Indiana University Athletics
IU Looking to Build on “Culture Changing” Win
1/27/2016 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Not long after Indiana upset No. 20 Northwestern Sunday afternoon, head coach Teri Moren called the win a "culture changer."
It was IU's third win over a ranked opponent, tying the single regular season school record, and the first Big Ten road win of Moren's tenure in Bloomington. The Hoosiers didn't hide their excitement celebrating postgame, realizing it was the type of win they'd been chasing for more than a year.
But celebrations don't last long in the Big Ten. They can't.
Indiana has avoiding a post-win hangover on its mind as it looks to remain undefeated at home tonight against Rutgers (12-8, 3-5), a team that beat IU (12-8, 4-4) three times last season.
"There's a couple different ways you can have a hangover," Moren said. "We had a hangover after that Minnesota loss, that was a heartbreaker. And then you can have a hangover after a big win. We've cautioned our kids on that our next game is our most important game."
A win is only a "culture changer" if it's built on. The Hoosiers appear to be doing just that as they creep closer and closer to a postseason tournament berth with the brunt of the conference season still left to be played.
After a slow start to the Big Ten, IU has won three of its last four to level its record. The lone loss in that stretch came by two points against Minnesota on the road.
As they near the midway point of the conference season, the Hoosiers have positioned themselves seventh in the standings with a chance to keep pace with the upper-tier teams should they keep winning at the rate they have been.
Winning on the road is critical in that sense because an inability to win away from home in the past makes it difficult, if not impossible, to keep footing in the Big Ten. Now that her team has gotten over the hump, Moren said she has shifted the focus to remaining undefeated at Assembly Hall and chasing a few stolen road wins when the time comes.
"I've used the angle that it's more about protecting our home floor now and doing something special at Assembly Hall," she said. "Every year our goal should be to go undefeated on our home floor. That should be a goal for us, and it is."
Though the big picture of the conference standings is always looming, Moren said she's trying to keep her team from thinking about positioning within the conference. Part of her culture-changing strategy requires her players to keep their heads down and moving forward without getting lost in any accomplishments.
So while the road win against Northwestern and the momentum Indiana has gives players like sophomore guard Jess Walter confidence, she said it's not quite satisfying yet.
And the only solution is winning.
"Coach has been reminding us not to get too high on the highs and not to get too low on the lows," Walter said. "That's a good milestone for us, but it's not our end goal. Our end goal isn't to get one win on the road. Our end goal is much higher than that, so we've got to approach this game as this game."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Not long after Indiana upset No. 20 Northwestern Sunday afternoon, head coach Teri Moren called the win a "culture changer."
It was IU's third win over a ranked opponent, tying the single regular season school record, and the first Big Ten road win of Moren's tenure in Bloomington. The Hoosiers didn't hide their excitement celebrating postgame, realizing it was the type of win they'd been chasing for more than a year.
But celebrations don't last long in the Big Ten. They can't.
Indiana has avoiding a post-win hangover on its mind as it looks to remain undefeated at home tonight against Rutgers (12-8, 3-5), a team that beat IU (12-8, 4-4) three times last season.
"There's a couple different ways you can have a hangover," Moren said. "We had a hangover after that Minnesota loss, that was a heartbreaker. And then you can have a hangover after a big win. We've cautioned our kids on that our next game is our most important game."
A win is only a "culture changer" if it's built on. The Hoosiers appear to be doing just that as they creep closer and closer to a postseason tournament berth with the brunt of the conference season still left to be played.
After a slow start to the Big Ten, IU has won three of its last four to level its record. The lone loss in that stretch came by two points against Minnesota on the road.
As they near the midway point of the conference season, the Hoosiers have positioned themselves seventh in the standings with a chance to keep pace with the upper-tier teams should they keep winning at the rate they have been.
Winning on the road is critical in that sense because an inability to win away from home in the past makes it difficult, if not impossible, to keep footing in the Big Ten. Now that her team has gotten over the hump, Moren said she has shifted the focus to remaining undefeated at Assembly Hall and chasing a few stolen road wins when the time comes.
"I've used the angle that it's more about protecting our home floor now and doing something special at Assembly Hall," she said. "Every year our goal should be to go undefeated on our home floor. That should be a goal for us, and it is."
Though the big picture of the conference standings is always looming, Moren said she's trying to keep her team from thinking about positioning within the conference. Part of her culture-changing strategy requires her players to keep their heads down and moving forward without getting lost in any accomplishments.
So while the road win against Northwestern and the momentum Indiana has gives players like sophomore guard Jess Walter confidence, she said it's not quite satisfying yet.
And the only solution is winning.
"Coach has been reminding us not to get too high on the highs and not to get too low on the lows," Walter said. "That's a good milestone for us, but it's not our end goal. Our end goal isn't to get one win on the road. Our end goal is much higher than that, so we've got to approach this game as this game."
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