Indiana Hoosiers Basketball: 4 Reasons Nobody Wants to Play Indiana

The Indiana Hoosiers basketball program is back, and could be one of the scariest teams in the tournament. Nobody will look forward to seeing them.

And, if all goes to plan, top-seeded Kentucky will see them in the Sweet Sixteen.

You can bet they aren't half as thrilled as we will be.

When a team gets hot in the NCAA tournament, there's nothing you can do but sit back and watch. Sometimes, a guy (or guys) just can't miss. Every year a 12-seed gets hot and beats a 5-seed.

In 22 out of the last 24 tournaments, that's happened.

And it's probably less of a stretch to say that a 4-seed could beat a 1-seed.

Kentucky, along with the rest of the field, are praying that Shaka Smart and VCU can end the Hoosiers' tournament before it really gets started.

While they're only a 4-seed, there are a few reasons teams should be terrified of facing Indiana.

Big-Game Performances

The Big Ten was talent-laden this season, and Indiana was able to stay strong through it all. They toppled first-seeded Michigan State, second-seeded Ohio State, fellow 4-seed Michigan, seventh-seed Notre Dame and 10th-seeded Purdue twice.

That doesn't include a win over the top overall seed, Kentucky, or a convincing win at 11th-seeded NC State at their place.

In the Kentucky game, Tom Creen's boys were unfazed by the late-game dramatics of the Wildcats and hit a buzzer-beating three to win the game.

Talk about Madness.

Hoosiers Coming In Hot

Any sports fan knows that momentum can play a huge role in future success. A team that has won five games in a row is likely to beat a team sliding through a losing streak.

Indiana has won six of their last seven, and nine of their last eleven.

They're on fire.

Despite losing to fourth-seeded Wisconsin in the Big Ten Conference Championship, the Hoosiers are on quite the streak.

Over their last 11 games, they've beaten four tournament teams. They embarrassed top-seeded Michigan State in late February, outscoring them 70-55. They are a very capable squad, and they've shown it lately.

Cody Zeller

Cody Zeller, younger brother of North Carolina's Tyler Zeller, is a freshman phenom who could cause some real anxiety for a lot of teams.

A skilled big man with arms for days, this kid spells trouble for any team's big men.

Posting a ridiculous 62.4 percent field goal rate, Zeller averages 15.5 points per game on only about nine shot attempts. His length makes him tough to guard, and that often leads to foul shots, where he puts away 75 percent of his chances.

Can't complain about that.

While he doesn't contribute as much as he should to the rebounding cause, he more than makes up for it with his offensive game.

As an added bonus, Zeller is protective of the ball, averaging only 1.6 turnovers per game along with his 1.2 assists per game.

Recent Woes

Indiana is a highly storied program with many trips to the NCAA tournament.

But not recently.

This is the Hoosiers' first foray into the tournament since 2008, and their best seed position since 2001. They haven't been in this position for a long time.

They're hungry.

That's an overused phrase in sports these days, but it's overused for a reason. It's true. When a team or a player hasn't experienced success in a long time, it makes them want it all the more.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

And each year, Indiana is getting farther away from their last championship. The Hoosiers want this one.

And if they can get past Kentucky, they have a relatively easy path the the Final Four. Duke is not the most worrisome 2-seed, and UNLV has already been eliminated by 11-seed Colorado.

Third-seeded Baylor looked awful against 14-seed South Dakota State, and nearly became the upset of the tournament.

Get past UK, and Indiana could be writing themselves a ticket to New Orleans.

Every team should watch out, and Kentucky is next up.

Welcome to the Madness.