Indiana Women’s Basketball: 5 things to know about Fairfield ahead of first round matchup

The Indiana women’s basketball program begins its NCAA Tournament with a first round matchup against Fairfield on Saturday afternoon.

The Stags are among the winningest programs in the country this season, entering with just one loss on the season.

A matchup with Oklahoma or Florida Gulf Coast awaits the winner which would take place on Monday.

Get to know the opponent for Indiana women’s basketball with five things to know about the Stags ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

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Fairfield brings in the nation’s second-highest wining percentage into this weekend. At just 31-1, the Stags have won 29 straight games, including the second-most overall wins in the country — trailing only South Carolina. Fairfield won both its regular season and conference tournament championship, becoming the second team in MAAC history to go 20-0 in league play. The Stags are currently ranked No. 25 in the nation and have a 2-1 record against power-six opponents. After a three-point loss to Vanderbilt in just the third game of the season, they went on to have an average margin of victory of 24.5 points against Rutgers and St. John’s.

The Stags bring in the conference Player of the Year to its clash with Indiana. Janelle Brown was the regular season Player of the Year in the MAAC as well as Championship MVP in its conference tournament. Why? Because of her efficiency. Brown leads the nation with a 57.8 percent field goal rate and does so in numerous ways. She shot above 50 percent in 24 games this season as well as above 70 percent from the field in 10 games. While Brown can shoot from the perimeter — connecting on 44.8 percent of her 3s — she’s only attempting 2.7 3s a game. She’s shooting 63.6 percent just on 2s. Overall, Brown is averaging 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists per game.

Meghan Andersen will be a handful for the Hoosiers. Andersen is just a freshman but is one of the most talented and likely underrated freshmen in the entire country. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assist, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks a game this season. She’s truly a Swiss-army knife for the Stags who can play inside or out. Andersen shoots 36.2 percent from three on 2.0 makes per game and she’s consistent. She has 19 games with ate least two made 3s. On the year, Anderson has six 20-point games with a season-high of 30 against Niagara. Andersen was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year and was the first freshman ever to be named to the Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist as well as show up on the top-40 list for National Player of the Year Watch List.

The Stags have what Indiana women’s basketball does not — consistent depth. A major concern for Indiana is the depth — or lack thereof. The Hoosiers have one of the top starting 5s in arguably all of college basketball but once the bench hits the floor, there is a concern about some of the production. Fairfield brings in nine players who play 10+ minutes a game and have Kendall McGruder off of the bench who averages 8.2 points per game. In total, Fairfield brings in 18 points per game off of the bench compared to 11 for Indiana.

Indiana’s defense needs to be sharp. Fairfield not only has the most efficient shooter in Janelle Brown, but as a whole it is one of the most consistent and efficient offenses in the nation. As a team, Fairfield shot 46.8 percent from the field which ranks 14th in the country. On 2s alone, it ranks third in the nation with a 57.9 percent field goal rate. A lot of that is because of the ball movement and sharing of the ball. Fairfield averages 17.3 assists per game and has 10 games with at least 20 assists. While it shoots just 33.3 percent from three, it makes 8.8 3s a game — ranked 18th in the nation. And, four players make at least 1.5 3s a game.

Other Key Stats:

• Fairfield allows opponents to shoot just 27.6 percent from three this season and make 4.8 a game. Indiana comes in as the top three-point shooting team in the nation at 40.2 percent and 8.3 makes per game.
• Indiana size will mater. Fairfield has just three players above 6-foot-1 on its roster while Indiana has six. It also has three players at 6-foot-3, something Fairfield lacks.
• 57.3 percent of Fairfield’s points come from its guards — an average of 41.9 points per game.