Indiana Basketball: 3 best March Madness moments since 2000

1. Jared Jeffries leads Hoosiers to win over Duke

It was the classic case of David vs Goliath. The Hoosiers came into the 2002 matchup at 22-11 while the Duke Blue Devils were, probably, the favorite to win the National Championship at 31-3 on the year.

Indiana was led by Bloomington native and Big Ten Player of the Year Jared Jeffries who averaged 15.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on the year. While most outsiders may have thought this matchup took place in the Final Four, it was just a Sweet 16 game.

The Hoosiers were down by as much as 17 points in the game, but fought back thanks to Jeffries’ 24 points and 15 rebounds. After taking a four-point lead in the final five seconds of the game, Indiana fouled Duke’s All-American guard Jay Williams on a three-point attempt. He made the three and went to the line looking to send the game into overtime.

Luckily for the Hoosiers, the National Player of the Year missed the game-tying free throw and Carlos Boozer missed the tip-in to give Indiana the upset win over the defending national champs.

Indiana’s defense from A.J. Moye and Tom Coverdale forced Jay Williams to shoot just 6-of-19 from the field.

This was a huge win for the Hoosiers as it was the first trip to the Elite Eight since 1993 and the first without Bob Knight at the helm.

Following the Duke win, Indiana continued its run to the National Championship game, before falling to Maryland.