Indiana women’s basketball has suffered a rotating list of issues affecting its performance this season, which has led it to sit second to last in the Big Ten standings and rooted around the bottom of the standings all season.
Despite playing half of their conference games, the Hoosiers are still winless in the Big Ten and on the brink of reaching double-digit conference losses before securing their first win.
After two straight road games, Indiana returns home to play No. 9 Michigan at 7 p.m. Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Indiana traveled to Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, to play Purdue for the 33rd Barn Burner Trophy on Sunday. The Hoosiers’ 13-game win streak in the series was snapped as they fell to the Boilermakers 80-69.
Senior guard Shay Ciezki logged 37 points against Purdue, her second-highest mark of the season, just behind her 38-point performance against Iowa State University on Nov. 30.
Ciezki accounted for more than 50% of the Hoosiers’ total points and field goals made against the Boilermakers. Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont was the only other Indiana player to reach double-digit points, tallying 13 while playing all 40 minutes.
Sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen was ruled out of the contest versus Purdue. Despite coming back for five games from an injury to her right leg, Socka-Nguemen sat on the bench with a boot on her left leg.
Indiana has struggled with turnovers, committing 26 in an 81-67 loss to then-No. 12 Ohio State on Jan. 22 and 20 in its loss to Purdue. In both matches, the Hoosiers had more turnovers than scored field goals.
Indiana has also struggled to limit teams defensively, conceding 80 or more points in five of its last seven games. Other Big Ten schools have been able to crash the offensive glass and limit their turnovers against Indiana, leading to many more possessions and shot attempts.
Michigan currently sits third in the Big Ten with an 8-1 conference record and a 17-3 overall record. Its one loss in the Big Ten came on the road against Washington, falling to the Huskies 64-52 on Jan. 1. Most recently, the Wolverines defeated USC at home 73-67 on Sunday.
Michigan is led by a trio of sophomore guards all averaging more than 10 points per game. Olivia Olson is the Wolverines’ leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 18.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Syla Swords and Mila Holloway average 13.7 points and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Holloway has a team-leading 4.6 assists per game.
Michigan also receives consistent offensive production from its bench, currently sitting 16th in the country in bench points per game with 28.2. Indiana’s bench, by contrast, has struggled. The Hoosiers average just 8.7 bench points per game, which is second worst of all NCAA Division I teams.
Kim Barnes Arico is currently in her 14th season as head coach of Michigan women’s basketball. She is the winningest coach in all Michigan basketball history, accumulating 284 wins through her first 13 seasons. No other coach in Michigan women’s basketball history has reached 200 wins with the Wolverines.
Arico spent 10 seasons at the helm of St. John’s University women’s basketball, where she led the Red Storm to four NCAA Tournament appearances. She joined Michigan in 2012, leading the Wolverines to seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2018-2025 and a WNIT championship victory in the 2016-17 season.
Indiana faces off against Michigan at 7 p.m. Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The match will be streamed on Peacock.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Max Schneider (maxschn@iu.edu) and columnist Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
