Hoosiers-Razorbacks: Indiana Faces Arkansas in First Round of NCAA Tournament

I’ve been struggling with this feeling inside me that’s been aching since the 2008 NCAA tournament bracket was released on Sunday.

North Carolina is the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Sure, I agree with that.

So who is right below them, sitting at No. 8? 

The Hoosiers??

I have to be honest, although I am a skeptic of how good the Indiana Hoosiers really are, in my heart-of-hearts I know they are better than an eighth seed.

I think it’s a conspiracy. Maybe it’s some “indirect” punishment from the NCAA.

Let me just point out a few teams who received higher or the same seed as Indiana.  You can decide for yourself who you think played better overall throughout the season.

Miami (FL) got a 7 seed, UNLV an 8, West Virginia a 7, Miss. St an 8 and Oklahoma a 6!

Hmm…

Somebody give me a valid argument as to how any of these teams were better than IU throughout the season. Folks need to remember, the boys from Bloomington were ranked in the top 10 for a good portion of the season, and in the top 25 for the entire season. 

Does losing 2 or 3 games at the end of the season really drop you from a No. 4 or 5 seed to an 8?

Suppose they do win their first-round game; the Tar Heels of North Carolina will surely be waiting.  A possible second-round match-up against Indiana should make a lot of people down on the Tobacco Road real happy. (That’s my attempt at sarcasm for the people who didn’t catch it right away.)

To get to that intriguing match-up, IU will have to get by the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first round. 

Arkansas just finished a terrific run to the SEC conference tournament championship, only to fall to the Georgia Bulldogs, who put on an even more impressive run to win it.

The Razorbacks scored victories over top-ranked Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the first and second rounds of the SEC tournament before eventually losing to Georgia in the final. 

The Hoosiers lost to on improbable last-second buzzer-beater to Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament.

Leading 58-57 with just 1.5 seconds left, the Gophers were able to get the ball down-court and get the eventual game-winner off.

Indiana has lost 3 of its last 4, and are just 3-3 since the departure of Kelvin Sampson

Sampson resigned amid allegations of lying to the NCAA about his recruiting violations.

Interim Head Coach Dan Dakich will be in charge of taking IU against the talented Arkansas duo of Sonny Weems and Patrick Beverley.  The two players combined average nearly 26 points a game.

The Hoosiers are lead by the All-American freshman Eric Gordon.  In his first year, Gordon is averaging 21 point a game. 

Second-team All-American D.J. White is averaging 17.3 points a game to go along with his 10.4 rebounds.

In what should be a close game, Indiana should have the edge with the firepower of Gordon and White.  It will come down to Gordon in the clutch.  At times of pressure, Gordon can get frustrated easily if his deep-threes are not connecting.   If this happens, IU will need someone to step-up in the scoring column.

IU lacks a reliable third-scorer behind its two stars.  Sophomore point-guard Armon Basset has been shooting the ball very well in the latter weeks of the season.  If he can provide some extra scoring for the Hoosiers, the Razorbacks will be in for a long night.

Prediction:

Razorbacks in an upset: 72 - 65