OPENING TIP
• Indiana University is the #5 seed in the East Region and will face #1 seed North Carolina, in the East Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Philadelphia at approx. 9:57p.
Tune in on WSLM 97.9 FM for the pre-game show at approx. 8:57p.
The winner will advance to the East Region Final in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Friday will be the 100th NCAA tournament game for the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers are making their Big Ten-best 39th NCAA Tournament appearance and are 66-33 all-time in the event.
DID YOU KNOW
• IU won its 22nd Big Ten title (tied for most with Purdue) and its 13th outright crown, this season.
• IU Coach Tom Crean has guided the Hoosiers to four NCAA bids in the last five seasons and is one of four finalists for the 2016 Naismith National Coach of the Year.
BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year at IU and has led them to outright Big Ten titles in 2013 and 2016. Over the last five years, IU is 120-52 and leads the Big Ten with 23 regular season wins over ranked opponents during that time. Since 2011, the Hoosiers have averaged 23 wins per season compared to 20 averaged at IU from 1995-2008. For his efforts this season, he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year (AP, Big Ten Coaches, Big Ten Media and CBSSports.com). He also was named USBWA District V Coach of the Year.
TOM CREAN’S 1,000 POINT SCORERS BY RECRUITING CLASS
2008-Verdell Jones III (1,347)
2009-Christian Watford (1,730) and Jordan Hulls (1,318)
2010-Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117)
2011-Cody Zeller (1,157)
2012-Yogi Ferrell (1,961)
2013-Troy Williams (1,094)
HOOSIER SHOOTING
• IU is second in the country in field goal percentage (50.5), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (41.6), ninth in scoring margin (+13.5), 10th in scoring offense (82.5), and 13th in 3-point field goals made per game (9.8).
FERRELL IS 45TH IU ALL-AMERICAN
• Senior guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell was named second-team All-American by USA Today, The Sporting News, NBCSports.com and ESPN.com. He is a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten choice and becomes the first Hoosier to earn that distinction in consecutive years since Calbert Cheaney did in 1991, 92 and 93. He also is a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team.
• His 20-point, 10-assist performance vs. Chattanooga was just the second such game in IU history. Keith Smart posted 20 points and 15 assists on March 14, 1987 vs. Auburn. He had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists against Kentucky.
IU VS. UNC IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
3/30/81 W 63-50 Philadelphia (Nat. Champ.)
3/22/84 W 72-68 Atlanta (East Region)
MORE NATIONAL HONORS
• Ferrell is being considered for the Wooden and Naismith Awards for National Player of the Year. He was also named one of five finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. Ferrell is the only player in Big Ten History with 1,900 points, 600 assists, 400 rebounds and 250 3-pointers made (Michigan’s Gary Grant had 2,200 points, 700 assists and 400 rebounds). He is IU’s all-time leader in games started (136) and assists with 629. He joins IU greats Calbert Cheaney, Don Schlundt, Damon Bailey, and Kent Benson to rank among the top 10 scorers all-time at IU and win multiple Big Ten titles.
THROUGH TWO NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES
• IU ranks third in field goal percentage (56.9%), 3-point field goal percentage (53.2%), and fourth in scoring (86.9).
• The Hoosiers have the best perimeter defense among Sweet 16 teams, allowing opponents to shoot just 21.2% from three-point range.
• The Hoosiers have forced the most turnovers among Sweet 16 teams at 15.5 per game with opponents earning just 8.5 assists.
JAMES BLACKMON JR.
Sophomore guard James Blackmon, Jr., (15.8 ppg) is out for the season after he had surgery on his right knee. In his two years with the Hoosiers, IU is 21-0 anytime he shot 47.0 percent or higher from the field. He is the Big Ten sophomore class career leader in scoring averaging 15.7 ppg.
ODDS AND TRENDS
• Senior graduate transfer Max Bielfeldt is the first Big Ten hoops player to win championships at two different league schools (Michigan 2, IU 1). He is averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and was the Big Ten SIxth Man of the Year this season. He played in the 2013 Final Four with Michigan and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2014 with the Wolverines. He has shot 44.1% (26-of-59) from long distance this season.
• Sophomore Robert Johnson is shooting 44.7 percent from 3-point range. The Virginia native returned to action on Thursday against Chattanooga after missing the previous four games with an ankle injury. In the two NCAA games, he is 3-of-4 from long distance.
• Senior graduate transfer Nick Zeisloft is second on the team in 3-point field goals with 65 made. He has started the last six games and has made at least one 3-pointer in each of those games. However, Zeisloft’s defense was a big reason Kentucky was just 4-of-16 from long distance.
• Freshman Thomas Bryant scored 15 of his game-high 19 points against Kentucky in the final 7:32 in the second round game. He made 7-of-9 free throws and added five rebounds and two steals. The Rochester, N.Y., native has two double-doubles on the year and leads the Big Ten in field goal shooting, making 68.9 percent of his attempts.
• Junior Troy Williams had 13 points and 4 rebounds against Kentucky. In three career NCAA Tournament games, he is averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds. He also has made 15-of-17 free throw attempts (88.2%) in NCAA Tournament play.
• Junior Collin Hartman started 16 B1G games this season and averaged 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in those games. He has started both NCAA Tournament games and is averaging 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals.
• Freshman OG Anunoby had a career-high 14 points against Chattanooga, which came on the heels of a 13-point game vs. Michigan. He has shot 58.0 percent from the field and made 13-of-29 3-point field goal attempts this season. He had 7 points, 3 blocks and 2 steals against UK. Two of his blocks were Jamal Murray 3-pointers and he helped limit the Canadian sharpshooter to a 1-of-9 effort from 3-point range.
• Freshman Juwan Morgan has six points, five rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes of NCAA Tournament action. He has made two of three field goal attempts.
• Senior walk-on Ryan Burton has played eight minutes in the two games and provided the Hoosiers with much needed depth.
LATE NIGHT FOR THE HOOSIERS AND HEELS
• In the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Indiana and Kentucky tipped off at 9:45 p.m. in the Georgia Dome and in the 2008 NCAA tournament, the Hoosiers started their game against Arkansas in Raleigh, N.C., at 9:39 p.m.
• Since February 2, the Hoosiers are 7-0 in games that have started after 8:30 p.m. eastern.
AMONG THE FIELD, MOST SWEET 16 (SINCE ’11-’12)
Wisconsin 4
Indiana 3
Duke 3
Kansas 3
North Carolina 3
Syracuse 3
Gonzaga 2
Iowa State 2
Miami 2
Oklahoma 2
Virginia 2
Oregon 2
Villanova/Maryland/Texas A & M 1
