Three Takeaways From No. 12 IUWBB's 69-56 Loss Vs. Michigan In Big Ten Tourney
Hoosiers Struggle In Second Half Leading To Defeat
Senior Day Speech On The Video Board From Mackenzie Holmes At Assembly Hall After The Maryland Game
Hoosiers Can’t Get Anything Going In Second Half
Everything was going swimmingly in the first half for IU. Despite the absence of Mackenzie Holmes, the Hoosiers raced to a 35-21 lead through 20 minutes. However, after Yarden Garzon opened the second half with a three-pointer, Michigan scored the next 12 points. Indiana appeared to survive the punch as they got a Lily Meister layup and a Sydney Parrish three-pointer to go back up double figures with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. It was not to be though as the Wolverines scored the next dozen points again to take the lead early in the fourth.
IU held tough for a while and was still down just 53-50 at the final media timeout. The play of the game occurred out of that break though as Michigan inbounded with just two seconds left on the shot clock. Indiana lost sharpshooting guard Lauren Hansen though and she hit from downtown to start a contest-sealing 16-3 spurt.
While the lack of Holmes for most of tonight hurt (more below), the turnovers (14) and inability to knock down open shots (34.6 percent from the field) were the main catalysts for the defeat. Throw in the inability to contain star Laila Phelia (30 points), and the Wolverines outscored IU 48-21 in the second half to win going away.
Excellent Season Sees Bad Night At Bad Time
Hoosier fans’ temperature is heated with frustration right now. With the issues across the hall in Mike Woodson’s program, patience is justifiably not high among the Indiana faithful at the moment.
For most of this season, Teri Moren’s program has been the bright light for IU partisan’s basketball appetite. Her team has been ranked in the top 15 nearly every week in 2023-2024 and has been in the polls at all times during the last five years.
The struggles of their male counterparts are not the fault of this ultra-successful women’s program. However, Moren had some decisions that rubbed Indiana fans the wrong way on Friday.
A lack of timeouts called as the Wolverines made their run was one complaint. However, the decision to hold a gimpy Holmes out to save her for the weekend was the most confusing. Then when things got tight in the last five minutes, Holmes was brought in cold and struggled with two missed layups.
Moren explained her thought process this way.
“I think it was just trying to figure out the balance,” Moren said. Our goal was to be here till Sunday. So we were going to -- she was available. We knew she was going to be available. We didn't want to have to play her. We wanted to be able to use her tomorrow more.”
Moren thinking ahead rather than first trying to win the game at hand, goes against most conventional wisdom from coaches. With that said, everyone needs to recognize the success of this season and the program as a whole. The 24-5 record for this squad is still strong and it is important to not let misplaced anger from elsewhere be directed here. One bad night does not change this bottom line.
Where Is IU From An NCAA Tournament Seeding Perspective Now?
The Hoosiers came in at no. 14 according to the NCAA Committee’s official reveal. If this loss still allows games to be in Bloomington and the team to remain in the top-16, remains to be seen. They are helped by the fact that most of the teams around them have lost at least once since the official seeding came out and many were eliminated from their conference tournaments as quickly as Indiana.
Moren stressed she thinks the whole body of work should be enough to get her team games on campus.
“I think our body of work speaks for itself,” she said. “We're not healthy by any stretch of the means. I think that has to be part of the criteria or whatever they look at. This is not Indiana at full health right now. It's not a healthy squad.
Moren did say she expects Holmes and everyone else to be close to, if not 100% once March Madness hits.
“The two weeks in between is going to be really, really important for this group to get healthy,” she said “I think when the NCAA Tournament gets here, I think we'll feel a whole lot different and much, much better.”
Selection Sunday is on March 17. This is when the Hoosiers will learn if they will start NCAA play at home or on the road.
Jeff Marlow and Kathy Amos’ Doing The Work show can be seen here:
I know all the reasons why they came up on the wrong end of the score. But the frustration is real this morning.
Hope our team can shake it off and focus on the NCAA tournament now. We have the talent to go far, regardless of where we play.
Disappointing, but its just one game, and we are having a great season. I hope we get the opportunitu to open the tournament at home. Thanks. Ari.