8 seed Utah (22-8) vs. 9 seed Indiana (19-12)
Tip: Friday, 11:30 a.m. MDT
Venue: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 700 AM
Series: First meeting
The trends
For Utah: 7-3 in past 10 games and 2-3 in past five, 3-5 in Quad 1 opportunities, No. 26 in NET
For Indiana: 5-5 in past 10 games and 2-3 in past five, 4-8 in Quad 1 opportunities, No. 35 in NET
The stakes
For Utah: The Utes are making their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and have won their first-round game the previous three times. This is the lowest seed Utah has received during this run. Utah has gone 4-3 in the NCAA Tournament over the past three seasons and reached the Sweet Sixteen two years ago. Doing that this year would be difficult, though — the winner of Friday’s game will presumably play defending national champion South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ home arena in the second round.
For Indiana: The Hoosiers will be playing in their sixth straight NCAA Tournament. After four straight times of hosting the first two rounds, though, Indiana will be on the road this time after an up-and-down season. The Hoosiers have recent success and experience to lean back on — they made the Elite Eight in 2021 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2022 and 2024.
Players to watch
For Utah: First Team All-Big 12 guard Gianna Kneepkens (19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game) and Third Team All-Big 12 forward Maye Toure (13.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game).
For Indiana: Second Team All-Big Ten guard Yarden Garzon (14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game) and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honoree Chloe Moore-McNeil (9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals per game).
