Indiana hasn’t played a game since Monday, so it’s NCAA Tournament hopes haven’t shifted too much since Joe Lunardi’s previous ESPN projection. As of right now the Hoosiers sit as a No. 9-seed heading
to the East, which is unchanged from Tuesday’s update.
But the situation around them can change, which will be something to monitor as Indiana goes through this final stretch and the bubble takes greater shape the closer we get to Selection Sunday. There was a bit of a change this week, with Indiana matching up with No. 8-seed Auburn in Greenville for the chance to take on the winner of No. 1-seed Duke and No. 16-seed Long Island.
We’ve seen the Hoosiers matched up with a few different teams as of late with Utah State, Villanova and now Auburn looking like potential opponents. The Aggies would be a particularly troublesome opponent given their 21-3 record and standing at No. 25 in KenPom’s overall efficiency metrics. That’s nothing new for Utah State, but that’s probably a matchup Indiana would rather avoid in the first round if it comes down to it.
Plenty can change for and around Indiana between now and the time the bracket comes out. The Hoosiers can do themselves a favor with opportunities against Illinois, Purdue and Michigan State down the stretch.
