The Indiana women’s basketball team raised the bar last season, winning the Big Ten regular season title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
But the season ended on a downer – the Hoosiers were upset at home in the second round of the tournament.
“We've just continued to not look back in the rearview mirror; it's all about what we have to look forward to, and just trying to get a little bit better every day,” said head coach Teri Moren Monday at the Big Ten Media Days in Minneapolis.
Indiana was picked to finish second in the Big Ten this season by league media and third by its coaches.
The Hoosiers return most everyone from last year’s team but will have to replace the leadership and production of all-everything guard Grace Berger, who now plays for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA.
“You can't have the success that we've had just because you have one really good player in your program,” Moren said. “It takes a team full of very skilled, high-character players to be able to maintain the level of success we've enjoyed.”
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And Indiana has had plenty of success under Moren, who is entering her 10 th season. The Hoosiers have appeared in four NCAA tournaments and won a WNIT championship in 2018.
Last season, Indiana went 28-4 overall and 16-2 in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers were led by first team All-America Mackenzie Holmes, who averaged team highs of 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Sydney Parrish and Yarden Garzon each averaged in double figures, and Chole Moore-McNeil averaged 9.5 points and had a team-high 155 assists.
“Mackenzie has certainly taken the role over as being the leader in the locker room, and our young players are going to benefit from that,” Moren said. “And so, I know that all eyes are on Mackenzie and Sid and Chloe in terms of how they go about their work every day.”
Moren expects contributions from two freshmen, Lenée Beaumont and Julianna LaMendola. Both were with the team during its 10-day trip to Greece this summer.
“They got a little bit of a head start,” Moren said. “They're not just coming back and hitting the floor running, because of all the practice time that they had leading up to it. So, I think they look very comfortable.”
IU opens its season Nov. 9 against Eastern Illinois.
