INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana women’s basketball has yet to officially finalize any postseason plans, but it doesn’t look like a program preparing for further game action in the 2025-26 season.
At 18-14 overall, the Hoosiers are unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament — they’re listed as the final team in the “next four out” in ESPN’s Women’s Bracketology. After their loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, head coach Teri Moren said she had not yet thought about whether the program would accept a WNIT or WBIT invitation, and that she’d lean on seniors Shay Ciezki and Jerni Kiaku in making that decision. And an IU spokesperson said the program is still evaluating its options.
But comments from redshirt sophomore Lenée Beaumont, along with some other signs, suggest Indiana already knows what it’s doing.
“I don’t know if it’s public or not, but it will be. We will not be in any WNIT or anything,” Beaumont said during IU’s open locker room period on Thursday. “Just because, I mean, for a bunch of reasons, but obviously, a lot of these girls came here to go play in March, in March Madness tournament, as well as myself, and that’s the standard, so… ”
Beaumont said that in the locker room mere minutes before Moren showed less certainty over the plan.
The program may wait until it’s officially left out on Selection Sunday to finalize anything. But the tea leaves point to the Hoosiers moving on to next year.
Indiana had a challenging campaign in 2025-26. This was a very new team going into the season, with only one returning starter and four underclassmen in the starting lineup. One of those starters left the team in December, and other injuries and player development lulls left IU with a thin rotation by March.
But more than anything, this was a group that just didn’t fully grasp what it took to win at the Big Ten level. Ciezki was the only player with extensive experience in the conference, and with so many new pieces and all the team’s youth, some things just didn’t quite click.
Indiana was coming off a very successful stretch of seasons behind Mackenzie Holmes, Grace Berger, and others, but Beaumont is the only player remaining in the program who shared the court with any of them.
“Honestly, I think a lot of the stuff that didn’t work for our group was just lessons that you gotta learn with experience. … I think a big part of it early on in the Big Ten is, it is so hard to win in the Big Ten, and I don’t think a lot of us knew that, or you wouldn’t know that unless you played in the Big Ten or been on a winning program,” Beaumont told The Daily Hoosier. “I’ve been able to see some of the greats through this program, watch and learn from them through my years. I had the luxury of learning that, but a lot of these (girls) have not. And so, I think going forward, these experiences are only going to benefit us.”
IU’s future, however, looks promising.
Ciezki will depart after posting one of the best individual seasons in Hoosiers history, and it’s likely they’ll see players enter the transfer portal, as everyone does. But they have some good, young pieces returning next year.
Beaumont will be the team’s veteran leader as a redshirt junior, Maya Makalusky and Nevaeh Caffey will look to build on strong freshmen seasons, and IU will hope center Zania Socka-Nguemen can stay healthy after an injury-riddled sophomore year. Forward Edessa Noyan spoke in the locker room like a player planning on returning to Bloomington, as well.
Though the team’s February resurgence appears unlikely to make a postseason impact this year, it could have a positive effect on those young players going forward.
“I feel like what worked is us just staying together as a whole and trusting each other, and having confidence. None of use really did know each other (going into the season). None of us knew how each other played. So just sticking together there,” Caffey told TDH. “And I feel like the way we can grow next year is, I feel like we’re already growing right now throughout the season, even though this season is over. But we found each other ways in how to play with each other.”
Additionally, Indiana can look forward to a strong incoming freshman class, perhaps the best of Moren’s tenure, entering its 13th year. ESPN ranked the Hoosiers’ class of 2026 No. 8 in the country, with three top-75 players. It’s plausible for any — or multiple — of wing Addison Nyemchek, combo guard GiGi Battle, and point guard Ashlinn James to become quick contributors next season. Combine that with Beaumont, Caffey, and Makalusky going into an offseason with a full year of extensive action under their belts, and IU has reason for hope.
Of course, there are scenarios where things go awry. Any unexpected transfers from the aforementioned returnees would hurt, and if the Hoosiers miss in the transfer portal as much as they did this past season, things could get messy.
But Beaumont, the team’s returning figurehead, is expressing confidence.
“I couldn’t be more excited for what we have in store for us,” she said. “We got an elite recruiting class, and whoever decides to come with us, we’ll be in a really good position with coach Moren.”
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