Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes previews round of 32 matchup with Princeton

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — The Indiana women’s basketball team advanced to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament with an 85-51 win over No. 14 seed Charlotte on Saturday.

That set up a meeting with No. 11 seed Princeton — who upset sixth-seeded Kentucky — at Assembly Hall on Monday night.

Forward Mackenzie Holmes led the Hoosiers with 19 points in the victory against Charlotte and joined Daybreak to preview the matchup with Princeton.

Indiana is offering free tickets to any student who wants to attend the game. Holmes discussed the significance of having that kind of support from the school.

“It means everything,” she said. “When we saw that students were gonna get in free tonight, we just got even more excited because we want, of course, Assembly Hall full tonight because we know how much of an advantage that that can be.”

The All-Big Ten first team selection also shared her thoughts on the way the women’s tournament is being handled by the NCAA compared to the men’s tournament.

“I think that, you know, the NCAA kind of got exposed last year, but I think they did a great job with making things equal … There’s obviously still work to be done, but I really commend the NCAA for the progress that’s been made in this year span,” Holmes said.

The game tips off at 8 p.m. and can be seen on ESPNU.

A victory would send the Hoosiers to the Sweet 16 for a second straight season.