8. Indiana Vs. 9. Arkansas - NCAA First Round Game

The eight against nine match-up can be the best first round game of any NCAA bracket. Indiana and Arkansas should give us an entertaining game that will come down to the wire.

Over their last four games, Indiana has won just one game, which was a win over Minnesota. They lost to Minnesota in the Big 10 Tournament just nine days later. In that game, freshman phenom Eric Gordon went just 4-13 from the field including an 0-6 day from behind the arc. Their final regular season game was a road contest against Penn State, which resulted in an overtime loss. Gordon has 26 points, but only went 8-24 from the field and 4-16 from three-point land. Indiana did not end the season they way that a team wants to, and will have a tough time with the Razorbacks of Arkansas. With the Big-Ten player of the year and the Big-Ten's leading scorer, there is no reason why Indiana can't win this game. They have the talent to get to an elite eight, but can they put it all together and make a run? Interim head coach Dan Dakich has never coached in an NCAA tournament game, and has done a very mediocre job down the stretch.

Arkansas capped of their conference tournament with a loss to SEC Cinderella Georgia, but had a good run along the way. They defeated Vanderbilt, who received a four seed in the NCAA tournament, and Tennessee, who got a number two seed in the tournament and is ranked first in RPI. Eight players average over 14 minutes, and one third of the Hogs points this season came from the bench. Indiana has much more talent but less depth than the Hogs. Arkansas has a lot talent up front. Forward Sonny Weems leads the team in scoring and can carry an offense, while center Steven Hill is a defensive force in the middle. John Pelphrey has coached in one NCAA tournament game, which resulted in a loss.

The X-factor in this game will be a halftime lead. The Razorbacks are 18-0 when leading at halftime, and 2-10 when trailing at the break. Don't expect to see a great game, a big comeback, or a buzzer beater.

Neither coach has a lot of experience, but I give the coaching edge to Pelphrey simply because he has coached his team the whole season and he has been to the big dance before.

It all boils down to that aforementioned halftime lead, which is impossible to predict. Indiana has really struggled down the stretch, and Arkansas has picked it up lately. I like Arkansas 68-60 in this game.