Kent State-Indiana Preview
March 13, 2001 GAME: No. 13 Kent State (23-9) vs. No. 4 Indiana (21-12). So much for the year of uncertainty and transition at Indiana. Interim coach Mike Davis leads the Hoosiers into their 16th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance as they play Kent State in the first round of the West Regional. When Indiana University president Myles Brand fired legendary coach Bob Knight in September for violating the school's "zero-tolerance policy," there were questions whether players would transfer, how the team would respond and whether Davis would be able to maintain the high on-court standard established by his predecessor. But Davis, who was an assistant under Knight for three years before being elevated to interim coach, proved more than capable of leading the Hoosiers (21-12). Indiana finished fourth in the Big Ten and reached the championship game of the conference tournament. "We're just going to play," Davis said. "It's a totally different team, different players, different coach, a whole different attitude. "We can't worry about the past." The Hoosiers, enjoying their highest seed since being a top seed in 1993, are led by the potent frontcourt tandem of senior forward Kirk Haston and freshman Jared Jeffries. Haston, who averaged 19.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in the Big Ten tournament, was a first team all-Big Ten selection, while Jeffries - the conference freshman of the year - contributed 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the three games. Kent State (23-9) reached the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years by winning the Mid-American Conference tournament. Junior guard Trevor Huffman is the key player for the Golden Flashes, averaging 16.8 points while making a team-high 59 3-pointers. "Any time you can play a big team from a big conference, it's a great chance to put your name on the map," said Huffman, who was the MVP of the Mid-American tournament after averaging 22 points in the three wins. While the Golden Flashes shoot only 43.2 percent from the field, they are an excellent foul shooting team at 76.7 percent. Huffman, Andrew Mitchell and Demetric Shaw all are shooting 84.7 percent or better from the foul line. Indiana has won both all-time meetings between the schools, winning home games in 1985 and 1989. PROBABLE STARTERS: Kent State - F Mike Perry (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg), F Kyreem Massey (12.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg), F Shaw (10.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg), G Mitchell (12.4 ppg, 3.2 apg), G Huffman (16.8 ppg, 4.6 apg). Indiana - F Haston (18.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg), F Jeffries (13.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg), C Jeff Newton (6.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), G Dane Fife (5.2 ppg, 3.2 apg), G Tom Coverdale (10.8 ppg, 4.8 apg). HOW THEY GOT HERE: Kent State - Automatic bid, Mid-American Conference tournament champion. Indiana - At-large bid, Big Ten Conference. ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Kent State - 0-1, 1 year. Indiana - 52-24, 29 years. |
