Late rally, Oladipo shot push Hoosiers past Temple, into Sweet 16
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
As a winter storm raged outside, the NCAA Tournament action inside Dayton Arena Sunday was everything March Madness is known for.
In the opener, Ohio State and Iowa State put together a classic that wasn’t decided until Buckeye guard Aaron Craft sank a 20 footer with .2 seconds remaining to get the No. 2 seed and Big Ten Tournament champion Buckeyes into the Sweet 16.
In the nightcap, the East Region’s No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers got quite a scare from ninth-seed Temple, but thanks to a 10-0 run to end the game, Tom Crean’s program advanced to its second straight Sweet 16.
Afterwards, Crean said the Owls were as good as any Big Ten team his IU team had faced all season.
“If they were in our league, they’d be fighting for a championship, too,” Crean said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. They’re that good.
“There were as tough a team as we’ve seen all year. It was an unbelievable honor to battle with them.”
There were many stars that came to the rescue for the Hoosiers.
Victor Oladipo buried a top-of-the-key three-pointer with 14 second left to give his team a 56-52 lead.
Oladipo, who contributed a team-high 16 points, downplayed the significance of his huge shot.
“I was just open, and I shot it,” he said. “I didn’t think about it. When I struggle is when I think about shots.”
Christian Watford was singled out by Crean for his standout defensive effort. He made one of the best blocks you’ll ever see coming from the weakside to reject a pointblank opportunity by Anthony Lee with the Hoosiers trailing 52-50.
In the postgame press conference, Watford was asked if that block was bigger than his last-second game-winning three-pointer he made against Kentucky last season that won an ESPY.
“My motivation is to play with these guys as long as possible,” he said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes in order to keep playing. I just want to play until we can’t play anymore. I feel that it is (bigger) right now.”
Cody Zeller was a difference maker inside, getting a couple of Temple bigs in foul trouble and scoring 15 points, seven of which came from the foul line.
Words don’t do it justice to what Jordan Hulls’ presence meant in this one. His leadership was obvious when he was on the floor. In the first half, he collided with a Temple player, injured his shoulder and went to the dressing room. Hulls returned in the second, played through pain while wearing a brace and a vest over that brace and still played 19 minutes and hit a huge three-pointer in the final 20 minutes.
“Frankly we don’t win the game without our two seniors (Watford and Hulls),” Crean said.
“Jordan playing through some pain and Christian’s rebounding, scoring and most importantly Christian’s defense showed a toughness that he has, and it was great that the country got a chance to see that.”
The Hoosiers needed the contributions from the aforementioned as well as a little good fortune, too, to avoid the upset.
Crean said his team never doubted whether it would come out on top, but you know there were some doubts circulating around the country, especially from fans clad in Cream and Crimson.
“Our guys in the second half they never wavered on the belief that they could and would win the game,” the Hoosier boss said.
Neither team shot it well as this was one of those grinder type games that Bo Ryan loves.
Temple was just dreadful shooting the basketball. It hit less than 34 percent of its shots (21-of-62), including just 3-of-24 three-pointers. The Owls had some good looks, too, particularly down the stretch, but continued throwing up brick after brick.
IU’s didn’t exactly light it up from the floor either. The Hoosiers managed to since 19-of-45 shots (42.2 percent), but were an uncharacteristic 4-of-13 from three-point territory.
Crean knew this game would be anything but an easy title for his team. In fact, after watching tape on the Owls, he knew the Hoosiers would have their hands full and they did.
“This is as tough a team as we’ve faced all year long,” Crean said. “You could see it on film, but the film didn’t do justice to just how tough they are.
“But when you play in the league we play in, it prepares you for this.”
Temple star Khalif Wyatt was everything they thought he would be and more. He put on perhaps the best performance we’ve seen thus far in the Big Dance. He went off for 20 first-half points, hitting 8-of-14 shots, and finished with 31 points. Oladipo guarded him and so did just about everyone that played for the Hoosiers. Crean said Wyatt was as good a player as his team had faced all season long.
A key was keeping him off the foul line where he had killed opponents this year. Wyatt hit all four of his freebies against the Hoosiers.
Wyatt, the Atlantic 10’s Player-of-the-Year, slowed down in the second half, connecting on 4-of-10 shots. He played with an injured left thumb, which he hurt in the win over North Carolina State when he also poured in 31 points.
“We competed really hard,” said Wyatt, whose team finished the season 24-10. “We battled. A couple plays here and there, we win. It was just a tough battled game, and they came out on top.”
After Oladipo’s three-pointer that made it 56-52, Wyatt missed a contested three-pointer in the game’s waning seconds. Watford grabbed the rebound and was fouled. As he headed to the foul line, the partisan Hoosier crowd celebrated the outcoming, knowing a big bullet was dodge on this day.
It was Wyatt who missed a three-pointer with the game tied at 52. IU rebounded the errant shot and Oladipo was fouled by Wyatt near midcourt as he attempted to steal the ball. Oladipo split the free throws. On the other end, Temple’s Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson took an ill-advised shot that missed everything.
Now IU (29-6 overall) faces No. 4-seed Syracuse (28-9) Thursday at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., which seats 20,308. In the coming days, you’ll hear plenty about the two teams’ classic matchup in the 1987 national championship game which resulted in an IU title thanks to Keith Smart’s last-second heroics.
Perhaps no one is more excited than Oladipo about the Hoosiers’ next destination. He’ll practically be playing in his backyard.
“It’s a great feeling,” the Upper Marlboro, Md., said. “I’m just glad that we’re going. It’s going to be fun playing in front of my family and friends.
“But it’s a business trip. We’re on a mission.”
A mission that Crean and Co. hope concludes in Atlanta.
“I don’t want it to end, I really don’t,” Crean said. “I love being around these guys. They’re as smart, tough-minded, cerebral and as together as any group I’ve ever been around.”
HOOSIER HITS
– IU is now 11-1 as a No. 1 seed, the best record in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
– The Hoosiers outscored Temple by 9 at the foul line (16-7). Zeller shot eight free throws, the same amount as the Owls attempted.
– IU’s win improved the Big Ten’s record to 10-1 in the NCAA Tournament. IU joins Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
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