Hoosiers ready for 'tall order'

Something must give Saturday night in Los Angeles when the No. 8 seed Hoosiers, unbeaten in their last 15 games, battle the No. 1-seed UCLA Bruins, winners of 19 in a row, at 10 p.m. in a quarterfinals match for a trip to the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. \nIU's road to the quarters featured a 2-1 double overtime win over Kentucky and a 5-0 second round dismantling of No. 9 Virginia Commonwealth, while UCLA has beaten Tulsa (3-2) and Florida International (2-0).\nThe Bruins (20-1-1) suffered their only defeat this season to No. 2 Maryland in College Park, Md., but are a perfect 12-0-0 at Drake Stadium. \n"It is a tall order going out there, and we know it, but if there's any team in the tournament that can beat them, it's us," IU coach Jerry Yeagley said. "They are the defending national champs and have been No. 1 all season. It's gonna take our best effort, but we will not change what we've been doing because of them."\nLike the Hoosiers, who lost junior Ned Grabavoy and sophomore Drew Moor to the U.S. U20 National Team, UCLA sophomore defender Jordan Harvey was also selected for the squad. The Bruins will also be without senior defender Dru Hoshimiya who tore the ACL in his left knee during the FIU match.\nRegardless, UCLA's depth still makes it IU's toughest test of the season. \n"We are ready to go. Every tourney you think about who you don't want to play, but we are the type of team that wants to play the best team, and if you are going to win the National Championship, you might as well beat the best team along the way," senior defender Drew Shinabarger said. "It could be my last game and Vijay's last game and only so many people can go out winning their last games, and we hope we can too."\nThe Hoosiers will be playing away from Bill Armstrong for the first time since Oct. 29 and only the second time in their last 10 games. \nSaturday's matchup features four of the last six national titles, while UCLA looks to defend last year's crown. \n"This is the biggest game I've ever faced. I am so excited, and the whole team feels we have the best chance to win the National Championship since we have all been here," junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly said. "We've been playing so well and can't wait to get out there. We are not scared of UCLA, and we look at ourselves as the best team in the nation. It should not matter who we play."\nSaturday's winner will face either Michigan or Santa Clara, who square off in Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Saturday. \nWith eight teams remaining in the tournament, the Big Ten is the only conference represented by more than one team -- Michigan and IU. \nFor the first time, Yeagley will take the field as the all-time winningest coach in Division I history. He passed San Francisco's Stephen Negoesco's 540 wins after an error was discovered in the NCAA's statistics department.\nBut an IU win Saturday would be one of Yeagley's biggest victories ever.\n"This is a great opportunity, and I think the guys have taken a lot of pride as this team has grown and developed," Yeagley said. "I'd be disappointed if we go out there and have anxiety legs. We have not been on the road in a long time, and we are going into a really tough situation so it will be interesting to see how our guys react."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Cohen at djcohen@indiana.edu.