NCAA Tournament 2012: Indiana Escapes VCU, Advances to the Sweet 16

Indiana entered the game knowing that VCU is as good as any team.

But that didn't hold them back.

The Hoosiers escaped from the Rams 63-61 to advance to the Sweet 16.

"We knew VCU was really good on film, but they were even better in person," said Indiana head coach Tom Crean. "Their aggressiveness, their athleticism...We knew we were going to have to match that and then some." Despite 100-percent free-throw shooting in the first half, Indiana headed to the locker room down by one.

In the second half, VCU quickly surged to an eight-point lead. They stayed on top until 46.5 seconds left in the contest, when Indiana's Victor Oladipo completed an old-school three-point play to tie the game.

With 12 seconds left, Will Sheehey made a mid-range jumper to put the Hoosiers in the lead for the first time in the half. VCU's Rob Brandenburg missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, sending the Hoosiers to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002.

Indiana's Cody Zeller and Christian Watford finished the game with 16 points apiece, with Zeller adding 13 rebounds. Bradford Burgess of VCU led the team with 15 points and 7 rebounds, with Troy Daniels chipping in 10 points.

The Hoosiers advanced to 27-8 on the season, while the Rams ended the season with a  29-7 record.

Indiana will play the winner of Kentucky and Iowa State next week.