IU team tries to avoid underestimating JMU

DAYTON, Ohio — In the 75 years of the NCAA Tournament, a 16 seed has never taken down a 1 seed, but the IU men’s basketball team is no stranger to surprises.

From the “Wat Shot” that took down No. 1 Kentucky in 2011, to earning a No. 1 ranking four years after winning just six games during the 2008-09 season, the Hoosiers have done their share of exceeding expectations.

But coming into their first game of the 2013 NCAA Tournament run, the Hoosiers have no desire to end up on the wrong side of history.

IU’s opponent in the first round of the tournament, James Madison, comes in on a five-game winning streak — including a three-game run during the Colonial Athletic Association postseason tournament just to clinch a bid for the Big Dance.

The Dukes finished 11-7 in the CAA, three games back of regular season champion Northeastern, and they needed nothing short of a conference title in the postseason to earn the right to face one of the top teams in the country Friday in Dayton.

But James Madison took down No. 2 seed Delaware by a single point in the semifinals of the CAA tournament before a convincing win in the finals against Northeastern, earning a spot in Wednesday’s play-in game against LIU Brooklyn.

With a one-point lead at halftime, the Dukes ran away with the win, outscoring the Blackbirds by 12 in the second half. With that win, junior forward Will Sheehey said James Madison solidified its bid to be in Dayton.

“Any team that can string together that many wins is a good team,” Sheehey said Thursday. “To win your conference tournament means a lot. They’re obviously a team that earned a right to be here. They won last night, so they obviously proved they’re for real.”

IU Coach Tom Crean said in preparing for the Dukes, he and his coaching staff put very little stock into the seed next to James Madison on the bracket.

As the saying hints, during March Madness, seeding means very little, Crean said.

“When you’re looking at James Madison, you’re looking at a battle-tested team,” Crean said. “You’re looking at a team that can score inside and outside, certainly with great experience, and freshmen that are getting better inside of their group. They know how they want to play. They know how to win. “

And with IU’s string of losses late in the season — the Hoosiers finished 3-3, including a home loss to Ohio State and an upset in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament to Wisconsin — IU may look like a team with as good a shot as any No. 1 seed to be the first to lose in the first round.

But junior guard Victor Oladipo said the late-season losses helped strengthen the Hoosiers, showing them what needed to be fixed before trying to make a postseason run.

“We definitely had a fun ride, but like every basketball team, we’ve had our share of ups and downs, but our downs made us stronger as a team,” Oladipo said. “We’ve got to keep getting better.”

Oladipo and Sheehey echoed that the Hoosiers had had a solid week of practice after watching the tape from the Wisconsin loss. After that loss, Oladipo wavered a bit when asked if his team was playing its best basketball heading into the NCAA Tournament. But Thursday, Oladipo was confident the Hoosiers were ready for the Dukes, as well as any team that may follow.

But freshman guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, one of just a few Hoosiers without any NCAA experience, said after watching years of basketball in March growing up, anything can happen once the Big Dance gets underway.

It’s IU’s responsibility, he said, to play just like they have all season and avoid Friday’s game from becoming too historically significant.

“I wouldn’t say it’s any pressure, but it is cause it’s the NCAA Tournament,” Ferrell said. “Pretty much anything can happen. Growing up watching these games, I’ve seen some crazy things happen, so anything can happen, but I just feel like we’re going to go out and play our game.”