Indiana Women's Basketball: Teri Moren Says First Big Ten Tournament Game is Most Important

Friday, the No. 1-seeded Indiana Hoosiers will take on No. 9 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Head coach Teri Moren said the first game is the most important to gain momentum and lead Indiana to a tournament title.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — No. 1 seed Indiana women's basketball is ready to face No. 9 seed Michigan State in the quarterfinals on Friday. Hoosier head coach Teri Moren and her team have used this week to prep for anyone.

"We looked ahead at potential matchups that we might have and picked things that we're gonna have to be ready for and have used this time I think very wisely," Moren said.

The Hoosiers are coming off a one-point loss to Iowa's buzzer beater last Sunday as the Hawkeyes handed them only their second loss of the season. The first came from Friday's Big Ten Tournament opponent Michigan State.

"We know we let one slip away, and there's a little bit of frustration, bitterness with that, which isn't a bad thing, but they also have flushed it and they're ready to move on," Moren said.

"Sometimes the best recipe after a stinger like we had on Sunday is to quickly get back on the floor."

Since the Hoosiers are the top seed in the conference, they've had the luxury of taking off the first and second rounds of the tournament. Associate head coaches Glenn Box and Rhet Wierzba were in charge of scouting out the Michigan State, Nebraska game that the Spartans won 67-64 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the team took off Monday from practice and have since put in phenomenal work, as Moren put it, the past couple days.

"We've worked from our man-to-man sets to zone sets to press attack, gone back from sort of the beginning with our shell defense, worked on certain things that we've used in terms of doubles and so we took the last couple days to take advantage of our scout guys," she said.

Moren said although this tournament will be a quick turnaround if the Hoosiers keep winning, the prep will not change. Indiana has been in plenty of tournament and rapid turnaround scenarios this season and is eager to do it again Friday.

"I think the first game in tournament play like this is always the most important," Moren said. "I think that's when you generate some momentum to the next round and then the next round."

On a personal note senior guard Sara Scalia is back in her home state. Scalia's hometown of Stillwater is only 33 minutes from Minneapolis. Plus, freshman forward Lilly Meister is from Rochester, Minn, about an hour and a half from the city. 

"We're gonna have a few Indiana fans here, but I think the majority of them are going to be family and friends of the Meister's and the Scalia's, which will be just great for us," Moren said.

Last season the Hoosiers were just seven points away from the Big Ten Tournament title as they lost to Iowa in Indianapolis. Now, Moren said her team's maturity level has grown as the bunch wants to know how to beat each opponent and is locked into the scouting report.

"I want them to be able to achieve the goal that they have, and that's to win it come Sunday."

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