6:30 pm on Thursday evening, #6 Indiana (14-1/ 4-1) will host #9 Maryland (13-3 / 4-1) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, in a battle featuring two top 10 teams. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Plus Network.
This will mark the very first game this season that Indiana will have all of their players available to play.
The Hoosiers have had their share of players missing games throughout the season for a combination of injuries, illness, or personal reasons. Graduate Forward Alyssa Geary, the only player to miss IU’s most recent game, has been practicing with the team this week, and will be dressed for play against the Terps.
Junior Forward Kiandra Browne had been out all season with a thumb injury, until her return this past week. Her return was simultaneous with All-American Graduate Guard Grace Berger, who was back in her uniform for the first time after 6 long weeks of knee rehab. Berger played 27 minutes, scoring a season high 16 points against Northwestern.
Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren spoke about the return of both Browne and Berger.
“Physically, I think that [Kiandra Browne] is still working on her stamina her conditioning level but you know she obviously provided some a big spark for us in the past, and I think she does have to get her timing back and her stamina back.” Coach Moren said of Browne. “KB will do what KB could do and that’s whatever is required to help.”
About the renewed presence of Berger, Moren believes that the most important thing she learned about the team over the past 6 weeks is that they have found ways to win without their starting point guard. “We only had the one the one hiccup at Michigan State,” Coach said. She went on to mention that Berger’s injury offered other players with the opportunity to come into the game, playing meaningful minutes to gain experience.
“There’s nothing like live play experience, an opportunity to get some playing experience.” Coach Moren believing this experience will help the Hoosiers down the stretch in March.
It is a good thing that Indiana will be at full strength for Thursday’s match-up against Maryland, as they are the Big Ten’s historically perennial champion. Indiana accomplished their first two program victories against the Terps last season. This year, the team makeup is much different than past years, but they are coached by one of the nation’s best, and have slayed several talented teams already this year, including #5 UCONN.
“Diamond Miller, obviously, their leading scorer and sort of their leader, who is a versatile 3-4 combination kid, is extremely athletic and can score in different ways,” said Coach Moren of Miller, who is averaging almost 19 ppg. Coach also sang the praises of Shyanne Sellers and Abby Meyers, both averaging just shy of 15 ppg. IU has a history with Meyers, a Maryland transfer, who was the leader of the Princeton team last season that challenged the Hoosiers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Maybe through the eye test they look a little bit different than they have in the past, but they’re to me, still Maryland,” Moren emphasized.
Collectively, Maryland is outscoring their opponents 80-71, and shoot nearly 45% from the field. They are coming to town with a 5 game-winning streak, as well. Although, they are not a great rebounding team, and this is where Indiana must capitalize if they want to control the pace of the game. Offensive board domination will allow the Hoosiers to strengthen their points in the paint in order to open up better looks from the perimeter, while the defensive boards will determine if IU will be successful in pushing the ball in transition, where their true athleticism shines.
Up next, Indiana will host Wisconsin on Sunday for Head to the Hall and LGBTQ+ Pride Day. Tickets for the game for the Head to the Hall promotion are $1 for all fans.