The Greatest IU Basketball Player of All-Time Bracket: Post-Knight Round of 32

  • 04/02/2020 10:37 am in

Welcome back to the “Greatest IU Basketball Player of All-Time” tournament bracket, where Inside the Hall and Assembly Call teamed up to put together a field of 68 former Hoosiers who have left a tremendous impact on the Indiana basketball program.

On March 20, voting took place for the play-in games of each region. Last week, voting took place for the round of 64 in the Pre-Knight era region, the Knight Pre-’85 era region, the Knight Post-’85 era region and the Post-Knight era region.

Voting has already taken place this week in the round of 32 in the Pre-Knight era region, the Knight Pre-’85 era region and the Knight Post-’85 region. Today, it’s time to vote in the round of 32 in the Post-Knight era region.

Among the factors to consider when voting:

– Impact on winning at IU
– Statistical achievement
– How they represented the program and university
– Qualitative impact on the culture and tradition of IU basketball overall

Remember, go to Inside the Hall’s Twitter account to vote on these matchups (the polls will also be embedded in this post once they go live), and you have 24 hours from when the polls go live to vote. The Sweet Sixteen will begin on Monday. (The updated bracket can be found at the bottom of the article.)

Today’s matchups are below:

No. 1 Yogi Ferrell vs. No. 9 Christian Watford

Yogi Ferrell (2012-2016)

Ferrell defeated Troy Williams in the round of 64. A top recruit at point guard for the Hoosiers, Ferrell was a first-team All-Big Ten player in 2015 and 2016. A member of the 2013 Big Ten all-freshman team, then 2016 Big Ten all-defensive team and an All-American selection, Ferrell started and ended his IU career by winning the Big Ten regular season title twice and reaching the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament twice. He started all 137 games of his Indiana career, averaged 14.5 points and 4.6 assists per game for his career and had 114 career steals. Ferrell is sixth all-time in scoring at IU with 1,986 points and is the program’s all-time assists leader with 633. He also has the most made 3-pointers in Big Ten play (159) among all Hoosiers.

Christian Watford (2009-2013)

Watford defeated Jeff Newton in the round of 64. Obviously, the thing Watford will be remembered for most during his IU career is the “Wat-Shot” where he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to knock off No. 1 Kentucky in Assembly Hall in 2011. As much as that one shot in that one game resonates with Watford’s IU career, he had a pretty solid four years at Indiana. He finished his career ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,730 points, and he also finished ninth in rebounds with 776 boards. During his senior year, he led the Big Ten in 3-point percentage at 51.5. In the back half of his career, he helped Indiana reach the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons, as well as capture the Big Ten title in 2013.

No. 5 D.J. White vs. No. 4 Jared Jeffries

D.J. White (2004-2008)

White defeated AJ Moye in the round of 64. He made three NCAA tournaments with Indiana, earning 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, 2007 second-team All-Big Ten, 2008 first-team All-Big Ten and 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year honors during his four-year career. White’s career ending stats (1,447 points, 748 rebounds, 198 blocks and a 56.2 percent shooter from the field) could have been even better if a broken foot hadn’t derailed his sophomore season. White averaged more than 10 rebounds per game as a senior before becoming a first-round selection in the 2008 NBA Draft before later continuing his player career overseas in Turkey. White is the last IU basketball player to average a double-double for an entire season (17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in 2007-08).

Jared Jeffries (2000-2002)

Jeffries defeated Thomas Bryant in the round of 64. A power forward and center for the Hoosiers for two seasons under Mike Davis at the turn of the century, Jeffries was a major part of the IU team which finished as national runner-up in 2002. He came to IU after being named Mr. Basketball in 2000 for the state of Indiana at Bloomington High School North, Jeffries was the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the 2002 Big Ten player of the year. Impressively, Jeffries slotted in as a starter right away and averaged 13.8 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game as a freshman, before finishing his Hoosier career with more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. After an 11-year NBA career, Jeffries now hosts his own fishing show on television.

No. 6 Tom Coverdale vs. No. 3 Cody Zeller

Tom Coverdale (1999-2003)

Coverdale defeated Juwan Morgan in the round of 64. Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 1998 at Noblesville High School, Coverdale totaled more than 1,200 points and 500 assists (fourth all-time at IU) as a guard for the Hoosiers. A 36-percent 3-point shooter while at IU, Coverdale made more than 200 shots from distance (sixth all-time at IU). Coverdale reached the NCAA tournament during each of his four college seasons, with the highlight obviously being the Big Ten-title winning season in 2001-02, which ended with a trip to the NCAA title game in Mike Davis’ second season as head coach. Coverdale played professional basketball in Germany before later becoming a collegiate assistant coach.

Cody Zeller (2011-2013)

Zeller defeated Bracey Wright in the round of 64. A native of Washington, Indiana, Zeller continued his high school success (he was Mr. Basketball in Indiana in 2011) into his college career. Zeller was the 2012 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-Big Ten selection in the same year, before closing his two-year Hoosier career as a first-team All-Big Ten selection and a consensus second-team All-American. Zeller started every game of his IU career, and finished with averages of 16.1 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game, in addition to 87 career blocks and 86 career steals. He shot 59.2 percent from the floor for his career before going on to be drafted fourth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.

No. 10 Jordan Hulls vs. No. 2 Victor Oladipo

Jordan Hulls (2009-2013)

Hulls defeated Eric Gordon in the round of 64. He was the point guard and red hot shooter during Indiana’s impressive stretches in 2011-2013. IU basketball was his backyard all his life as he grew up in Bloomington and played at Bloomington High School South, where he led the Panthers to a state title and perfect 26-0 season his senior year. At IU, Hulls averaged 9.8 points per game during his four-year career and shot 44.1 percent from the 3-point line, which is fifth on the program list. He finished with 1,318 career points to rank 26th on the Indiana career scoring list. In his final season, he connected on 80 triples, giving him 254 made 3-point field goals in his career to finish second in IU history.

Victor Oladipo (2010-2013)

Oladipo defeated Dane Fife in the round of 64. A terrific ball handler and tenacious defender while playing at shooting guard, Oladipo rose from a bench player to a superstar with the Hoosiers, closing his college career by being named a first-team All-Big Ten selection, the Big Ten defensive player of the year, first-team All-American and the Sporting News National player of the Year. Oladipo scored 1,235 points in his IU career, one that culminated with a Big Ten title and consecutive appearances in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. Oladipo, third in IU history with 161 steals and a player shot 53.8 percent for his college career, is one of the most popular IU players in recent history and now plays for the Indiana Pacers after being selected second overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2013 NBA Draft.

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