It is often said the postseason is a new season, and it surely should feel that way for the Indiana University women’s basketball team.

By the time IU hosts a first-round NCAA tournament game Saturday against the Thursday First Four winner of Tennessee Tech (22-9) of the Ohio Valley Conference versus Monmouth (18-15), surprise winner of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, it will be two weeks since the Hoosiers played a game.

Coach Teri Moren said practicing all last week was a little weird.

“We’ve been preparing for no one,” she said.

Now, they are prepping for someone, even if they are not sure which who.

The quest for the most ambitious goal ever chased by the program begins at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, a fortuitous but earned privilege for the 27-3 Hoosiers, who were granted a No. 1 seed in one of the NCAA’s new and somewhat odd regional divisions for 2023, the Greenville 2 regional. Also, as of Monday, they were back up to being ranked No. 2 in the nation by The Associated Press.

IU is in it to win it this year after reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2022 and Elite Eight in 2021. The Hoosiers have all of the tools, the team makeup, the seasoning and hunger to go all of the way to the Final Four in Dallas — or all the way — the first weekend in April.

Condensing locations, the NCAA has a Greenville, South Carolina 1 regional and a Greenville 2 regional, plus a Seattle 3 regional and a Seattle 4 regional this season, instead of East, West, Midwest and South breakdown as the men do.

Near the end of the regular season, the Hoosiers displayed vulnerability. IU fell to Iowa by a point in the last second and were eaten alive by Ohio State’s full-court press in the Big Ten tournament.

The NCAA tournament is unforgiving, one loss and a year to contemplate what went wrong. Recent slippage aside, this is where Indiana wanted to be.

“They can accomplish anything they set their minds to,” said Moren, who led the program to the Big Ten regular-season title and was named the league’s coach of the year.

The four top seeds get to conduct early round games on their home courts. Assembly Hall surely will be packed with 17,222 fans when IU opens Saturday.

Oklahoma State (21-11) of the Big 12 meets Miami of Florida (19-12) of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the next game. Then the winners face off Monday.

The Hoosiers watched the national selection show from the stands inside Assembly Hall. They expected a top seed — the first in the history of the program — but were excited when it became official.

“To actually see it on the big screen,” star center Mackenzie Holmes said of viewing No. 1 go up next to IU’s name on the overhead giant scoreboard. “I might not have thought it was possible.”

Moren, who was a high school star in Seymour and came to IU from Indiana State, has built a program now mentioned as among the best in the country. The Hoosiers have attained several firsts recently.

“It’s thrilling, but we’re humbled by it,” she said.

The other three top seeds are defending national champion South Carolina (32-0), Stanford (28-5) and Virginia Tech (27-4). Moren said it is refreshing when new teams gain top seeds.

“I think it’s great,” Moren said. “I think the parity is so great for women’s basketball. Other programs were waiting for this moment in time. I think it’s great for our game.”

Those may be heartfelt sentiments from Moren, but they can be taken as a warning for her team and a reminder anything can happen in the NCAAs.

Holmes leads IU with 22.3 points a game and averages 7.3 rebounds while shooting nearly 70% from the field. Guard Grace Berger is the floor leader, on her way to the WNBA, averaging 12.5 points and 5.8 assists.

IU’s inside play is supplemented by dangerous outside shooting from Sydney Parrish (12.1 points), Yarden Garzon (11.1), Sara Scalia (9.8) and Chloe Moore-McNeil (9.7). Moore-McNeil also averages 4.9 assists and usually covers the opponent’s top scorer.

Moren has praised the maturity, chemistry and unselfishness of the group. Only once, frittering away a 24-point lead to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament, did the Hoosiers lose their poise, responding poorly to a full-court press.

That shows Moren there are still areas for improvement. She is sure NCAA opponents will watch film and game plan defensive presses for IU.

“That’s going to happen down the road,” Moren said.

Perfection is a precious commodity, but sometimes, it is demanded in the NCAAs.

Lew Freedman writes sports columns for The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].