stuck together and we shared the ball really well. We knew the press was gonna be hard. They are known for their press. We came out and handled it great and we were the aggressors.”

Indiana did have dry spells in parts of the fourth quarter. However, Ohio State did not capitalize as the IU defense smothered the post. Also, any hope of a comeback ended when OSU coach Kevin McGuff picked up a technical foul for arguing with officials, and star player Cotie McMahon got an intentional foul for purposely throwing Garzon to the ground. This led to two free throw makes and the ball both times these moments occurred.

McGuff said he thought his team got a bad whistle at that moment when asked about the technical.

“I was arguing a call I thought they missed,” McGuff said. “That was about it.”

The Hoosiers got the lead to 69-52 with over a minute left before meaningless sloppy play from them at the end made the score closer. IU did end up with 21 turnovers but many of those came late when the outcome was decided.

Great Start Wakes Up Assembly Hall To Elite Atmosphere As Hoosiers Holding Home Court Again

The atmosphere before the game started was not necessarily that of a top team playing in Assembly Hall. A late-arriving crowd was a bit dead until Indiana’s great start woke the fans up and it was very loud the rest of the night. However, without the strong beginning on the court, the outcome could have been much different.

Once again an announced crowd of 10,772 was only about 3/4 of that amount in actuality as almost no fans trickled into the balcony with the court GA section not quite full. Once again the quality of the people there was terrific. However, the quantity continues to be less than it really should be when an IU squad does not field a top 10-15 team.

With that said, the Hoosiers are doing a much better job protecting their home court recently. After a 1-3 start to conference play in Bloomington, Indiana has won four straight in their home gym by 16, 21, 22, and 10 points while controlling the tempo almost throughout each time. Also, two of them have come against squads headed to postseason play including tonight.

By reestablishing its advantage here, Indiana is all but certainly headed to yet another appearance in March Madness. However, it will be on the road this time after hosting for three straight years. In a bit of a rebuilding year after losing the best player in program history (Mackenzie Holmes), this is an accomplishment that should not be overlooked.

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