UA-Indiana tip time set; Hoosier fans upset with seeding
The No. 9 seed Arkansas Razorbacks will tip-off against No. 8 seed Indiana 30 minutes following the North Carolina-Coppin State/Mount St. Mary's game set for 7:15 p.m. ET on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Expect a tip time at about 9:30 p.m. ET in Raleigh, N.C. The game will be broadcast on CBS (Cox Channel 5 in Northwest Arkansas).
It should be noted that Indiana fans are not too happy with their No. 8 seeding. Most experts were placing the Hoosiers as a six-seed, but with late losses to Penn State and Minnesota, the NCAA Selection Committee dropped the Big Ten power quite a bit. Since Kelvin Sampson's ouster at the program, Indiana has gone 3-3 down the stretch.
Something tells me they'll be a bit more focused in the Big Dance, however.
Anyway, according to The Bracket Project, 53 "bracketology" experts projected Indiana no lower than a 7 seed in this year's tournament. The same group had Arkansas as a 9 seed before Arkansas beat the No. 4 Tennessee Vols on Saturday.
I guess the loss to Georgia today negated the Hogs' upsets over Vanderbilt (a No. 4 seed in the tourney? Really?) and Tennessee in the SEC tourney. Pretty baffling if you ask me.
Friday is a tough draw for the Hoosiers, and definitely a tough draw for the Hogs. The winner most likely gets North Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed in the tourney in their own backyard.
Razorback fans aren't too happy with the matchup, either, from what we've been reading on the various message boards on the -- to quote Houston Nutt -- "Internets."
[...] consuming massive quantities of amphetamines in order to stay up through the night analyzing the Arkansas-Indiana first-round match-up. We’ll present the fruits of the labor throughout the rest of the [...]
Hogs should win the matchup with Indiana given the distractions for the Hoosiers going into the Tournament. Hogs will be better focused and better coached, and are from a top-to-bottom tougher conference.
I can't understand why anyone, either a Hog or Hoosier fan, would be upset with this seeding (unless you're hognaustin, who's upset with anybody associated with Razorback Basketball).
Whoever wins has a chance to rock the big dance world by sending North Carolina home early. Yes, its about as likely as being hit by lightning twice. But, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Anything can happen.
The Hogs' chances simply depend on which team decides to show up, the one that beat Vandy twice, Florida and Tennessee or the one that showed up (along with Georgia Bulldog alum referees) yesterday.
Its the team's choice how much heart they want to put into it, how bad they want it and what they're willing to do to get there. The coaches can't do it for them.
Are you listening, hognaustin??