Indiana Quits Kent State to Advance March Madness
Trace Jackson-Davies did it all with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and five assists as Indiana defeated No. 13 Kent State 71-60 on Friday night to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
No. 4 Hoosiers (23-11) advanced to play No. 5 in Miami on Sunday for a trip to Kansas City on Midwest Semi-Finals.
According to OptaSTATS, Jackson-Davis became the first player since blocks became official NCAA statistics in 1985-86 to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 5 assists in an NCAA tournament game.
The last of 32 games in the first round was played in the presence of mostly Indiana fans, and their team won without a dramatic victory, ending an already pretty good day. Previously, rival Hoosiers Purdue was ranked second in the rankings. 1 seed in tournament history to lose the 16th seed when Farleigh Dickinson pulled out a stagger in Columbus, Ohio.
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#25 Race Thompson and #23 Trace Jackson-Davis of the Indiana Hoosiers react in the first half against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, New York. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Mid-American Conference champions from Kent State failed to pull off such magic, shooting 32% from the field. Sincere Carrie scored 15 points and became the leader of the Golden Flashes (28-7), who won the tournament six times in a row.
Well past midnight, Jackson-Davies shook up Arena MVP with an exciting six consecutive second-half points. The race began with a one-handed dunk flying up the lane. A smooth base drive followed, followed by an easy spin to make it 62-50 with 7:39 left.
Reis Thompson tied the season high with 20 points for the Hoosiers on 8-of-11 shooting.
The Hoosiers were 35–27 at halftime as Thompson took advantage of the Kent State defense, which was hard at work to limit Jackson-Davis. Thompson scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson speaks to his team in the first half against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, New York. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Jackson-Davis more than showed his presence with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks, including a Jalen Sallinger chasing layup in the closing seconds of the half.
BIG PICTURE
Kent State: His last NCAA victory was in 2002 when the Golden Flashes made a surprise run to the Elite Eight before being eliminated by Indiana.
Indiana: The Hoosiers played a quiet night with star freshman Jalen Hood Schifino, who scored eight points bouncing off trouble.
No. 12 Miller Kopp of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts to a second-half ball against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 17, 2023 in Albany, New York. ((Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images))
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Indiana: The Hoosiers played the Hurricanes once, losing 58–53 in Miami in December 2001.