Indiana Women’s Basketball Enters the Top 25

For the fifth time in program history, the IU women’s basketball team is ranked in the AP Top 25.

The voters are giving the Hoosiers somewhat of a trial run, slotting them in at No. 25 this week.

Now the challenge will be staying there.

The Hoosier women’s program does not have a long history of being ranked in the AP Top 25, and when they’ve gotten there, they haven’t stayed long.  IU was ranked for one week in 1993 and 2014 before dropping out the following week each time.  The Hoosiers were ranked in the preseason poll in 2016 and survived for one additional week before dropping out, never to return — until now.

Indiana (14-1, 3-0) may have cast doubt on their ranking worthiness with a head scratching loss to Grambling earlier in the season.  Grambling ranks 138th in the latest women’s RPI rankings.

After five weeks of receiving votes, #iuwbb enters the AP Top 25 at No. 25 this week! ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/UaEKceGYGf

— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) January 7, 2019

While that loss may have delayed IU entering the polls, two impressive wins this past week sealed the deal.

IU defeated a respectable Penn State program 83-75 last Monday.  But the real eye opener was Sunday’s 68-64 win over at the time No. 15 Michigan State.

Both of those league wins were at the friendly confines of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.  To remain ranked, the Hoosiers will have to win on the road this week.

You’ll have an opportunity to watch the newly ranked Hoosiers on BTN this week, as IU travels to Ohio State for a 6:00 p.m. tip on Thursday.

IU wraps up the week at Wisconsin on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on BTN Plus.

The Hoosiers are joined in the top 25 by fellow Big Ten competitors Maryland (9), Iowa (17), Minnesota (18) and Michigan State (23).

You can follow us on Twitter:  @daily_hoosier