Opinion: Ali Patberg's Seniority Hoosiers' Not-So Secret Weapon in NCAA Tournament

Indiana guard Ali Patberg has been a part of five NCAA Tournaments during her first two seasons at Notre Dame and her four seasons at Indiana. Her super seniority and postseason knowledge will be critical as the Hoosiers enter their third consecutive NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

USA Today

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — As Indiana prepares for its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance on Saturday, graduate student guard Ali Patberg will be the not-so secret weapon for the Hoosiers in making a postseason run.

Fans on social media and even in person have poked fun at the 25-year-old for her seven seasons of college basketball. At the beginning of the season, Indiana head coach Teri Moren posed the question, 'if you had an extra college year, wouldn't you play too?'

A simple answer, right?

Patberg's dedication to the program has definitely paid off as Indiana is headed to another NCAA Tournament following its best performance in the Big Ten Tournament since 2002. The Hoosiers fell just short of the conference title, falling 74-67 to Iowa on March 6 in Indianapolis.

That's all said and done now. The main focus has shifted to winning a national championship, and Patberg will be the key.

No, she's not the team's leading scorer. That's senior guard Grace Berger who's averaging 16.3 points per game. Patberg is actually fourth in the scoring line behind junior forward Mackenzie Holmes and senior forward Aleksa Gulbe.

It doesn't matter. Patberg has been a part of five NCAA tournaments in some shape or form, which makes her postseason basketball IQ through the roof. In every single NCAA Tournament game she's played in at Indiana, she's scored in double figures.

Home in Columbus, where it all started

Back to where it all began, Patberg graduated from Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind. in 2015. She then continued her basketball career at Notre Dame, but tore her right ACL in November of her freshman season.

That season, while Patberg nursed her knee, her Fighting Irish team would advance to the Sweet Sixteen, only to be sent home by Stanford in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

The next year, Patberg was healed and ready to make a difference for her team as a redshirt sophomore. She only played about 7.7 minutes per game, and her career-high six points at the time came against North Carolina.

Dec 27, 2016; Chattanooga, TN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Ali Patberg (20) brings the ball up court against the Chattanooga Lady Mocs during the fourth quarter at McKenzie Arena. Notre Dame defeated Chattanooga 79-58. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame made it all the way to the Elite Eight, only to be knocked out by Stanford once again.

Finding a new home in Indiana

Patberg saw an opportunity with Moren and the Hoosiers and transferred to Indiana for the 2017-18 season. Because of NCAA rules, Patberg had to sit out a year.

When it's all laid out, it makes more sense why Patberg's college career is so lengthy. She demonstrated patience while keeping the bench warm from injuries and those agitating NCAA transfer rules, which no longer exist and a rule change last summer.

Her first Indiana team wouldn't make it to the NCAAs in 2018, but it did win its first WNIT championship beating Virginia Tech 65-57.

Finally, Patberg made her Indiana debut in the 2018-19 season. She started off hot, opening her career with three games in double figures. In the postseason, Patberg got her shot at starting in an NCAA Tournament, where she put up 10 points in Indiana's win over Texas.

Ali Patberg of the Indiana Hoosiers, Minnesota vs. Indiana, Women's Big Ten Tournament, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Thursday, March 7, 2019. Indiana won 66-58 Indiana Takes On Minnesota During Tournament Play

Two days later, Patberg scored a team-high 16 points in Indiana's loss to Oregon in the second round. Patberg said she remembers Oregon's home crowd and wished she could play in a tournament game with plenty of Hoosier fans.

In Patberg's redshirt 2019-20 season, she started all 32 games. In the Big Ten Tournament, she was the leading scorer for both games including a 28-point performance in the Hoosiers' win over Rutgers to advance to the quarterfinals.

Patberg scored 16 in Indiana's game versus Maryland as the team's leading scorer, but the Terrapins were 15 points better and advanced to the semifinals eventually becoming the tournament champions.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Ali Patberg (14) dribbles the ball during the Big Ten Semifinals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Saturday, March 7, 2020. Indiana Hoosiers lost to Maryland Terrapins, 51-66

Patberg wouldn't have the opportunity to make another tournament run with her team as COVID-19 shut everything down. 

As a redshirt senior, Patberg displayed her postseason spark once again scoring a team-high 17 points in Indiana's upset win over No. 1 seed NC State in the Sweet Sixteen. 

In the Elite Eight, the Hoosiers fell short 73-70 versus Arizona. Patberg could still leave the tournament with her head held high knowing she scored in double figures for all four tournament games.

Mar 29, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Ali Patberg (14) controls the ball as Arizona Wildcats guard Helena Pueyo (13) defends during the second quarter in the Elite Eight of the 2021 Women's NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Now, the Hoosiers need Patberg more than ever to bring out her postseason spark. It will help that she has her same tournament starting team from last season by her side as the No. 3-seed Hoosiers host Charlotte on Saturday.

Moren has said all season long that Patberg is like another coach. Coach Patberg is ready for her first national title.

How to watch Indiana vs. Charlotte

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (22-8) vs. Charlotte 49ers (22-9)
• When: 1:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 19
• Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind. 
• TV: ESPN2
• Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM

Indiana's Ali Patberg (14) embraces head coach Teri Moren after the victory in the Indiana versus Maryland women's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022

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