(photo courtesy of IU Athletics)
South Carolina is the Overall #1 in this year’s NCAA Bracket, making it a 4th straight year as a #1 Seed. They will defend the Albany #1 Region, which includes the 16th overall seed and #4 in that same region, the Indiana Hoosiers.
“There’s no doubt we have our work cut out for us,” said Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren, moments after the Sunday evening Tournament Selection Show.
Coach Moren went on to describe the team’s practice schedule since their earlier than desired departure from the Big Ten Tournament last Friday evening, after an upset loss to Michigan. “It was a great week for us to rest a lot,” Coach mentioned as she discussed the team shortening their workout schedule over the past several days to allow the team to recoup after a few extremely physical weeks.
She followed with, “Now it’s ‘Go-Time’ for us.”
And ‘Go-Time’ it is, as the team learned of their first-round competitors. The Hoosiers will be matched up against #13 Seed Fairfield University in round one of the NCAA Tournament. Because the Hoosiers are a #4 Seed, they have the opportunity to host the first 2 rounds of the tournament at their home facility, as all #1 through #4 Seeds do in the Women’s Bracket of the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers will play at 1:30pm on Saturday, March 23rd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“So excited to stay home and play in front of Hoosier Nation,” added Coach Moren.
So, who is Fairfield?
The Fairfield Stags out of Fairfield, Connecticut are a private university with a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of a little more than 5,000.
The Stags have had an incredible season this year, compiling a 31-1 season record and winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament after a 70-62 overtime victory over Niagara in the Championship Game, coming back from a 13-point second half deficit.
31 wins is the second-most victories of any MAAC team in history. They won all 23 conference games and are boasting the second longest winning streak in the nation, with 29 in a row.
Fairfield is led by their Freshman Forward sensation, Meghan Anderson. Anderson has averaged 15.2 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, and shot nearly 52% from the field (55th in the nation). There are 3 additional players who average double digit scoring, including Senior Guard Janelle Brown, with 13.6 ppg and ranks 23rd in the nation with just shy of 58% from the field.
As a team, the Stags average over 73 points per game, shoot 46% from the field, and have 33% success beyond the arc.
The Fairfield Head Coach is no stranger to Indiana or Big Ten basketball. In her second year is Carly Thibault-DuDonis, the former Associate Coach of Minnesota. In her first season with the Stags, she led the team to a top-5 finish in the conference, receiving a bye into the MAAC Championship Quarterfinals with an 11-9 conference mark.
She comes from some serious basketball pedigree, her father, Mike Thibault, is a former NBA Assistant Coach with the Lakers, Celtics, and Bucks, as well as 3-time WNBA Coach of the Year, leading both the Suns and the Mystics.
(photo courtesy of IU Athletics)
What about the other 6 Big Ten teams in this year’s tournament?
- Iowa is the #2 overall ranked team and the #1 Seed in the Albany #2 Region. They will play the winner of the play-in game between Holy Cross and UT Martin
- #6 Nebraska in the Albany 1 Region will play Texas A&M
- #9 Michigan State in the Albany 1 Region will play #8 North Carolina
- #2 Ohio State in the Portland 3 Region will play
- #9 Michigan in the Portland 3 Region will play #8 Kansas
- #10 Maryland in the Portland 4 Region will play #7 Iowa State
What happens if the Hoosiers win Round 1?
Should Indiana win their First-Round game, they will take on the winner of the Oklahoma/Florida Gulf Coast match-up in the second round, scheduled for Monday the 25th, also at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Indiana was upset last season as a No. 1 seed in the second round by Miami after Holmes had missed the first round recovering from injury. If she’s close to being healthy this year, the Hoosiers — who also have four other players averaging in double figures scoring, including guard Sara Scalia (16.2 PPG), are a solid pick to advance to the Sweet 16.
Michael Voepel, ESPN