Indiana University Athletics
IU Accepts NIT Bid
3/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2005
Bloomington, Ind. - The Indiana men's basketball team accepted a bid to the 2005 National Invitation Tournament, IU officials announced Sunday night. The Hoosiers will open tournament play when they square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The game will be played Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised to a national television audience on ESPN2. Ticket prices are $26 for reserved seats and $11 for students. Please call 1-866-IU-SPORTS for more information.More importantly, Indiana will play host to the Commodores in Assembly Hall where it has won 10 consecutive contests. It is the longest such streak since winning 40 consecutive games from the end of the 1990-91 season, thru the middle of the 1994-95 campaign.
Indiana owns a 6-2 advantage in its all-time series with Vanderbilt, including a 3-0 mark in Bloomington. This is the third consecutive year that the Hoosiers and Commodores will meet on the hardwood.
In other first round action, Kent State will meet Western Kentucky and Houston faces Wichita State both on March 16. The winners of those two games will then square off at a date and time to be determined. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Indiana-Vanderbilt game at a date and time to be determined.
IU coach Mike Davis and his players are anxious to compete in postseason.
"The NIT provides an excellent opportunity for our guys to continue their season," Davis said. "We also appreciate the chance to play another home game, where we were one of just two Big Ten teams to go undefeated in league play at home this year. Vanderbilt is a solid team that went to the Sweet 16 last year, and they are always prepared and well-coached."
Vanderbilt boasts an 18-13 record entering its contest against the Hoosiers, including an 8-8 record in Southeastern Conference play. Junior guard Mario Moore leads the team with 13.4 points and 3.8 assists per contest. Senior forward/guard Corey Smith, who is the only other Commodore to average double figures, ranks second on the team in scoring (12.0) and rebounds (4.3) per contest.
The Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 10-6 record in Big Ten play, earning them the fourth seed in conference tournament. After a 2-6 start to begin the season, Indiana has played some of its best basketball as of late, winning 13 of its last 20 games to finish 15-13 overall.
IU has been led all season long by the inside-outside combination of D.J. White and Bracey Wright. White, who ranks among in the league leaders in points (13.6), rebounds (4.9), blocks (2.8) and field goal percentage (.574), was named the 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Wright, who finished the regular season leading the Big Ten in scoring average with 18.5 points per contest, was named a first-team All-Big Ten performer by the media, and selected to the second team by the coaches. In addition, freshman Robert Vaden was named to the All-Freshman team.
Indiana last played in the NIT during the 1984-85 campaign. That year, IU finished 19-14 after falling to UCLA in the NIT championship game, 65-62.
It also marks the fourth postseason appearance during the five-year Mike Davis regime.
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