Katie Gearlds Calls NCAA Tournament A "Good Step" For The Program

Purdue women's basketball had two goals coming into the 2022-23 season. One was to navigate the non-conference schedule with one or fewer losses. Check. The other was to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Check.

"Everything we did, everything we talked about during the offseason was giving us an opportunity to play the big tournament," head coach Katie Gearlds said. "Making sure Purdue isn't in the NIT."

The second and most important goal was on thin ice heading into Selection Sunday. With the Boilermakers firmly on the bubble, Purdue's NCAA Tournament bracket reveal watch party was filled with nerves.

"It was a very long 25 minutes for me," Gearlds said.

As teams appeared on the screen, Purdue's anticipation continued to rise. Illinois, who was one spot above Purdue in the Big Ten standings, was placed in a "First Four" matchup with Mississippi State. Fellow bubble teams like West Virginia, Miami, and Oklahoma State also heard their names called.

Finally, during the Seattle 3 regional reveal, the contingency in the Spurgeon Club inside Mackey Arena learned its fate. Purdue women's basketball was officially going to the Big Dance for the first time since 2017. Katie Gearlds and the Boilermakers received an 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will battle St. John's in the First Four.

"It was definitely nerve-racking. You know, all of us waiting there and every team that showed up that wasn't us made it even more nerve-wracking," fifth-year senior guard Cassidy Hardin said.

This season was filled with highs and lows but culminated in the first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years.

Purdue got off to a quick start during the non-conference slate, winning five straight and eight of its first nine games to begin the season. That early-season stretch was the best start to a season since 2011-12 when Sharon Versyp was at the helm.

After going 2-1 over its next three games, Purdue entered the heart of the Big Ten schedule at 10-2, but a midseason slump made its NCAA Tournament hopes uncertain. The Boilermakers lost four of their next six games and dropped to 3-5 during conference play. Amidst the midseason struggles, Katie Gearlds made a promise to her team.

"I promised I was going to try to figure this out for our ball club, and our group stayed with it. They bought into it," Gearlds said.

With the most important stretch of the season ahead, Purdue righted the ship with a February surge. After a lopsided win over Minnesota, the Boilermakers earned their two marquee victories of the season in a road trip to then-ranked No. 2 Ohio State, followed by knocking off No. 22 Illinois in Champaign. The hot streak was a result of Katie Gearlds' group believing in each other when times got tough.

"They kept believing in each other, they kept believing in Purdue, and I feel super blessed because they kept believing in me and our staff," Gearlds said.

After a fourth quarter meltdown against Nebraska, Purdue finished out the regular season and Big Ten Tournament slate with a 7-4 record. Three of the four losses came to the top tier of college basketball, Big Ten regular season champions Indiana and Big Ten Tournament champions, Iowa.

The fourth loss down the stretch came at the hands of Minnesota, who was just 4-14 in conference play this season. The Gophers knocked off Purdue in the regular season finale, which made the matchup with Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament a must-win. That game produced the biggest moment in the Boilermakers' pursuit of an NCAA Tournament appearance.

In the second quarter of their battle with the Badgers, Purdue found itself down 30-12, and the NCAA Tournament dream was all but crushed. However, the Boilermakers roared back from 18 points down to take the lead with 3:15 to play. After a Wisconsin three, Purdue had 11 seconds to give its March Madness hopes life. Sophomore guard Jayla Smith hit the biggest shot of her young career, knocking down a game-winning three to give the Boilermakers the win that clinched their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

After all the adversity they overcame and the battles they endured, the Boilermakers had a chance to see everything pay off as they clinched an NCAA Tournament berth for the 27th time.

The return to March Madness was long overdue for the Purdue women's basketball program which snapped a five year drought from the tournament. It was the longest such streak since before the legendary Lin Dunn began coaching the Boilermakers in the late 1980s.

What was once one of the premiere programs, Purdue has struggled in recent memory. Along with making it to the Big Dance for the first time since 2017, The Boilermakers head into the postseason with the highest win total since 2018-19 and the first winning record in Big Ten play since 2017-18.

Purdue women’s basketball is working its way back to where it belongs under Katie Gearlds, competing for championships. The Boilermakers are the only Big Ten team to win a women’s basketball National Championship (1999).

Gearlds inherited a 7-16 team when she took over for Sharon Versyp just 47 days before the 2021-22 season opener. During her debut season with the Boilermakers, Gearlds had the best win improvement by a first-year coach in program history, guiding Purdue to a 17-15 record.

The Boilermakers improved on that mark again in 2022-23, posting a 19-10 record heading into the NCAA Tournament. Gearlds became the third coach in program history to improve the team's win total in each of their first two years, along with Dunn and Carolyn Peck. Cassidy Hardin has been there for the transition under Gearlds and believes this tournament appearance is significant for the direction of the program.

"I think it shows what Coach Gearlds is building here and that it's heading in the right direction, and you know, I think it's great for Purdue," Hardin said. "I'm happy for her but happy for myself and my teammates as well that we have the opportunity to go to the tournament."

Despite having a roster filled with experienced players, including six seniors, Purdue does not have a single player who has appeared in an NCAA Tournament game. While the Boilermakers are excited about the opportunity, perhaps none have been waiting on this moment more than Cassidy Hardin.

In the Big Ten Tournament, Hardin became the all-time leader in games played in Purdue women's basketball history. The three-point sharpshooter deferred her acceptance to medical school for one year to run it back with the Boilermakers this season with one goal in mind. Make it to the Big Dance.

"It means so much to me. This is definitely why I came back. I haven't gotten an opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament, and so seeing our name up there today was surreal. I was so excited. So we're definitely ready to go make some noise now," Hardin said.

All the Boilermakers wanted was an opportunity, and now they have it. Now that the bid has been clinched, Hardin and the Boilermakers turn their attention to St. John's, who is the opening matchup for Purdue in the First Four on Thursday night.