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The men’s team isn’t the only Indiana basketball program headed to paradise. The women are going to the Bahamas, too, taking part in the Bahamas Mar Pink Flamingo Championship this Thanksgiving.
There, the Hoosiers will square off against old friend Tara Vanderveer, an IU alum who is coming off her third national championship season as Stanford’s head coach. The multi-team event, which is set for Nov. 25 and 27 at the Grand Hyatt Bahamas resort, will also include a game against Miami.
The Indiana-Stanford matchup could very well be a showdown between top 10 teams, as ESPN analyst Charlie Creme included both the Hoosiers (No. 7) and the Cardinal (No. 3) in his way-too-early rankings earlier this spring. You love to see it.
Stanford projects to return four of its five leading scorers from last season, including All-American guard Haley Jones (13.2 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per contest). The Cardinal went 31-2 overall during the 2020-21 campaign, while claiming the Pac-12’s regular season and tournament titles.
Meanwhile, IU and Miami will meet for the second time in three seasons after the Hoosiers took a 58-45 decision during the 2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Hurricanes went 11-11 overall last season and return leading scorer Kelsey Marshall (13.2 ppg).
From what we know so far about IU’s upcoming schedule, there are some really exciting games on deck. The Stanford contest is certainly one, as are non-conference tilts against Kentucky and Tennessee. In Big Ten play, the Hoosiers will see Iowa star Caitlin Clarke twice and will also get two chances against conference nemesis Maryland.
The season is still a ways away, but there’s already plenty to get excited about.