It’s been a rough start to the season, but it’s way too early and inappropriate for pitchforks.
There’s no sugarcoating it: a 1-2 start to the season is not up to the standard that Indiana women’s basketball has built under Teri Moren. Especially when those losses come against Harvard at home and Butler in an arena dominated by Hoosier fans.
Indiana hasn’t been good enough at scoring the basketball through three games, Moren would likely be the first one to tell you that. The defense hasn’t been a massive weakness but it’s not up to par with what it’s been in recent years.
As a result, the program has a losing record for the first time in years.
The Hoosiers haven’t been good enough. But it’s far, far, far too early to start pointing fingers and questioning the overall direction of the program. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive and the time for the latter will not come during this season.
The reason this start comes as a surprise and the reason to put any notions of panic at bay are one and the same. Under Moren and her staff, this program has risen above the historic norm to legitimate championship aspirations.
Indiana is two years removed from an unchallenged Big Ten title and one removed from a Sweet Sixteen run that nearly concluded with an upset of undefeated South Carolina. The proof of concept has been there for quite some time.
This roster and the issues its had are complicated. You cannot look at a box score and properly diagnose the issues this team is having.
For one, Indiana is without a program stalwart in Mackenzie Holmes. Moving on from her was always going to be a difficult process. Not having Sara Scalia definitely hurts too. The roster hasn’t gotten enough out of their replacements.
Indiana is also having some real injury trouble. This year could’ve been something of a breakout for Lexus Bargesser, Indiana’s No. 2 point guard behind Chloe Moore-McNeil. She’s been injured since opening night with transfer Shay Ciezki taking over that role.
The offense would probably have more to hang its hat on right now if Bargesser, who has built up chemistry with teammates for the past two seasons, was available.
Without Holmes, Indiana was likely to shift to an offense that emphasized 3-point shooting even more with some five-out, Princeton-style action. Through three games, the Hoosiers just haven’t shot the ball well enough from deep.
Yarden Garzon is more than filling in, hitting 47.1% from the arc so far. But Ciezki and Sydney Parrish, two typically reliable deep threats, are making just 11.1% and 11.8% of their 3s, respectively. Moore-McNeil is sitting at 25% so far.
On top of that, nobody has emerged as a true volume post scorer to threaten the defense in the paint. Lilly Meister is averaging 12.3 points per game but is shooting just 42.3% overall. Karoline Striplin, on the other hand, is making 60% of her attempts from the field off the bench in 13.3 minutes per game.
You can probably chalk it up to water eventually finding its level with two proven shooters. You also have to factor in that Ciezki has had to be relied on more as a creator than a shooter and the quality of looks Indiana’s getting would likely improve with Bargesser on the floor.
Right now though? Combining no true paint threat with depth issues at point guard and shooting woes, Indiana becomes easier to defend.
This is an offense with new wrinkles, new pieces and plenty of scoring void to fill. It is going to get better. Roles will become more defined and those poor shooting numbers will average out a bit.
And, on one final note:
Moren and the staff have proven they can be trusted to figure things out time and again. They have earned the benefit of the doubt. Now is not the time for toxicity, it never is.
Some things take time. Indiana has earned that time.