Indiana Women's Basketball: Mackenzie Holmes Will Not Start in NCAA Tournament First Round

Indiana women's basketball forward Mackenzie Holmes will not start in Saturday's NCAA Tournament first round matchup versus Tennessee Tech due to knee soreness.

© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana women's basketball forward Mackenzie Holmes will not start in Saturday's NCAA Tournament first round matchup versus Tennessee Tech due to knee soreness, the program just reported.

Freshman forward Lilly Meister will earn her first career start in Holmes's place.

Indiana women's basketball stated on its Twitter account, "Mackenzie Holmes is available but will be limited in today's NCAA Tournament first round game against Tennessee Tech due to knee soreness. Freshman forward Lilly Meister will make her first career start."

Although the knee wasn't specified, it's most likely Holmes's left knee that she's currently wearing a black brace on in warmups. However, she's played with this same brace all season long.

Last season, Holmes missed eight games after left knee surgery and wasn't feeling 100 percent for the remainder of the season, head coach Teri Moren has said in multiple press conferences.

Earlier this season, Holmes said she felt like her old self and is completely different than what she was last season. Then in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, fans on social media noticed she was slower getting up and down the court.

Moren confirmed after the Hoosiers' loss to Ohio State in the semifinals, Holmes was not 100 percent. Between the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness, the Hoosiers had exactly two weeks off to rest and recover, a break Moren said was needed for both physical health and improvement in practice.

To be clear, Holmes is still available, just taking extra precaution in this first round.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• HOW TO WATCH TENNESSEE TECH VS. INDIANA The one-seeded Indiana women's basketball team will face the 16-seed Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday. Here's how to watch and the match details. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA WANTS THE BANNER Indiana women's basketball will begin NCAA Tournament play on Saturday versus Tennessee Tech. The Hoosiers haven't been shy about wanting a banner as the team gears up to host the first and second rounds in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to jumpstart a hopeful deep run. CLICK HERE
• HOOSIERS PREDICTED TO MAKE FINAL FOUR BY ESPN'S 'GET UP' Friday morning on ESPN's 'Get Up', analyst Monica McNutt was asked by Mike Greenberg who she thought would make the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four. She has the Hoosiers potentially going to the title game. CLICK HERE