Indiana women’s basketball is a serious title contender in 2022-23
Since being ranked No. 11 in the Preseason AP Top 25, Indiana women’s basketball has risen up the rankings to as high as No. 4 in the polls and seems to be a contender for the 2023 national championship.
Who would’ve thought that even after Grace Berger went down with what seems like a pretty serious knee injury, the Indiana women’s basketball program would be ranked No. 4 in the country and undefeated after beating two ranked opponents?
This team has fight and grit that we don’t even see in the men’s basketball program at times. Teri Moren, like Mike Woodson, has her team fighting on all levels and is trending in a really positive direction for competing for the national title in 2023.
As of December 14, Indiana has tied for the fourth-best odds (+2000) to win the 2023 Women’s Basketball Championship, behind only South Carolina (+145), Connecticut (+500), and Stanford (+500).
There are multiple reasons why the Hoosiers are actual national title contenders in 2023:
Reasons why Indiana women’s basketball could win the title in 2023
Reason #1: Mackenzie Holmes is ballin’ right now, and it doesn’t seem like anybody can slow her down
Since Grace Berger’s injury on Nov. 25, Holmes is averaging 23.8 points on 68.0 percent from the field, along with 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. To say she has stepped up when Indiana needed her is an understatement.
Mackenzie Holmes currently ranks 13th in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 20.9 points, and second in the Big Ten behind only Caitlin Clark (Iowa — 27.7 PPG). Even more impressive, Holmes ranks sixth in the NCAA in field goal percentage (69.6 percent), and second in the Big Ten behind just Taylor Thierry (Ohio State — 73.0 percent).
The senior forward has now taken on the role of the primary scorer for Teri Moren’s squad and it seems as though she’s up for the challenge. Holmes has led the Hoosiers in scoring in eight of their 10 games this season and has already posted five 20-point games and three double-doubles.