My Bracket Lives to See Another Day: Indiana edges Temple 58-52

*phew*

That one was too close. A hotly contested game from start to finish, this was one bang-up, grind-it-out game. Indiana, the normally high-scoring offensive juggernaut, only scored 58 points, down from their season average of 80 PPG.

Khalif Wyatt was spectacular all game, resembling a young Paul Pierce. Slow and smooth, he shot 50% from the field on the way to dropping 31 points on the Hoosiers. If only his teammates played half as well as he did, they might have had a chance to win that one. Other than bench F Anthony Lee, no one else scored more than 10 points that game. Starters Scootie Randall, Jake O’ Brien, and Will Cummings absolutely stunk up the joint, shooting a combined 0-21, including 0-12 from 3.

Indiana wasn’t playing like themselves either. Zeller and Oladipo still went for 31 points combined, but it was a largely inefficient shooting night. Free throws saved the Hoosiers, making 16-20 to to edge the Owls, who committed 18 fouls. Will Sheehey performed well off the bench, and Jordan Hulls showed some toughness, both contributing to the winning effort.

In the end, people who were expecting an upset were sorely disappointed, but I’m happy, as my bracket was on life-support as it was after Georgetown and Gonzaga losing. There’s still time for upsets, as North Carolina takes on Kansas next.