Indiana Champing at the Bit to Compete in NCAA Tournament

No. 4-seeded Indiana will play against No. 13-seeded VCU Monday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Dylan Wallace | Mar 21, 2021

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — This year's NCAA Tournament has been a much different experience than years past. With quarantining and getting tested every day, there's a lot less teams are able to do in San Antonio this year.

But for Indiana, the Hoosiers have such a tight-knit group that they've been able to make the most of it. Nicole Cardaño-Hillary has been using a GoPro to document some of the things the Hoosiers have been doing while getting ready for the NCAA Tournament.

"We have some characters," Indiana coach Teri Moren said. "It's been fun to watch Nikky with the GoPro. They have a tremendous amount of fun together, and I think it shows on the floor as well."

"We can make something out of nothing," Mackenzie Holmes said. "Whether it's getting testing or whatever, we can always make light out of it."

A lot of discussion has been made on the disparities between what the men's teams are getting for the NCAA Tournament in terms of weight room facilities compared to the women's.

Moren said it hasn't affected how Indiana has been preparing, and she doesn't want that to be a distraction for her team right now.

"I'll say this, we've come a long ways. We still have a long ways to go," Moren said. "I'm not going to complain because that'd be a waste of time. We're not gonna complain. We're not going to talk about. The focus should be on VCU."

The Hoosiers were able to practice for the first time on Friday on the floor they will be competing in on Monday, which is in the UTSA Convocation Center.

Indiana, who is a four seed in the Mercado Region, will be taking on No. 13-seeded VCU, who won the A10 conference tournament to play its way into the NCAA Tournament.

"VCU is a very hot team right now," Moren said. "Playing at a really high level. They've had some time, just as we've had, to prepare."

The Rams have won seven of their last eight dating back to Feb. 18. They are making their second NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, also making the dance in 2009 when it faced Rutgers.

They are led by senior guard Taya Robinson, who is averaging 14.7 points and six rebounds per game, and senior guard Tera Reed, who averages 11.5 points per game. The Rams are averaging 65.1 points per game as a team.

"This is a talented team led by two seniors," Moren said. "They're balanced scoring, and so we have to be who we are. We hang our hat on the defensive end. I feel like our preparation has gone very well this week."

The last time Indiana took the floor, the Hoosiers suffered a disappointing loss to Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Moren said the players have been very eager to get back on the floor since that loss. She also said that she wasn't afraid to tell her players that it's OK to play with some desperation throughout this tournament because unlike the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana won't have another game to look forward to.

"At the end of the day, we have to go out and execute on both sides," Moren said. "There are no do-overs. We don't get to do this again. We talked about playing with desperation."

Indiana senior guard Ali Patberg is the most experienced player on the team that has been to multiple NCAA Tournaments. Patberg echoed Moren's message on Saturday, knowing what's at stake come tipoff at 2 p.m. ET on Monday.

"Everyone here obviously played really well during their season," Patberg said. "Everyone is playing at a high level right now. We have to have an extra level of focus. Coach said it's OK to play with desperation.

"We're here to win, but we're also here to take it all in and enjoy every moment."

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