INDIANA HOOSIERS
› Record: 26-5 (15-3 Big Ten)› AP ranking/RPI: 10/19› Best win: 81-78 at Iowa› Worst loss: 82-78 to Wake Forest in Maui Invitational› Best player: Yogi Ferrell. The senior point guard not only leads in scoring (17.1), assists (5.5) and steals (1.2), but he hits 42 percent of his 3-pointers and 82 percent of his free throws.› Biggest weakness: Partly because of their fast pace, the Hurryin’ Hoosiers turn it over slightly more than their opponents, on average. Given their average victory margin of 13.9 points, it’s not a huge concern, but the deeper you go in the tournament, the more those kinds of stats can haunt you.› Can be hoopin’ in Houston if: If they can avoid a solid perimeter defensive team that can also score, of which there are few. Michigan State hammered IU relatively late in the season and a team such as Kansas, and possibly Oklahoma, could cause the Hoosiers trouble, but they also might have become the team no one wants to see in their bracket.› Coachspeak: “What you saw when they had three opponents in a four-game stretch down by 30-plus, what you saw in their 28-to-nothing run in Ann Arbor — you always have a fear of that with them. They’re so explosive offensively.” — John Groce of Illinois after a 74-47 home loss to Indiana in late February.
Road to Final Four series
* Indiana suddenly good enough to win it all * Nothing silly about a Virginia run to Final Four * Buddy system could make Oklahoma an NCAA champion * Can No. 1 Villanova finish season as Top Cats? * Michigan State back on track for Final Four run * Texas A&M could become a March monster * Tar Heels good enough to win Williams his third NCAA title * Kansas once more has Final Four look in January
Historically, Indiana University is one of college basketball’s greatest giants. It has won five NCAA men’s titles, which ties for the third most ever, trailing only UCLA’s 11 and Kentucky’s eight.
So it’s somewhat surprising to note that the Hoosiers haven’t reached the Final Four since 2002 and haven’t won it all since 1987.
But it wouldn’t be much more of a surprise than this year’s team – which lost at Duke by 20 in December and fell to Wake Forest and Nevada-Las Vegas in back-to-back games at the Maui Invitational in November – winning this season’s Big Ten title.