Mackenzie Holmes preps for 6-7 Kamilla Cardoso. But Gamecocks need to worry about Holmes, too.

ALBANY, N.Y -- For the final time in her college basketball career, Mackenzie Holmes is playing close to home — relatively.

Holmes, who is from Gorham, Maine, hasn't had many chances to play near her hometown, but IU coach Teri Moren has made efforts to get Holmes as close as possible. The Hoosiers played a game at Quinnipiac in Connecticut, about 3.5 hours from Gorham, and a game against Maine in Portland — just 30 minutes away.

Now, with the Hoosiers being seeded in the Albany 1 region in New York, Holmes said she is about 4.5 hours away from where she grew up.

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Not only is she grateful to be in New York, but to be in the Sweet 16 in her final season — something former Hoosier Grace Berger, who was out of eligibility following IU's second-round upset loss in 2023, couldn't experience.

"It's amazing, very thankful to be in this position," Holmes said. "Obviously, Grace Berger wasn't able to be in this position last year, and all of us really hurt for her in that sense. So, I'm just trying to enjoy every moment."

Holmes added she has some family and friends coming down to give Indiana more of a cheering section.

"There's a few Maine people coming," Holmes said. "Obviously 5 p.m. on a Friday, it's hard for some people just to leave work at noon, but there's going to be a lot of Hoosiers here, hopefully."

Mackenzie Holmes has tall task in Kamilla Cardoso

South Carolina is a very defensive-minded team. The Gamecocks allow an average of 55.4 points per game on 31.7% shooting, and they have a +12.5 rebounding margin.

"They have a lot of length, a lot of size, a lot of athleticism, and they use that to their advantage, jumping passing lanes, picking up the ball full-court," Holmes said. "So just trying to do what we can to relieve pressure for our guards."

One of the biggest tasks IU will have, too, is South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso. The 6-7 big is a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and is averaging 13.9 points and 2.6 blocks per game.

Cardoso is four inches taller than Holmes, who is the tallest player on IU's roster. And Holmes knows what she's up against in the Gamecocks' projected first-round pick in the WNBA draft.

"She's a really good player, well-rounded, both sides of the ball, so just continue to be myself and come with a different level of energy and toughness, I've prepared my whole life for moments like this," Holmes said. "So, just trusting that all the work I put in will pay off."

Dawn Staley compares Mackenzie Holmes to Utah's Alissa Pili

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had high praise for Holmes in her pregame media availability — enough that she compared her to Utah's Alissa Pili, the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year

"When I think of Holmes, I think of Pili and I think of Utah," Staley said. "To have play them gives us some familiarity with how they keep you balanced. Pili was one that you can get her the ball and she can go to work. I've got nightmares from that because we couldn't stop her. So we have to do a better job. Holmes is very similar in the paint."

Pili scored 37 against South Carolina crushed the Gamecocks with mid-range shots and 3-pointers. Staley said Holmes' dominance comes in the paint. South Carolina's hope is to get her out from under the basket, forcing her to take shots she's not used to.

"If we can get her to take some 15-footers, we're doing our job. But we know that 90 to 95 percent of what she's going to do is work us over in the paint."

But South Carolina can't focus everything on Holmes' paint dominance. They'll also have to guard the 3-point line closely, as Sara Scalia — the Big Ten's best 3-point shooter — has a 43% clip beyond the arc. Yarden Garzon and Sydney Parrish are potent 3-point shooters, too.

"Our positioning is going to be great, have to be great in order to contain (Holmes), and then their perimeter players have the ability to shoot the ball," Staley said. "They're one of the most efficient teams offensively in the country, so we need to disrupt, we need to make them play a little bit faster than they want to play, and our defense definitely has to show up."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mackenzie Holmes has tall task in South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso