For Indiana women’s basketball, the last game of the regular season is also its most important. Entering its 30th game of the season and 18th in conference play, the Hoosiers still have not clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
With 12 of the 15tournament spots locked up, 13th-place Indiana will host Penn State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
A loss Saturday does not automatically eliminate the Hoosiers. There remains a pack of teams stuck near the bottom of the Big Ten as Wisconsin, Purdue and Penn State battle with Indiana for the tournament’s last three spots.
Currently, the Hoosiers sit tied with Wisconsin for 13th in the Big Ten, though the Hoosiers hold the tiebreaker after defeating the Badgers 77-74 on Feb. 4. Penn State and Purdue are tied for 15th in the conference, with the Boilermakers currently on the outside looking in.
However, a loss for Indiana and a win for Purdue over Northwestern would bring both teams’ conference records to 5-13. The season series was split, but the Boilermakers hold the tiebreaker with the best conference victory between the two. Purdue’s best win came over Washington, which is tied for eighth place. Indiana’s best conference win came against Oregon 72-65 on Sunday, which currently sits 11th.
Penn State, if victorious over Indiana on Saturday, will claim the tiebreaker and jump the Hoosiers in the conference standings. Combine that result with Purdue and Wisconsin victories, and Indiana's season will be over.
Purdue travels to face Northwestern for its final game, and the Wildcats are already eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention with a 2-15 conference record. Wisconsin will host No. 9 Iowa, with the Hawkeyes currently tied for second in the Big Ten at a 14-3 conference record.
Both the Boilermakers and the Badgers play their games Sunday, the day after Indiana. If the Hoosiers can beat Penn State, they will be in. If not, they’ll await Sunday’s games.
Saturday will be the final game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for senior guards Shay Ciezki and Jerni Kiaku. Ciezki reached 1,000 points for Indiana on Sunday versus Oregon, accomplishing the feat in just two seasons.
Indiana will have its hands full defensively against Penn State, with the Lady Lions currently holding two of the Big Ten’s top six players in points per game. Sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller leads Penn State with 22.3 points and 4.5 assists per game, and redshirt junior center Gracie Merkle averages 19.1 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game.
The Lady Lions started conference play 0-11 and plummeted to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. However, they have won four of their last six games, which includes an 85-82 victory over a tied for eighth-place USC on Wednesday. Penn State is now within striking distance of the Big Ten Tournament.
Carolyn Kieger is in her seventh season at the helm of Penn State women’s basketball. The Lady Lions have managed to finish one season above .500 in her tenure, earning a 22-13 record for the 2023-24 season. Penn State made a Final Four run in the first ever Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament in 2024.
Prior to Penn State, Kieger was the head coach of Marquette University from the 2014-15 season to 2018-19. She coached her alma mater to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2017-2019.
Tipoff between Indiana and Penn State is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The match will be streamed on Big Ten+.
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.
