better than the mess that was February 2022
Good afternoon, Hoosier fans!
We’ve got some scheduling news for you today, as Indiana women’s basketball just announced its’ Big Ten opponents for 2022-23:
First look at the B1G schedule for 2022-23
: https://t.co/43UN6Xrorm pic.twitter.com/yk0xX5Z6DU
— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) June 16, 2022
Tip times and dates haven’t been released yet, but we now know who the Hoosiers will face in B1G play this season and where those games will take place. As with last season, Indiana is scheduled to play everyone in the conference at least once. They’ll face 4 teams at home, 4 teams on the road, and the remaining 5 in both places.
The 18 game league play slate is highlighted by a home-and-away pairing with Iowa. The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes met thrice in 16 days last season, including their clash for the Big Ten Championship. Iowa won all three times, but the Hoosiers’ offseason personnel changes have been focused on shoring up the weaknesses Iowa exposed. New assistant coach Linda Sayavongchanh is fresh off a March Madness upset of the Hawkeyes, and it’s fun to think that she came over from Creighton JUST for that reason (She actually joined IU because she’s a great coach, but still. That experience matters, so let us have our silly thought!).
In other notes the home-and-aways with Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan will be fun. Our biggest takeaway however is the fact that Indiana will face Nebraska, Maryland, and Rutgers solely at home. That’s three pretty big trips the Hoosiers are avoiding when you take travel fatigue into account, something that DEFINITELY contributed to late season losses in Lincoln and College Park last year. Getting them at home means fresher minds and bodies, which will matter. If we’re going through all the scheduling inequalities that befell Indiana last season, however, one would be remiss if they didn’t mention the COVID pauses that caused most of the tough stretches. Fingers crossed we’re done with those too.
We’ll gain a better understanding of what to expect in terms of season-long rhythm once the game dates and times come out, but for now this seems pretty favorable.