MADNESS MEMORIES

At 6:30 p.m., March 22, 1984, former IU men's basketball player Dan Dakich got the assignment of a lifetime -- guard Michael Jordan. \n"I opened up my door in the hotel and threw up right outside my door," Dakich said. "But it was actually because I was sick." \nDakich and the Hoosiers knocked off No. 1-ranked University of North Carolina that Thursday in Atlanta in the semifinals of the East Regional in the 1984 NCAA Tournament, 72-68. \n"I remember we had a lot of Indiana people. When we came out for warm-ups, there was a huge roar," said Dakich, who is currently in his eighth year as the head coach at Bowling Green State University. "When they came out, there was a huge roar. It was divided. We had half the crowd, and they had half the crowd. It was an electric deal -- Bob Knight against Dean Smith."\nTwenty years, eight months and nine days later, the 2004 versions of IU and UNC take to the court in Bloomington in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. \nNorth Carolina comes in ranked No. 9 in the country, and IU is unranked. \nSound familiar?\nIn Jordan's last game for the Tar Heels, it was Dakich who put an IU stamp on Jordan's going away party. The Hoosier guard limited the future six-time NBA Most Valuable Player to a line of 13 points, one rebound and one assist as Jordan struggled with foul trouble, eventually fouling out. Dakich said, looking back, it was like defending any other player.\n"At the time it wasn't any different guarding any one else. But again, we were Indiana," Dakich said. "They had guys who were All-Americans, but we had played against a lot of All-Americans. I just remember, (Jordan) missed a couple of shots early, then got in foul trouble."\nFormer IU coach Bob Knight told Dakich, Jordan "has to shoot over the top of you," and if he got to the offensive boards, Dakich would be on the bench. The then--IU junior said he kept about 10 feet between himself and Jordan. \n"It gave us something more on offense because Dakich can move around better on offense than the others," Knight said in a March 23, 1984 New York Times article. \nDakich went on to score four points that game. \nFresh off their 1982 National Championship, that Tar Heels team featured Jordan, future NBA stars Sam Perkins, James Worthy, Kenny Smith, former UNC coach Matt Doherty and the winningest coach in Division I basketball, Dean Smith, all of whom were vying for their second title in three years.\nBut all the hype of playing a No. 1 team didn't phase the Hoosiers, Dakich said.\n"It wasn't for us any different because we were Indiana," he said. "And at that time, there wasn't any difference between Indiana and North Carolina. And it wasn't like we were going to be awed by anybody. Hell, we were Indiana. We won national championships in 1981 and 1976."\nCoincidentally, it was the Tar Heels who bowed down to the Hoosiers in the 1981 NCAA title game. \nGoing into that improbable '84 victory over the mighty Tar Heels, Dakich remembers Knight preparing his team mentally for the challenge that laid ahead. \n"I remember that we had played on Saturday -- we beat Richmond," he said. "We had a team meeting that Sunday night. So, Sunday evening at 5 o'clock or so, Knight came in, closed the door and said we were going to beat North Carolina's ass. He had it all lined up. We were convinced as a group that we could beat North Carolina. We didn't practice much that Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe a half-hour a day. We were Indiana. Indiana was supposed to beat people. Isaiah (Thomas) beat them, now it is our time to beat them."\nBut once again, Dakich doesn't see a difference. \n"I think Carolina has been playing better than anyone in the country, They look really good," he said. "Hell, it's Indiana, playing in Assembly Hall. You can see they have ability, but again -- it's Indiana basketball. Hell, it should be a hell of a game. The guys will be playing their brains out. It won't be hard to play the North Carolina's in front of your own people. Indiana basketball is Indiana basketball. Those guys wearing those jersey's feel these are games we should win -- I hope -- as a former player, that's what I hope."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.