The Indiana Hoosiers stunned the No. 12 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers with a 20-point comeback win 72-69. It was the largest comeback in program history. The win means Indiana moves onto the second round on Thursday afternoon against No. 5 Ohio State.
Dates: March 4th-8
Location: Gainbridge Field House, Indianapolis
Tickets: SeatGeek (Promo Code HoosierHuddle for $20 off first order)
Bracket
Indiana’s Road to the Second Round of the Big Ten Tournament
2025-26 Record: 18-13 (6-12)
BTT Seed: 13
The Indiana Hoosiers entered the 25-26 season with high hopes, but Teri Moren was also trying to rebuild the foundation that helped her build the program into a perennial NCAA Tournament team. A mixture of youth and an injury to Zania Sockman-Nguemen took a lot of the wind out of IU’s sails. An 0-10 start to Big Ten play after an 11-1 start in non-conference play put IU in a position of needing a late season push to even make the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers finished the season 6-2 and could have been 7-1 if not for Shay Ciezki missing the USC game with an ankle injury that occurred in pregame shoot around.
Players to Watch
The obvious player to pay attention to is Ciezki as she has had an All-American caliber season. The senior led IU in scoring averaging 23.2 points per game. She has elevated her game and can score from anywhere on the court. March is a time where one hot player can carry a team. Ciezki is that player.
Lenée Beaumont has had an up and down season after missing all of last season with an injury, but she has played well late in the season. She is averaging 13.6 points per game and 3.1 assists per game. Beaumont’s 11 second half points in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament helped power the comeback against Nebraska.
What really spurred IU’s 6-2 run at the end of the season was the play of freshmen Maya Makalusky and Navaeh Caffey. Makalusky averaged 9.3 points per game and Caffey is right behind her at 8.3. If they play well IU has a much better chance of winning.
Edessa Noyan posted a double-double against Nebraska and her defense really helped IU rally in the second half.
Round Two Matchup: No. 5 Ohio State
The Hoosiers and Buckeyes have met only once this season, a 81-67 defeat in Columbus. The game came back on January 22nd, but Indiana has learned some lessons from that loss.
“Ohio State’s had an unbelievable year. Kevin and his staff do a great job. We know it’s going to be a tall task.” Moren said. “I think at their place it was competitive, especially in the first half, but the key to the game will be keeping those turnovers low against that pressure defense in the full court and in the half.”
The Buckeyes are led by Jaloni Cambridge who averages 23.4 points per game. She poured in 22 in the game against the Hoosiers earlier this year. The Buckeyes like to shoot the three-ball and make about eight of them per game. Chance Grey is shooting nearly 40-percent from three point range.
Time: ~2:30pm (25 minutes after game one)
TV: Peacock
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