The Indiana basketball team has now seen their chances at making the NCAA tournament increase after a 2-0 week and upset of top ten Penn State.
What a difference a week can make. Last week the Hoosiers were fresh off a blowout loss at Michigan and were projected as one of the first four teams out in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology. They had lost five of six games and were staring at a week that included a tough road game at Minnesota and a home matchup with top ten Penn State.
It looked like it could be more heartbreak for Hoosier fans as Indiana had struggled to win on the road and even though they were playing at home against the Nittany Lions, they were still an underdog. But two great games later and two wins and the Hoosiers now find themselves not only in the projected field but no longer even one of the last four teams in.
The Hoosiers are currently projected as one of the last four byes and according to Lunardi would get a very entertaining first-round matchup with in-state rival Butler. In this scenario, they would be the 10 seed playing the seventh-seeded Bulldogs with a chance to most likely play second-seeded Dayton.
Butler looked great early in the season but have struggled lately and was most recently blown out by the suddenly hot Creighton Blue Jays. Dayton has been one of the best teams all year long and would be a tough game for anyone. The Flyers are a mid-major team but have just two losses on the year and one of those was in the Maui Invitational championship when they got beat by Kansas in overtime.
The prevailing feeling around Hoosier nation is that with the wins last week, Indiana might have all but sewn up a spot in the tournament. While they still must win some more games adding another quad 1 and top ten win was definitely a huge resume booster.
Indiana must still travel to Purdue and Illinois before hosting Minnesota and Wisconsin to end the regular season. They are back in a position where if they just take care of business at home they should be fine. If they can steal a game on the road that would probably lock up a bid.
What is even more encouraging for Hoosier fans is that with the way Indiana played last week, they might have a chance to make a bit a run in the tournament. Yes, we still need to see more consistency from the team, but they could be peaking at just the right time.