|
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Even though thoughts of past NCAA
Tournament failures filled Mike Davis' head all day, Indiana was
too hot and too tough to lose.
|
 |
|
|
Tom Coverdale and Jeff Newton were keys as Indiana moved on past Utah, despite the Utes getting a big game from Phil Cullen. He was terrific, going seven of eight from three-point range. But the rest of his teammates could not come through.
The Hoosiers move onto a second-round matchup with UNC Wilmington, a Cinderella story after the upset of USC. |
|
|
Tom Coverdale had 19 points and eight rebounds, and Jeff Newton
scored 15 points as the fifth-seeded Hoosiers won their first
tournament game since Bob Knight's departure, beating Utah 75-56
Thursday night in the South Regional.
Indiana, making its 17th straight tournament appearance, had
lost five of its previous seven first-round games, including upset
losses to low seeds in the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Utah had
never lost a first-round game under coach Rick Majerus.
Davis said he was "wound way too tight" in anticipation of a
chance for a victory that could silence the annual criticism
directed Indiana's way, even while Davis still was Knight's
assistant.
And when Coverdale jammed his ankle late in the first half,
Davis flashed back to last season, when Coverdale's hip injury
contributed to Indiana's second-half collapse in an opening round
loss to Kent State that cast doubt on Davis' chances to succeed
Knight on a full-time basis.
"I thought it was going to be a repeat of last year," Davis
said. "I don't know what I thought would happen. ... A lot has
been made about not winning in the tournament, but this is only my
second year."
But a scorching shooting performance by Indiana's entire roster
gave Davis his first tournament victory in rather easy fashion. The
Hoosiers shot 63 percent in the first half and 55 percent for the
game, negating a spectacular shooting night by Utah senior Phil
Cullen.
"We've had a hard time getting a win in the first round, so
this takes a lot of pressure off of us," said Jared Jeffries, who
had 12 points. "When you've had trouble like that, you get a lot
of questions about it until you do something about it."
Playing through his injury, Coverdale built on his strong
performance in the Big Ten tournament with three 3-pointers and a
solid defensive game as the Hoosiers dominated inside and outside
with more aggressive play.
"They manhandled us," Majerus said. "We don't have an inside
presence. They whipped our big guys inside and just pounded the
glass. I love Coverdale and (Dane) Fife. They're so tough, so
strong. We couldn't compete."
Indiana advanced to face UNC Wilmington, which upset Southern
California, in the second round Saturday.
Cullen hit seven straight 3-pointers and scored a career-best 25
points for 12th-seeded Utah, which had won all eight of its
previous first-round games during Majerus' 13 seasons in Salt Lake
City.
But the Utes, who squeaked into the tournament after an
inconsistent season that ended with four losses in six games,
couldn't match Indiana's hot shooting and heady defense. Nick
Jacobson had 11 points to help Cullen, but the rest of Utah's
roster managed just 20 points on 9-for-27 shooting.
The Hoosiers came out in a profound groove, hitting 12 of their
first 16 shots. Indiana made a 17-2 run in less than 4 minutes,
hitting from inside and outside.
Utah never got in a rhythm except for Cullen, the Utes' minor
league baseball pitcher who never developed into the Keith Van Horn
heir many Utah fans thought he would. Cullen hit four 3-pointers in
the first half for 16 points as Indiana pulled away.
"No matter how good one person does, if you don't come away
with the win, it doesn't mean anything," Cullen said. "It's a
disappointing way to go."
Mountain West Conference player of the year Britton Johnsen was
just 2-for-7 from the field before fouling out, while his brother
Jeff went 3-for-11.
Indiana jumped to a 20-point lead early in the second half, and
the Utes couldn't cut far into it, enduring nearly 6 scoreless
minutes between baskets. | 
