No. 14 Indiana Women Play at Northwestern Tuesday, Looking to Build on Iowa Win

Following Indiana women's basketball’s 17-point win last week over now-No. 6 Iowa, the Hoosiers moved up to the No. 4 seed in Friday’s ESPN bracketology. If they maintain that position by winning Tuesday night at Northwestern and Sunday at home against Maryland, then advance in the Big Ten Tournament, they would host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Despite defeating Iowa, Indiana remained No. 14 in Monday’s Associated Press poll, likely due to the 20-point loss at Illinois before the Iowa game.

While Indiana fans wanted the Hoosiers to move up in the AP poll after beating Caitlin Clark and the then-No. 4 Hawkeyes, the poll doesn’t matter that much now. What matters is whether Indiana can keep winning and host the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. While the Hoosiers lost at home to Miami in last year's tournament, it's still better to play at home than on the road.

Beating Iowa was the signature win the Hoosiers had been seeking. Now they have to maintain that momentum. Any losses in the next three games could cost Indiana that home-court advantage in the NCAA tournament. Northwestern has just three Big Ten wins and are No. 212 in the NET rankings.

The Hoosiers trounced the Wildcats 100-59 in January, their most lopsided Big Ten win this season. Mackenzie Holmes led all scorers with 27 points, while Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon combined to hit six 3-pointers. Four Indiana bench players also reached their career highs. Melannie Daley led Northwestern with 16 points off the bench. Carolina Lau led the Wildcat starters with 12 points, scoring 10 in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

Now, the Wildcats have lost five consecutive games. Their defense gives up 81 points per game on average, seven more points than the next-highest in the Big Ten. Their offense turns the ball over 16.7 times per game, the fourth-most in the conference. Like the matchup in January, Northwestern forward Caileigh Walsh enters as the leading scorer with 12.4 points per game. She recorded seven points in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in January.

Holmes is averaging 20.8 points per game this season to lead the Hoosiers, and Scalia is second with 16.3 points per game and 84 3-pointers — already the program’s single-season record. In the win over Iowa, senior Sydney Parrish returned to the starting lineup for the first time in eight games, playing 29 minutes and scoring seven crucial points to hold the team’s third-quarter lead. Parrish also averages 5.6 rebounds per game; second to Holmes.

Tuesday night’s matchup tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Big Ten-plus.