It’s the first marquee rematch of the 2012 NCAA tournament.
Kentucky remembers all too well the buzz-beating rainbow three-pointer by Christian Watford that put a blemish on its otherwise untarnished regular season.
It was a moment of vindication for Indiana coach Tom Crean, the culmination of a struggle back to national prominence and a validation that the trajectory of his program is moving upward.
For Kentucky, it was a bitter loss that would linger, and still lingers.
Now for Round 2.
The Wildcats come in off of dominating wins over Western Kentucky and Iowa State, while Indiana beat pesky mid-major New Mexico State and survived Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday night.
It is scary to think how much more solidified this Kentucky team has become since the Indiana loss, and it comes down to Marquis Teague and Terrence Jones.
Jones has exerted himself more on the offensive end down the stretch and, when he is passionate and aggressive, his frame allows him to do things that look pro-ready.
In Indiana’s first matchup, Jones took just three shots and finished with four points.
Teague had been important in both NCAA tournament games so far, bouncing back from the disappointing 0-for-7 outing in an SEC championship loss to Vanderbilt.
Saturday night’s 24-point, seven-assist effort against Iowa State was the engine behind the Wildcat attack.
For Indiana, Verdell Jones III, who made the pass to Watford for his game-winning shot in the Hoosier’s early-season upset, is out with a torn ACL that ended his Indiana career.
If Jones can find himself for Kentucky in the rematch, that will shift the focus to freshman Cody Zeller down low for the Hoosiers, who had a big game against VCU with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The perimeter game will also be key for the Hoosiers. If Watford, Jordan Hulls, and Will Sheehey can extend Kentucky away from the basket, the inside-out action can open Zeller up down low. Iowa State was unable to do that, which contributed to their loss on Saturday night.
And if you’re looking to see the game in person, though, it won’t be cheap. The cheapest seat on StubHub are reportedly $145.
Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_
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- tomshoe - Mar 18, 2012 at 3:34 PM
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I hope Kentucky crushes them. I’m still pissed at Indiana for beating VCU.
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- drb32856 - Mar 19, 2012 at 8:54 AM
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I hope VCU enjoys watching the game… at home. Go Hoosiers!
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- stlouis1baseball - Mar 19, 2012 at 1:59 PM
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Really Tom? Kentucky? You hope freaking Kentucky wins? How can you possibly hope for this (assuming you are NOT a Kentucky fan)?
Let me guess…you also root for the Yankees, Packers and Lakers. Am I close?
Regardless…
Hoo…Hoo…Hoo…Hoosiers!
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- tomshoe - Mar 19, 2012 at 2:59 PM
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I don’t like Kentucky as much as the next guy, I still hope they lose (after Indiana) but I’m from Virginia, my sister went to VCU, and your guys’ comeback style of play is getting on my nerves. You would want us to lose if we beat you coming from behind, wouldn’t you?x
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- stlouis1baseball - Mar 19, 2012 at 3:28 PM
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Tom: No way in Hell would I EVER root for Kentucky. In fact…the way I am wired…I always root for the team that puts me out (unless it’s Kentucky or Purdue). Hahaha!
But seriously…I root for the teams that put IU out. Reason being…the farther IU goes the lesser the sting of VCU’s loss. Meaning…it shows that VCU got beat by a better team.
And just for the record…IU doesn’t have a comeback style of play typically.
Other than the VCU game…I am hard pressed to name another game this year in which IU came back from being down the whole game.
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- dexterismyhero - Mar 19, 2012 at 3:06 PM
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Hey tomshoe if VCU had won, every IU fan would be pulling for VCU against UK. I can almost guarantee that.
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- stlouis1baseball - Mar 19, 2012 at 3:36 PM
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Dexter: You are dead on! For the reasons I stated above.
Two fold: IU fans always root against Kentucky. We also tend to root for those that put us out as it makes the loss far less glaring.
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- esqjeff44 - Mar 19, 2012 at 8:59 PM
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The set up could not be better– IU as the big underdog, can’t compete physically, Kentucky wants revenge, Kentucky favored to win it all, etc. etc.– as an IU graduate from 1987, I remember the same talk about UNLV and Syracuse. Yeah, we’ll probably get beat– but we have absolutely no pressure. Here’s how we can win:
Two words: Remy Abell.
Remy Abell is the first Kentucky player to come to Indiana in 40 years or so (from what I read). He has a history of lighting up Kentucky’s Marquis Teague, who incidentally is from Indiana. They faced each other in the Indiana/Kentucky all-star game last year. He’s the best ball handler on the team and can drive by anybody. It’s time for Crean to take a big chance on the Freshman. If Indiana can stay close in the first half, the pressure will build and Kentucky may just choke. The five keys to victory are:
1. Remy Abell at point guard– move Hulls and Oladipo off the ball.
2. Set up Cody Zeller near the foul line most of the game– to screen and draw in the defense.
3. Wadford and Sheehey can then cut to the basket when Kentucky surrounds Zeller; Zeller kicks out for the 3, hits Wadford/Sheehey on the cut, or simply turns and shoots– Wadford is there for the putback.
4. Go full on Wisconsin in terms of game tempo. Every possession needs to take 25 -35 seconds. Kentucky will get frustrated with the slow tempo.
5. Get Anthony Davis to foul out.
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- stlouis1baseball - Mar 20, 2012 at 9:28 AM
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Jeff: You are definately right about Remy in terms of him getting more playing time. Since Verdel went down…he has been getting just that. I don’t necessarily agree with you in terms of him handling the ball though. As you mention…he is a Freshman. As a result…he is prone to turnovers. Over the last few games how many time have you seen him dribble the ball off his foot and out of bounds? Several. I think he certainly needs to continue getting more playing time…but within the context of the offense and defense as opposed to handling the ball. Next year…the year after…he will be far more ready to lend a hand to Yogi and help in this regards. Speaking of Yogi…we need a point guard and he arrives next year.
I think Cody needs to stay in the post (as opposed to the foul line) so he can work Davis over just like he did the last game. This resulted in Davis being in foul trouble the whole game the 1st time we played them. Kentucky will press but their press pales in comparison to VCU’s. I look for Jordan Hulls to bounce back and light it up.
