Hoosiers Done but State of Indiana Well Represented in NCAA Post-Season Basketball

The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team, as most expected, fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 10, but our state's presence in the NCAA post-season remains prominent. All told, Indiana is a lock to send four teams to the NCAA tournament, with a fifth still being a possibility. Here is the Hoosier representation:

Notre Dame

By demolishing number 25 Cincinnati in the quarterfinals of the the Big East tournament, Notre Dame seems to have cemented its standing as a number one seed heading into the Big Dance later this month. With an extremely experienced senior team, the Fighting Irish are poised to make a deep, deep run.

Purdue

Purdue lost its star (Robbie Hummel) for the season, but E'Twaun Moore stepped up, and all JaJuan Johnson did was win Big Ten Player of the Year honors. It looks like the number nine Boilermakers will go into the NCAA Tournament as a number two or three seed, depending on how the Big Ten Tournament plays out.

Butler

After falling a hair short of the whole ball of wax last year, Butler found the going a bit tougher this season, but still punched their NCAA ticket with a solid win over nemesis Milwaukee to clinch the Horizon League Championship. Winners of nine straight, the Bulldogs have to be considered dangerous in the NCAA Tournament.

Indiana State

What in the name of Larry Bird is going on here?? At a time when Larry Legend's Pacers are in turmoil, his alma mater is poised to make its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001. The Sycamores accomplished that feat by pulling off an even more improbable one: they defeated Missouri State to win the Missouri Valley Tournament championship.

Ball State

The Cardinals may be a longshot to make it to the NCAAs, but after an up-and-down season, Ball State pulled off a spirited overtime defeat of Ohio in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. If BSU can keep that magic going, they could emerge as MAC champs and complete the Hoosier quintet.

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This is a great time to be a college basketball fan in Indiana, as long as you don't live and die with IU. If so, well, you can spend this March lining up your Cody Zeller memorabilia so you'll be set to go next fall. Otherwise, enjoy the ride with this standout group of programs that are making Indiana proud.