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Indiana State
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The Sycamores entered the MVC as the fifth seed and left with the automatic bid by upsetting the top two seeds -- Creighton and Bradley -- on back-to-back nights. Indiana State is in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season after winning the regular-season title and receiving an at-large bid in 2000. It's their third trip overall to the dance. The other time? Back in 1979 when Larry Bird was playing in Terre Haute, Ind. This year's trip is something of a surprise, considering Indiana State went into the MVC conference losers of six of eight and with a 10-8 conference mark. But over the course of three nights, the Sycamores played their best basketball of the season. That's not to say they didn't have flashes of brilliance. A 6-1 start to the season included their second straight victory over Indiana (59-58) and tourney-bound Butler. The Sycamores are streaky to say the least. They started the MVC 8-2, but then finished the season 2-6. Now they enter the dance on another roll. Player to Watch Michael Menser, a 5-11 senior, averaged 13.4 ppg over the course of the season, but enters the tourney with a hot hand. He scored 32 in the Sycamores' upset of Creighton in the MVC semifinals and averaged 21.3 in his team's run to the title. A long-range threat, he made 5 of 11 3-pointers in the victory over Creighton and sank nearly 40 percent of 214 treys on the season.With the Ball The Sycamores have a 1-2 punch with Menser and 6-6 forward Matt Renn, two seniors who've stepped up their games late in the season. Second in both scoring (73.2) and field goal percentage (46.4) in the MVC, the Sycamores aren't afraid to get into a shootout. or shoot the 3-pointer -- taking 548 on the season (36.1 percent). Kevin Block (14.8 ppg) joins Menser in the backcourt, while Renn led the team in scoring with a game that allows him to score both inside and outside. Defending the Ball The Sycamores will turn the ball over, but also get their share of steals by forcing teams to play at their pace -- which is fast. Renn and Menser combine to force 3.8 steals a game, while center Djibril Kante averaged 1.8 blocks a game.Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed None. Playing to Expectations Falling Short None. BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.0 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: The Sycamores are back in the tourney for the second year in a row and only the third time in school history. Everyone remembers the first trip, when Larry Bird led his hometown team to the 1979 national championship game. Last year, No. 12 Indiana State lost to No. 5 Texas in a West Region first round game. Overall, the Missouri Valley Conference is 73-74 in NCAA play. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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