Fansided

The 5 most disappointing NCAA Tournament performances since 2000

By Ryan Phillips

Feb 24, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts from the sidelines during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts from the sidelines during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 28, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Syracuse Orange center Baye Keita (back) falls over Indiana Hoosiers forward Cody Zeller (40) during the first half of the semifinals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Syracuse Orange center Baye Keita (back) falls over Indiana Hoosiers forward Cody Zeller (40) during the first half of the semifinals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

2013 Indiana Hoosiers

The Indiana Hoosiers entered the 2012-13 season as the No. 1 team in the country built around All-American center Cody Zeller. Tom Crean’s team also had returning starters in guard Jordan Hulls and forward Christian Watford, while guard Victor Oladipo was an emerging star.

As the season progressed, Indiana lived up to the preseason hype, maintaining its No. 1 ranking for 10 weeks out of the season. The Hoosiers finished the regular season 26-5, and went 14-4 in the Big Ten, winning their first outright Big Ten title in 20 years. They bowed out in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, but were still good enough to grab the No. 1 seed in the East Regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament.

Entering the tournament the Hoosiers were expected to make a deep run. Oladipo and Zeller were both All-Americans who were a few months away from being selected among the top four picks of the NBA Draft, and combined with Hulls and Watford to give the team four career 1,000-point scorers. Meanwhile, freshman point guard Yogi Ferrell and sixth man Will Sheehey also provided valuable minutes. Other than No. 1 overall seed Louisville, the Hoosiers were clearly the most talented and well-balanced team in the entire tournament.

Indiana opened the tournament in Dayton against No. 16 seed James Madison and laid waste to the Dukes 83-62. That score is much closer than the game actually was, thanks to Crean resting his starters for most of the second half.

Next up for the Hoosiers were the ninth-seeded Temple Owls who were led by scoring machine Khalif Wyatt. Wyatt went off in matchup, scoring a game-high 31 points, and the Hoosiers got a serious scare from the Owls. Indiana trailed 29-26 at the half and it took a serious effort from Oladipo to engineer a comeback. The Hoosiers finally pulled out the win 58-52, and advanced to the Sweet 16.

At the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Indiana came face-to-face with a terrible matchup: the Syracuse Orange. Jim Boeheim’s team was long, athletic and ran his 2-3 zone as well as any previous squad he had put on the floor. Led by Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. fair, Brandon Triche, James Southerland and Rakeem Christmas, the Orange were a supremely talented group.

From the start it was obvious Indiana couldn’t hang with Syracuse. Ferrell and Hulls struggled to find room to shoot against Syracuse’s taller, longer guards and Zeller struggled to get free in the post. The Orange led 34-22 at the half and it didn’t get much better during the second 20-minute frame. The Hoosiers shot just 34 percent from the field and fell 61-50, thus ending a promising season with a whimper.

Next: 2012 Missouri Tigers

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