So just how good was the West Virginia win?

Well, Felisha Legette-Jack actually picked up a microphone after the game and thanked the crowd for supporting her team, calling West Virginia "a great team," and proclaiming that IU is working "to get where they are." Believe me, if you knew coach Jack, those words and the class of that move would not come as a surprise. But we'll take this a step further. The Hoosiers are now on a three-game roll, knocking off three quality opponents since the break began. Florida State coach Sue Semrau told reporters after her team's hard-fought win over the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall in November that she thought Jack has the Hoosiers pointed in the right direction, and that the schedule laid out for them in November and December would have them ready for conference play, which starts New Year's Eve against Northwestern. But check out these numbers: The Hoosiers have already played three ranked opponents, losing by no more than 12 to any of them (60-48 loss to Texas A&M in the Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving). In fact, that 12-point defeat is the widest margin the Hoosiers have faced all season. The combined record of the teams they've beaten on this three-game run is, to date, 26-7. Bowling Green's only other loss came to the then-No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who still occupy that No. 16 slot. West Virginia was picked to finish third in the ever-elite Big East, arguably the toughest conference in the nation with the rise of Rutgers to national prominence. Bowling Green was tabbed to finish second in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. By the way, the team picked to finish first in the West is Ball State, a team the Hoosiers beat on the road back in November. Jack also took the Hoosiers on an aforementioned trip to the Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving, where they played three games in three days at the Paradise Jam Tournament. All in all, though their record stands at 7-5, the Hoosiers have really been tested this season, and they've been passing that test of late. Coach Jack told me early this season she "needs her freshmen to be sophomores" by the time conference play starts, and this little streak just might indicate that's starting to come to fruition. Time will tell, but for now, the Hoosiers seem to be riding high headed into conference play next week. Check back to the blog in the next few days, I'm going to try to get coach Jack's thoughts on this streak her team is on, as well as Northwestern with conference play coming up. I'll also have a quick preview of Northwestern together for you on Dec. 30. Hope everyone's having a happy holiday season.