Hoosiers take on James Madison Saturday in WNIT

IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack said two weeks ago, after her team’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss to Purdue, that she would relish any opportunity to take her young team to the postseason. That opportunity comes Saturday night. \nAfter receiving an at-large bid to their third straight WNIT, the Hoosiers prepare to face James Madison University at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night at Assembly Hall. The Dukes will come to Bloomington by virtue of having beaten Radford in the competition’s first round, held Thursday. \n“We’re excited about this, and we’re up for the challenge,” Legette-Jack said Tuesday of her reaction to her team’s at-large bid. \nThe Hoosiers (18-14, 11-9) come into the WNIT after an up-and-down season that saw them beat two ranked teams and win three of their first four Big Ten road games before sputtering toward the end of the season. Legette-Jack gave her players a week off between the conference tournament and the WNIT selection, something senior guard Nikki Smith said helped the team physically and mentally. \n“I’m old, so any time off is good for me,” Smith, the team’s only senior, said with a laugh.\nFreshman guard Jori Davis said the week off gave the Hoosiers a greater appreciation for the fact that they were playing in the postseason, as well. \n“Had a lot of thinking to do,” Davis said after practice Tuesday. “About the game, the Big Ten Tournament, and it just made you get more hungry to want to come back, so it’s like a blessing to be able to go to the postseason.”\nBalance will be the order of the day for the Hoosiers, as it has been all year. IU has four players who average in double figures, with All-Big Ten second-team point guard Jamie Braun leading the way with 14.5 points per game. Fellow second-team selection Whitney Thomas averages 11.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, good for third in the conference. \nIU has also been strong defensively this season, averaging a league-best 9.41 steals per game as a team. \nAwaiting the Hoosiers from the visitor’s bench will be James Madison, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes also received an at-large bid to the WNIT, joining conference foe Virginia Commonwealth in the tournament. \nLeading the Dukes on offense is James Madison’s all-time leading scorer, Tamera Young. A 6-foot-2 guard, Young averages 19.3 points per game. \nYoung and her teammates could present some matchup problems for the Hoosiers, as James Madison’s roster contains five guards at 5-foot-10 or taller. \nThis will be the Hoosiers’ third-straight WNIT appearance, and second under Legette-Jack. Last year, the Hoosiers defeated Iona at home before losing on the road at South Dakota State. \nSmith said that, although this is her third trip to the WNIT, playing in the postseason never becomes routine, and she hopes her younger teammates feel the same way. \n“I don’t want it to ever become regular for anyone,” Smith said, “because I think that when you settle for just playing in the NIT, you don’t ever look to what’s bigger. I never got a chance to play in the NCAAs, and I’m hoping that these younger kids will get a chance to. \nSmith also said she is “excited” to play one more home game before her last year ends.\nThe Hoosiers are one of nine Big Ten teams in the postseason – \nfour teams made the NCAA Tournament and five teams, including IU, made the WNIT. For the Big Ten, a conference maligned much of the season for its lack of star power and depth, Legette-Jack said such strong postseason representation is important. \n“It says a lot about our administration and our Big Ten conference,” Legette-Jack said at practice Tuesday. “I’m excited about the future of our Big Ten.”\nWhen asked what they thought the team’s goal is coming into the WNIT, Smith and Davis answered emphatically and identically. \n“Win a championship,” Smith said, to which Davis added, “Win championships. That’s everything.”