Teri Moren and her Indiana women’s basketball program will go into this season with an advantage most other teams don’t enjoy. Her veteran-led team, coming off of the program’s first Elite Eight appearance, can focus on the little things that went wrong.
Moren, who’s going into her eighth season at Indiana, knows where the Hoosiers need to get better. The depth on their bench wasn’t good enough, and it contributed to fatigue late in the season.
Moren puts it blunty: She’s counting on players who come off the bench to step up.
“You guys have to get better. You’ve gotta be more productive,” she said at Big Ten basketball media days in October.
The Hoosiers have their core. All five starters return to a team that went 21-6 in a pandemic-altered season, including 16-2 in the Big Ten. That’s a big reason Indiana is No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason rankings. (The top Big Ten team is defending conference champion Maryland at No. 4.)
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Only four non-starters are back for this season. The Hoosiers added three freshmen — guards Kaitlin Peterson and Keyarah Berry and forward Mona Zeric — but lost a number of players to transfers.
Every non-starter returning from last season combined to play just 10% of the team’s minutes.
“I think it’s gonna be a great year,” two-time all-conference senior Grace Berger said. “We’re excited to have our bench really, really produce this year.”
Berger will be one of several anchors for this team. She led the country with three triple-doubles last season and won gold in the offseason with USA Basketball in the 2021 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
Another returning starter, Ali Patberg, is in her seventh season of college basketball. Patberg, also a two-time all-Big Ten selection, started her career at Notre Dame before transferring to Indiana.
Practices have been smooth and efficient because of the veterans on the team, Moren said, but Patberg knows their experience will be valuable as the Hoosiers deal with the ups and downs of a long season.
“If you’re having some down games or you’re in a losing streak, you need to figure it out quickly,” she said.
Coming into such a highly anticipated season, Moren is trying to avoid the fate of the university’s football team, which is likely not going to play in a bowl game one season after looking like one of the best teams in the Big Ten.
“The Elite Eight, that run’s over,” Moren said. “That was awesome. Unbelievable experience, one that we’ll never forget. But it’s over.”
Some teams have spent this offseason diagnosing enormous issues, trying to figure out how to just be competitive. Indiana may have to take a more big-picture look next offseason, but for now, the Hoosiers can nitpick at the little stuff.
“Those little details are what makes a difference between being in the Elite Eight and being in the Final Four and being a national champion,” Berger said.
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853 or tylerf@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
