Senior and current men's basketball columnist Zach Osterman took the time to write up his thoughts on the current women's basketball season. Zach covered the team last year and is one of the best journalists we have at the IDS. Zach also competes in the Little 500 in the spring. Here are his thoughts:
To be honest, this is the team I expected to see this year after last year. Most of the core group would be returning, and there was plenty of talent at every starting position on the floor. Last year, consistency was the problem - a problem that usually goes away with experience. In what I have seen of them this year, there exists that consistency, and this team doesn't seem prone to let-downs like they were last year.
This team was maybe two wins away from the NCAA Tournament last year, and they should be on the fast track for a bid in 2009. The key games for me won't be the Ohio State match-ups or anything like that. I want to see them take care of business on the road against teams they should beat - Michigan, Wisconsin, Northwestern. That was the Hoosiers' Achilles heel last year, and beating Michigan last night went a long way toward exorcising those demons.
I can't imagine this team winning out, but they should definitely be in any conversation for the Big Ten regular-season or tournament titles. With their balance of inside-outside scoring and solid senior leadership, the Hoosiers should have proved themselves as more than a fluke almost halfway into the Big Ten season. I think right now, anything less than the NCAA Tournament is a disappointment for this team.
-Zach Osterman
