Indiana Women's Basketball faces Fairfield in the First Round of the Tournament. How far can they go?

The field is set, and Indiana Women's Basketball starts its journey toward winning a National Championship. Head coach Teri Moren has one of the more experienced teams in this tournament, and they are looking to improve from last year's disappointing result. The Hoosiers lost in the second round as a number one seed to Miami.

Much of that loss was due to Mackenzie Holmes' knee. She was far from 100% last year, missing the first round of the tournament while trying to recover from her knee injury.

It seems like the same thing again this year. Holmes injured her knee in the season finale against Maryland and played just five minutes against Michigan; a game they led at halftime only to lose in double figures.

Indiana's early exit this year might have been a blessing in disguise. Losing in the quarterfinal gave Holmes, Sydney Parrish (foot), and Lily Meister (ankle) time to rest and get treatment for their injuries. While their early exit from the Big Ten Tournament was disappointing, it could pay off during March Madness.

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It's Tournament Time!

The Hoosiers run toward their One Shining Moment begins this weekend in Bloomington. They defend their homecourt against 13-seed Fairfield:

They play the Fairfield Stags in the first round of the tournament. The Hoosiers need to be ready this weekend. March Madness is a one and done situation, so one bad game and you are going home. The Stags won the Metro-Atlantic in overtime against Niagara. Fairfield is no slouch, so the Hoosiers need to be at the best.

The Stags come in rated 25th in the country with a Power Five win against Rutgers, and went undefeated in conference play. Not only did they run rough-shod during conference play, they won the conference tournament. They are one of the few teams in the tournament who are both regular season and conference champions.

If Holmes is healthy, they should win this game going away. The Stags are going to struggle with Indiana's size and defense.