Indiana women vs Fairfield in March Madness: Prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament opener
BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana women’s basketball got a No. 4 seed, but landed a tough opening round opponent along with it.
The Hoosiers will play a Fairfield team that had its best regular-season in program history while knocking off Rutgers during the regular season. The Stags almost upended Vanderbilt on the road as well after coming back from a 13-point deficit in the final six minutes and missed a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Fairfield goes into the tournament as the No. 25 ranked team in the AP Poll and just outside the rankings (No. 27) in the USA Today coaches poll.
Here’s what to know about Indiana basketball’s first-round opponent:
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Fairfield was perfect in the MAAC
Fairfield closed out a perfect season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) by beating Niagara in the conference championship game on Sunday. The Stags won 70-62 in overtime after trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half. They didn’t lead for the first time until there was 1:50 to go in the fourth.
The title came on the heels of Fairfield going 23-0 during conference play in the regular season. They have now won 29 straight in the MAAC, the second-longest conference win streak in the country.
Fairfield has won the conference title twice in the last three seasons.
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Janelle Brown will test IU’s backcourt
Brown is one of the better two-way players Indiana has faced this season.
The MAAC Player of the Year was incredibly effective on offense — she averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 57.8% from the field, 44.8% from 3-point range and 82.4% from the free-throw line.
Brown, a two-year starter, is also a strong on-the ball defender. She tied for 34th in the country with 2.5 steals per game.
“Every single day, no matter what we are doing, Nellie does it with 100% effort and intensity,” Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. “She has learned how to pick her spots on both sides of the floor and, as a result, has become one of the most efficient players in the country.
“She has also grown so much as a leader as she elevates the people around her in every situation.”
She’s not alone though Fairfield also has the MAAC freshman of the Year Meghan Anderson, a 6-foot-1 forward who led the team with 15.2 points and 5.3 rebounds. She can step up and knock down shots from the outside as well. She averaged 2.0 made 3-pointers on 37.2% shooting.
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Fairfield women’s basketball brings a defensive mentality to the floor
The Stags were an impressive defensive team this season. They ranked No. 5 nationally in scoring defense (54.1 points allowed) and No. 13 in opponent field goal percentage (35.6%).
That defensive intensity powered the team to a 78-54 win at Rutgers back in November. It was only the program’s third-ever win over a Big Ten program. Rutgers turned it over 24 times and didn’t have a single player score in double-digits. The Scarlet Knights were just 7 of 25 from 3-point range.
Fairfield held opposing teams to under 50 points 12 times and under 30 percent shooting 11 times.
Prediction: Indiana 71, Fairfield 59
Mackenzie Holmes' health status is even more important now given how well Fairfield defends the 3-point shot. Holmes has a height advantage over all of the Stags' front court players and they haven't likely faced a player of her caliber all season long. The fact that she's back practicing without any limitations bodes well for the Hoosiers to advance to the second round.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana vs Fairfield prediction: March Madness, NCAA women’s pick
