The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament gets going today in Minneapolis but Indiana fans will have to wait to see their team in action. That's because the Hoosiers have earned a double-by to the third round of the event thanks to being the No. 3 seed in the conference.
That means that IU will not play until Friday, March 8th in a game that should tip off sometime around 8 p.m. CST. Who the Hoosiers will play is yet to be determined obviously, but the list of potential opponents is down to three teams.
In Indiana's portion of the bracket, No. 11 seed Minnesota and No. 14 seed Rutgers will square off today. The winner of that game will face No. 6 seed Michigan on Thursday. Then, the winner of Thursday's game will take on the Hoosiers Friday night.
Should the Hoosiers win on Friday, they would advance to Saturday's semifinals for a shot to play for the conference tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. However, IU doesn't need to win this event to go dancing this year.
At 24-4 overall, the Hoosiers sit at No. 12 in the nation and have one of the strongest resumes in the country. They own victories over Tennessee and Iowa and currently, ESPN has IU as a No. 4 seed in its latest bracket projection.
Those wanting to see the tournament in person will have to get their tickets via the secondary market. That's because all session tickets are sold out for the entire event, a first in its 31-year history.
Of course, the Hoosiers will be trying to earn the program's second ever Big Ten Tournament championship after claiming the crown in 2022. But to do that, IU might have to go through No. 2 seed Iowa in the semifinals which would mean a showdown with college basketball's biggest star and all-time NCAA Division-I leading scorer Caitlyn Clark.
It should be a fascinating week in Minneapolis. The Big Ten conference is loaded making this arguably the nation's premiere conference tournament for the women. This is a perfect opportunity for the Hoosiers to make a statement and improve their tournament resume, which is already one of the strongest in the nation.
The 2024 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament schedule
Wednesday, March 6 - First Round Game 1 | #12 Purdue vs. #13 Northwestern | 5:30 p.m. CT | Peacock Game 2 | #11 Minnesota vs. #14 Rutgers | 25 minutes following Game 1 | Peacock
Thursday, March 7 - Second Round Game 3 | #8 Maryland vs. #9 Illinois | 11:30 a.m. CT | BTN Game 4 | #5 Nebraska vs. G1 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 3 | BTN Game 5 | #7 Penn State vs. #10 Wisconsin | 5:30 p.m. CT | BTN Game 6 | #6 Michigan vs. G2 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 5 | BTN
Friday, March 8 - Quarterfinals Game 7 | #1 Ohio State vs. G3 Winner | 11:30 a.m. CT | BTN Game 8 | #4 Michigan State vs. G4 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 7 | BTN Game 9 | #2 Iowa vs. G5 Winner | 5:30 p.m. CT | BTN Game 10 | #3 Indiana vs. G6 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 9 | BTN
Saturday, March 9 - Semifinals Game 11 | G7 Winner vs. G8 Winner | 1 p.m. CT | BTN Game 12 | G9 Winner vs. G10 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 11 | BTN
Sunday, March 10 - Championship Game 13 | G11 Winner vs. G12 Winner | 11 a.m. CT | CBS