‘You have to flush it’: Indiana women’s basketball hitting adversity as the season winds down with a massive opportunity on the horizon

Inconsistent play has plagued Indiana women’s basketball this season — a far cry from the consistent juggernaut it has been in the previous few years. Whether it has been mental miscues, injuries or trying to fill the shoes of some players no longer on the roster, Indiana has been trying to find its true identity through most of this season.

Blowout losses to ranked opponents such as Iowa and Stanford haven’t helped.

And Monday’s 20-point loss to Illinois certainly wasn’t a step in the right direction. But, at this point in the season all you can do is move forward.

“You have to flush it. We gotta move on,” Indiana women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren said following Monday’s loss. “We got a really good Iowa team that comes into the hall on Thursday night, and as Mack (Mackenzie Holmes) said, ‘we have three games left in the Big 10 season, and we gotta figure some things out’.”

Indiana has just four losses on the season, but Monday’s loss came at a critical point where any loss is extremely impactful to NCAA Tournament seeding. And with Indiana on the edge of being a regional host, it was a loss that didn’t bode well with its best and most veteran player.

“I don’t take losing very well,” All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes said while holding back tears. “I only have a few games left in the regular season, so we just have to figure it out. That’s all there is to it.”

Holmes — who is just a few games removed from setting the program’s all-time scoring record — has been through just about everything during her tenure in Bloomington.

She has been part of the past few years that have transcended the Indiana women’s basketball program into what it is today — one of the top teams around the country.

Indiana came into this year with high expectations and a sort of redemption feel following the way last year ended. Despite winning its first Big Ten regular season title in 40 years, a second round exit in the NCAA Tournament on their home floor left a bad taste in this teams mouth.

Coming back and winning the Big Ten title or securing a one-seed wasn’t a given by any means. A little adversity is always going to happen. But, it’s how you respond that shows you what you’re really made of.

Thursday ushers in just that opportunity for Indiana. It’s a home rematch with Iowa.

Indiana is 1-5 against Iowa in the past six meetings. But, the lone win was at home last season.

So as Indiana enters this critical matchup, it could be one that ignites a fire for the remainder of the year. Because at the end of the day — IU’s leader on the floor isn’t satisfied with the recent play.

“I’m not a good loser,” Holmes said. “That’s really all there is to it.”

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