The Indiana basketball program is just days away from its NCAA Tournament getting underway with a first round matchup against Kent State on Friday night.
This is the first time that Indiana is in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years since the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and the result the Hoosiers are hoping for is different from a year ago, where they lost to Saint Mary’s in the Round of 64.
But, coming into Friday’s matchup, the Hoosiers have been discussed as a team on upset alert.
That includes ESPN Analyst Jay Bilas, who thinks the Golden Flashes can pull off the win against Indiana.
“Kent State and Indiana in the Midwest region … Kent State is a really good basketball team … Kent State has played some of the best teams in the country early on in the season and played them really tough … I think Kent State is going to be very difficult for Indiana to beat and that’s a potential upset in that 4-13 game.”
Kent State comes in winning 10 of its last 11 games while the Hoosiers are just 4-4 in their last eight games. While playing in the MAC, Kent State has been battle tested. Against NCAA Tournament teams earlier this season, 1-seed Houston, 3-seed Gonzaga and 12-seed Charleston, they lost all three but just by a combined 15 points.
They had a lead late in all three of those game before a long scoring drought in all three matchups flipped the script and caused the loss.
The Golden Flashes enter this matchup 28-6 overall. This is their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, advancing past the first round two times.
The tip on Friday is set for 9:55 pm ET on TBS.
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