IU, clinging to tourney hopes, heads to Minnesota

Fresh off its second win over a ranked opponent this season, the IU women’s basketball team (16-12, 9-7) will take its NCAA Tournament hopes to Minnesota today.\nThe Hoosiers will head to Williams Arena – affectionately known as “The Barn” – to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-10, 9-7), one of three teams currently tied with IU for fourth place in the conference. \nIn their last game, the Hoosiers rode a 27-9 run over the last 12 minutes of the game – including overtime – to defeat the No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes at Assembly Hall. Sophomore guard Jamie Braun led the Hoosiers with 19 points and eight rebounds, and three other players for IU scored in double-digits in the win. \nMonday night marked the third straight start for freshman point guard Whitney Lindsay, meaning Braun could move back to her regular position of shooting guard. However, the Wisconsin native said she’s comfortable at either backcourt position. \n“It’s coming back to me,” Braun said. “I don’t mind it. I still get the ball, I still get to do what I want to do.”\nMonday’s win over Ohio State was abetted by the return of freshman guard Jori Davis, who had been out for 12 games with a stress fracture. Legette-Jack said having Davis back provided a boost for the Hoosiers.\n“It gives us a different option,” Legette-Jack said. “Now with her being there, it just adds more fuel to our fire.”\nMinnesota will be no easy out, however. The Gophers took IU to two overtimes in their trip to Bloomington earlier this year before eventually falling 80-77. \nIn addition to the Hoosiers, the Gophers will also be hosting Senior Night. Junior forward Amber Jackson said her team needs to stay focused on its game plan if it wants to leave Minneapolis with a win.\n“We’re hoping to keep the momentum,” Jackson said. “Ohio State’s a great team ... but now we have to focus on Minnesota; they’re a great team, they play well at home.” \nThe Ohio State win likely vaulted the Hoosiers back into contention for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, though their odds still seem long. Beating Minnesota on the road today would likely help their tournament case, as well as snap a four-game road losing streak.\n“They’ve got something to play for, we’ve got something to play for,” Legette-Jack said after practice Wednesday. “Whoever brings the most heart that day is going to be victorious.”\nIU has won three of its last four against the Gophers, though its last win at Williams Arena came in 2001.\nMinnesota’s junior guard Emily Fox leads the Gophers offensively with 17.2 points per game. Senior forward Leslie Knight averages 13.8 points per contest as well. \nThe Hoosiers appeared in ESPN.com analyst Charlie Creme’s bracket projections just a few weeks ago before losing two of three against opponents lower in the Big Ten standings. But their win Monday gave them two wins over top-25 opponents this season, bolstering their tournament resume considerably, something Legette-Jack acknowledged. \n“I think that we’re making an argument for ourselves,” she said. “We just need to finish up strong, so our argument won’t be such a debate. We’ve got to be a definite.”