PORTLAND, Ore. — The Hoosiers know they have a daunting task ahead of them when they play No. 13 seed New Mexico State at 9:45 pm. today. But they also understand how special an opportunity it is to be in the NCAA Tournament, and they’re enjoying every second of it.
The team flew into Portland Monday night, and Tom Crean gave his players most of Tuesday to tour the city and hangout together. Senior Kory Barnett, who used to live in the area, also took his teammates to some of the places he remembered going as a kid.
“He’s always telling us where to go, where to eat,” said junior forward Derek Elston.
The players also saw “Act of Valor” on Tuesday night, a new movie about Navy SEALs that go on a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent.
“It’s a big deal for us just to be able to hang out with each other,” said junior guard Jordan Hulls, “because it doesn’t happen too much when we’re going full blow into the Big Ten season.”
Crean said days like Tuesday are the ones that bring teams the closest together.
“It’s fun to sit in the front of the bus and listen to them in the back of the bus,” he said. “I may not know everything they’re saying, but that laughter is universal. And those are the things that you really enjoy being a part of.
“I think when it’s all said and done, they’ll remember where they went. They’ll have experiences to think about, but it’s the lasting, shared memories of something somebody said that was silly in the back of the bus or silly at breakfast. That’s the stuff that really builds them when they come back years from now and reminisce about their time.”
PORTLAND, Ore. — As the No. 15 and No. 16 ranked teams on the NCAA Tournament s-curve, Indiana and Louisville were given little chance of playing close to home for the opening weekend.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Verdell Jones. After four years of hard work and sacrifice, the senior guard won’t get to play when Indiana opens the NCAA Tournament against New Mexico State on Thursday night.
Verdell Jones had waited four years for this moment.
