Associated Press
March 21, 2008 01:26 am
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — As a native of Kentucky, John Pelphrey has plenty of appreciation for Arkansas’ next opponent.
“When I was growing up, Indiana was doing it. That was in their heyday. It couldn’t have been any bigger,” the Razorbacks’ coach said Monday. “Us playing Indiana in the NCAA tournament — that’s a big deal.”
The ninth-seeded Razorbacks face the eighth-seeded Hoosiers in the first round tonight in Raleigh, N.C. The teams have met only once before, over a half-century ago, so there’s not much history between them.
But for Pelphrey, wanting to beat Indiana is nothing new.
Kentucky’s rivalry with Indiana is one of the nation’s most prestigious, and when Pelphrey played for the Wildcats, their December clashes against the Hoosiers consistently came down to final few possessions. In 1989, Pelphrey was a sophomore on Rick Pitino’s first Kentucky team. The Wildcats, who had been put on probation by the NCAA earlier that year, lost to Bob Knight and Indiana 71-69.
The following season, Pelphrey scored 21 points before fouling out in an 87-84 loss to the Hoosiers.
Kentucky finally broke through against its rival to the northwest during the 1991-92 season. Led by sophomore Jamal Mashburn, the Wildcats beat Indiana 76-74.
Kentucky went on to a 29-7 record and lost to Duke in the 1992 regional finals on Christian Laettner’s famous buzzer-beater. If Laettner had missed, the Wildcats would have played Indiana again in the Final Four.
Pelphrey is in his first season as Arkansas’ coach, and the Razorbacks are hoping for their own breakthrough against Indiana. Arkansas (22-11) is in the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year, but the Hogs haven’t won a game there since 1999.
The Razorbacks have been to six Final Fours and won a national championship in 1994 — an impressive resume for any program. In Raleigh, however, they’ll have some elite company. The Indiana-Arkansas winner will likely play top-seeded North Carolina in the second round. Georgetown, another former national champion with multiple Final Four appearances, is also playing in Raleigh.
“It is a hard road in the tournament,” Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich said. “The No. 1 seed gets a little easier road in the first game, obviously. The 8-9 game is always tough. You’ve got to win, but it is a great opportunity for us if we decide to take advantage of it.”
Arkansas reached the championship game of the Southeastern Conference tournament — an event that was moved to Georgia Tech’s home court after a tornado hit the Georgia Dome on Friday night. With no way to accommodate all those with tickets, the SEC only let in those with working credentials, the bands and cheerleaders, and family and friends of the players.
“It was crazy,” Arkansas forward Darian Townes said. “But we got used to it.”
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