Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana women’s basketball has two major question marks.
After both Mackenzie Holmes and Lilly Meister suffered injuries on Sunday against Maryland, the status of both post players is of utmost concern for IU going to Minneapolis. The Hoosiers are the No. 3 seed, so they won’t play until Friday — against either No. 14 seed Rutgers, No. 11 seed Minnesota, or No. 6 seed Michigan.
Holmes left Sunday’s game with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter after bumping knees with a Maryland defender — the same knee she’s had problems with at the end of the last two seasons. Meister came out with 3:32 left in the game after landing awkwardly on a shot attempt and hurting her ankle.
After the game, IU head coach Teri Moren described both players as day to day.
“Hopefully, tomorrow (Monday), they’ll both wake up feeling better. But as of right now, it’s just going to be day to day,” Moren said. “The evaluation is going to be ongoing right now. There’s some festivities right now with seniors and Mack, especially, and so I think they’re allowing her some time with her family to do that before we know any more.”
Holmes returned to the bench at the end of the game, drawing a roar from the crowd on her senior day. Her status is of particular interest, given her vital role on this IU team.
She missed eight games in January and February 2022 after undergoing midseason knee surgery, and she never quite returned to full strength that season after coming back. The injury resurfaced during last season’s Big Ten Tournament, which played a role in IU’s elimination in Minneapolis. She missed the team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game and wasn’t at full strength in the second round, when Miami upset Indiana.
“She certainly has had some bad luck, especially, in late February. But we’re going to be hopeful and optimistic that it’ll turn out the way that we want it to. Mack’s a very, very resilient, tough kid as we know. And we have great medical people, medical staff, that will do everything they can for both she and Lilly to make sure that if they’re available for the Big Ten Tournament, they’ll be available.”
Meister’s injury would be problematic as well. The Hoosiers don’t have an excess of post depth, and the sophomore would otherwise take on a big role if Holmes missed any time.
After Meister left the game, the Hoosiers went with a smaller lineup for a bit, moving Yarden Garzon to the five. Arielle Wisne came in around a minute at the end of the game — she’d be Indiana’s only available true post player if both Holmes and Meister were unavailable. Sharnecce Currie-Jelks has been out for most of Big Ten play; earlier in the season, Moren said she was dealing with personal matters.
If either or both players are unavailable, it would impact Indiana’s plans in Minneapolis. But Moren made clear she’s not only thinking about this weekend.
“I think we’ll have a better idea as we go into the week, who’s going to be available for the Big Ten Tournament,” Moren said. “But the bigger picture also is the NCAA Tournament. And so we have a lot to think about — certainly the Big Ten Tournament, but beyond that, as well.”
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