The third-seeded Hoosiers are set to begin postseason play Friday.
No. 12 Indiana women’s basketball kicks off postseason play this week with the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis
The five-day, single elimination event starts Wednesday but the Hoosiers, who earned a double-bye for a second-straight season, won’t play until Friday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the event, Indiana’s potential opponents, and what the Hoosiers are playing for:
When is the tournament and how can I watch?
Date/Time: March 6-10
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: Peacock (Play-in round), Big Ten Network (Second round through semifinals), CBS (Championship)
Radio: WHCC 105.1 / WIUX 99.1
Tale of the Tape
The Hoosiers’ potential quarterfinal opponents are as follows:
#6 Michigan (18-12, 9-9 Big Ten) makes its 2024 BTT debut Thursday evening against the winner of Minnesota/Rutgers.
The Wolverines went 3-3 down the stretch and are led by consensus first team All-Big Ten guard Laila Phelia. Phelia finished the regular season sixth in the conference in scoring and averaged 16 points per game.
Michigan’s only previous matchup with Indiana saw the Hoosiers become the first team this century to start a game 15-for-15 (Indiana won, 80-59) but don’t let that blowout result fool you: the Wolverines are dangerous.
Kim Barnes Arico’s team handed league champ OSU one of its two regular season losses… they are capable of going on a run in the Twin Cities.
#11 Minnesota (15-14, 5-13 Big Ten) looked promising to start the year but are 1-9 since losing standout guard Mara Braun to injury on January 28.
Grace Grocholski, a Big Ten All-Freshman teamer, took over after as Minnesota’s top offensive threat in Braun’s absence. The forward/guard shot 8-9 (89%) from the field and led the Golden Gophers with 19 points in their 85-62 January 17 loss in Assembly Hall.
The ‘Gophs may get a boost as tournament “hosts”, but it’s hard to imagine them doing much after dropping their regular season finale to Penn State, 90-34.
#14 Rutgers (8-23, 2-16 Big Ten) finished dead last in the Big Ten, but one of its two conference play wins came against Minnesota, who it’ll face in the opening round Wednesday.
Indiana opened conference play with the Scarlet Knights on December 9 and left Jersey Mike’s Arena with a 66-56 win.
Four Rutgers players scored in double figures in that one while second team All-Big Ten guard/forward Destiny Adams pulled down eight boards to keep it close.
If able to win its Friday quarterfinal, Indiana will likely spent Saturday sparring with #2 Iowa. After that—barring any upsets—the Hoosiers would face #1 Ohio State in the title game.
Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio State were a step ahead of the rest of the league all regular season long but the postseason gonna postseason. Seeds 4-9 could all knock off any of the Big 3 if the favorite doesn’t execute. You can view the full 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament bracket here.
Stakes and storylines
At No. 12 in this week’s AP poll, Indiana should feel pretty good about securing a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and serving as a host site for the first and second rounds.
CQ believes one or more tourney wins will put it out of question and bring March Madness to Assembly Hall for a third-straight year.
Aside from hosting duties, Indiana is playing win the league in some form for a second-straight year. The Hoosiers won the regular season title in 2022-23 but haven’t been tourney champs since 2002. A 2024 tournament championship would be the program’s second-ever.
That’s all off the floor though. On it, the big storyline we’re following is Indiana’s health at the forward position.
Injuries and a lack of post depth somewhat derailed Indiana’s season last year and it looked like things were trending that way again Sunday when Mackenzie Holmes and Lilly Meister both left the game with leg injuries.
Training staff evaluated Holmes in the locker room while Meister received treatment on the bench. Little is known about the extent of either injury but both players were seen standing on the floor during the team’s postgame senior recognition.
Th post players are both listed as day-to-day for now and their statuses for Friday are currently unknown. We’ll let you know should we learn more.