Big Ten Tournament 2012: Indiana Will Bounce Back in Big Dance

Wisconsin may have bounced Indiana from the Big Ten tournament, but they had to tie a three-point record to do it. The Indiana Hoosiers will be far hungrier and more deadly next week in the NCAA tournament. 

The Badgers shot 13-of-26 from three-point range, tying a Big Ten tournament record. Rob Wilson, the senior who averaged a shade above three points during the season, went off for 30 points on 7-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc. 

Yes, Wisconsin needed a miracle to get past Indiana, and they got one. 

The Hoosiers simply couldn't get to shots and disrupt the shooters. To put it simply, and in a way every sports fan will recognize, it was just Wisconsin's day. 

This was hardly the worst of the news on the day. Indiana will play in the all-important NCAA tournament, and I am confident we will see them prove their mettle. 

No, the horrible news on the day was the loss of guard Verdell Jones III to a torn ACL prior to the game. Jones was injured in Thursday’s victory over Penn State, but the extent wasn't known until the morning. 

This no doubt played a part in an emotional, and at times sloppy, defense. Time tempers all ills, and Indiana is still one of the scariest teams in the field without Jones. 

This is not to sell Jones short. His ability to see the court and command the offense will be missed, but the Hoosiers are a deep team. More than that, though, they are a cohesive one. 

The team will rely heavily on Cody Zeller and Christian Watford to do the bulk of the scoring. They will be the ones to remind us that this is the only team to have dispatched Kentucky, and one that pummeled Michigan State towards the close of the year. 

The Hoosiers may have come away from the Big Ten tournament with an early loss, but they managed to shoot nearly 50 percent from the field and went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. 

The offense is clicking and the defense will be there in a week's time. The only thing this team really needs is rest. 

After a few days to take it all in, they will be ready to take on the world. 

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