Indiana Hoosiers (18-11) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (24-8).
When: Thursday, 9:50 p.m. ET
Where: Salt Lake City
INDIANA
1. Van Arsdale Twins. Tom and Dick Van Arsdale are the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen of Indiana Basketball. These bruthas from the same mutha were co-Mr. Basketballs in Indiana and played together at IU from 1963-1965 with each identical twin earning All-American and Academic All-American honors. As Hoosiers, Tom and Dick finished with nearly identical averages in points and rebounds: 17.4 / 10.0 and 17.2 / 10.0. They also each weighed 70 pounds and dressed like homeless people. (Not really.)
2. Hey, Candy Ass. The subject of much derision from the sartorially jealous, Indiana s candy-stripe warm-up pants are a staple of IU s perma-retro basketball culture. You can get your own for $144.99 (plus tax, plus shipping and handling, plus the medical bills resulting from the beatdowns you ll receive for wearing them anywhere outside of Assembly Hall).
3. Bob Knight Will Punch You In The Neck. And you will deserve it. After all, Coach Knight was bullying people and shooting his friends long before the Vice President made it cool. As former Hoosier legend Steve Alford said, "The plain truth is, people seem to accept Coach's authority even when they have no reason or obligation to." But the guy who preceded Mike Davis won three national titles, Olympic and Pan Am gold, and everything else worth winning. As it said on a satin jacket worn by one Kool-Aid-drinking 83-year-old-woman, "The Lord is My Shepherd, But Bobby s My Coach." Perspective. — Trent Apple
SAN DIEGO STATE
1. Tony Gwynn Was Not Always Fat. Former Padre and current SDSU baseball coach Tony Gwynn was an All-America baseball player for the Aztecs. But Gwynn was an all-conference point guard, too. In fact, Gwynn had gone to school to concentrate on basketball before Bobby Meacham convinced then-coach Jim Dietz to give him a chance during Gwynn's sophomore year. Gwynn went on to be the only player in Western Athletic Conference history to be selected all-conference in two sports. Gwynn still holds school records for single-season assists (221), career assists (590) and most hot dogs consumed during a baseball game (21).
2.He's Been Everywhere, Man. Forward Mohamed Abukar has been a traveling man. Abukar originally committed to Georgia, but changed his mind when Jim Harrick was fired. Abukar then went to Florida, where he lasted a season and a half before he transferred to San Diego State. Abukar is the third-leading scorer for the Aztecs, averaging 14.2 points per game. Remember that when Florida is bounced in the first round again.
3. Those Stealing Gottliebs. One of the SDSU assistant coaches is Gregg Gottlieb, the son of former college coach Bob Gottlieb. Gregg is also the brother of ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb, who was thrown out of Notre Dame for stealing credit cards. Fittingly, Gregg is not allowed to handle the booster club money. — The Hater Nation
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