Indiana Tries To Change First-Round Luck Without Knight

Indiana Tries To Change First-Round Luck Without Knight

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March 12, 2001

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The way Indiana has turned its season around, Mike Davis could get tokeephis new job as coach. Now if the Hoosiers could just get beyond the secondround of the NCAA tournament.

Six months after Bob Knight was fired, the Hoosiers received a fourthseedin the West Regional - their highest since 1993, when they lost in theregionalfinal.

Despite falling to Iowa 63-61 in Sunday's title game of the Big Tentournament, Indiana is optimistic.

"I feel as good about this team as any team I've played on," seniorKirkHaston said. "We can definitely put together some good winning streaks. Idon't think there's any reason we can't make a run."

Indiana (21-12) begins play Thursday in San Diego against Kent State(23-9),champion of the Mid-American Conference tournament.

"It's really good for us," said Jared Jeffries, the Big Ten freshman ofthe year. "It's one of the highest seeds Indiana's gotten in a while and itputs us in a good position to make a run."

Under Knight, the Hoosiers were run right out of the NCAA tournament inrecent years. They've lost in the first round in four of their last sixappearances, including a 77-57 blowout to Pepperdine last season in Knight'sfinal sideline appearance in a red sweater. They haven't been beyond thesecondround since 1994.

"It's a totally different team, different players, different coach, awholedifferent attitude," Davis said. "We can't worry about the past."

But the Hoosiers won't be able to forget Knight during the tournament.He isscheduled to visit Texas Tech this week to discuss the vacant head coachingjob, and Knight has said he intends to sue Indiana for wrongful termination.

He was fired in September for violating the school's zero-tolerancebehaviorpolicy after he grabbed a student by the arm to lecture him on manners.

Many of the players threatened to bolt if Davis didn't replace Knight,forwhom he was an assistant for three years. Davis was given the title ofinterimcoach and struggled at the beginning of the season before the Hoosiers wonnineof their last 12 games.

"I should be the coach here next year," Davis said, "but I haven'taskedanything, because when we were 2-3 they could have come in and said, `We'regoing in a different direction."'

If the Hoosiers advance to the second round, they would face No. 5 seedCincinnati (23-9) or No. 12 Brigham Young (24-8).

Cincinnati blew a chance for a higher seed after losing to Charlotte80-72in the Conference USA championship game. The Bearcats have lost in thesecondround in each of their last four NCAA appearances.

"We wanted to go west," center Donald Little said. "We wanted to getaway. I think it helps us focus. I think we do better away."

In a matchup of No. 8-9 seeds, Georgia Tech (17-12) plays St. Joseph's(25-6) in San Diego.

Indiana shares the same bracket as No. 1 seed Stanford (28-2), whichclinched its third consecutive Pac-10 championship Saturday. The Cardinaltakethe nation's best regular-season record into their first-round matchup withNo.16 UNC-Greensboro (19-11) in San Diego.

"We have a good opportunity if we do what we're capable ofconsistently,"Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "It's been such a good year to thispoint, we need to finish off what we started."

The bottom half of the West begins play Thursday in Boise, Idaho.

Iowa State (25-5) faces No. 15 Hampton (24-6), while Maryland (21-10)playsNo. 14 George Mason (18-11).

No. 6 Wisconsin (18-10), which won the West Regional last season enroute tothe Final Four, plays No. 11 Georgia State (28-4), and No. 7 Arkansas(20-10)takes on No. 10 Georgetown (18-11).