BASKETBALL

When a culture has been built, there’s no compromising. So for IU women’s basketball, ‘the standards never change’ and that was on full display in opening NCAA Tournament win

IU women’s basketball continues to show a level of consistency that the program hasn’t seen and that’s due to Teri Moren’s high standards.

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2025

Alec Lasley

IU women's basketball continues to show a level of consistency that the program hasn't seen and that's due to Teri Moren's high standards. (Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images)

The theme around the IU women’s basketball program heading into the NCAA Tournament was to make sure no moment was taken for granted. While IU has shown to be a consistent power across college basketball in the last few years, making sure to celebrate the little achievements along the way is key.

After IU’s 76-68 win over Utah in the First Round on Friday, another milestone was hit — the 10th straight 20+ win season for Indiana women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren. And? The sixth-straight NCAA Tournament with a win.

Whether it was their first tournament win or the Elite Eight, or the two Sweet Sixteen’s along the way, one thing has always remained true; IU’s standards.

“The standards never change, right,” Moren said after the win. “They always stay the same, what we’re going to be about, what matters to us, and it’s our job to find the kids that fit us, right? And fit our program, fit our culture.

“And then once we feel like it’s a great fit, then there are standards that we have, and we never lower the standards, no matter who you are; from the best player to the last person on the bench that might not see time, they’re held to the very same standard.”

Before Teri Moren, the IU women’s basketball program had just four NCAA Tournament appearances and only in 1983 did the Hoosiers win a game in March. The level of consistency that Moren has brought to the program and the stability is something the Hoosier fanbase hadn’t seen.

Despite that, there’s no question this year was more like the beginning years of Moren’s tenure than the last handful. Indiana finished the regular season at 19-12 overall and 10-8 in Big Ten play — both were the most losses for IU since the 2018-19 season. In fact, IU’s eight conference losses were the second-most in Moren’s entire Indiana tenure. There was a true changing of the guard after last season ended, however. The Hoosiers were entering uncharted waters after spending the last five years leaning on the leadership and ability of one of the program’s all-time greats in Mackenzie Holmes.

There needed to be a bit of that grace period that led to the key learning experiences at the beginning of the year — and experiences there were. Some may have become all-too-comfortable with the level of consistency that Moren — and Holmes — provided, and looked past all of the work and steps that went into building the foundation.

“I think what gets lost sometimes is we’re a different team than we were a year ago. Right? And I think so often it’s like we should just roll right into the next season and be the same team,” Moren said. “Well, you don’t roll into the next season without an All American, you know. And a kid like Sara Scalia that can shoot the ball at such a high level and you think everything is going to be the same. It’s not.

“And so, again, there were some up-and-downs. There were some twists and turns. But I think through it all that we gained great experience.”

And so while there is no Holmes on the floor for Indiana, and new roles and skillsets were introduced to the lineup at the beginning of the season, those ups-and-downs were all worth it. Worth it for Moren, worth it for the fans, but more importantly worth it for the veterans who have seen so many positives, yet were faced with adversity all throughout the season. A win like Friday’s strengthens the confidence they have in the culture and in the vision.

“We have a veteran team led by Chloe, led by Syd. And so I think some of those other pieces, Yarden, Shay, Lilly, you know, the surrounding cast, they want those seniors to go out — Strip — in the right way,” said Moren. “And so, yes, you might categorize this as a team that plays better in March, but I think the reason why we came out the way we did, the toughness that we showed today, the resilience, all of it, had more to do with the fact that the surrounding cast wanted Strip and Chloe and Syd to win this game.”

Now it’s a rematch for a lot of the same group who took the floor last year when the Hoosiers went toe-to-toe with one of the more dominant programs the sport has seen; South Carolina. After a four-point loss to the Gamecocks ended Indiana’s season a year ago, it’s a chance for Indiana to get some revenge and with a newfound competitive edge and confidence, the way this team plays in March gives them all the belief in the world Sunday can yield a win.

“I think there’s a different level of urgency, you know, when you’re playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Moren added. “And I think, again, there’s excitement that surrounds it, too.

“I think we’re a gritty team when we want to be. And when we’re sharing the ball and we have a good stops on defense, we’re really hard to beat,” IU women’s basketball senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil said. “And I think we always play our best during tournament time.”

Playing their best during tournament time — why? Because those standards and expectations that Moren has set and built for this program remain. And now that’s part of what it means to be a part of the IU women’s basketball program.

“We talk a lot about that, and that’s kind of who we’ve morphed into,” Moren said about the standards. “As I always say, it’s not easy to play at Indiana because of sort of the demands of the work piece, but also in our preparation and what it requires to be successful.”