Now or never for the Hoosiers

RALEIGH, N.C. – For the IU men’s basketball team, the time is now.\nThe team might have been seeded too low for fans and players, but if the No. 8-seeded Hoosiers do not come to play against No. 9 seed Arkansas, a season that began with so much promise will come crashing to a halt one game into the NCAA Tournament.\n“We don’t have much time left,” senior forward Lance Stemler said. “We have to bring it every day because it’s the NCAA Tournament, or otherwise the season is over.”\nThe Hoosiers (25-7) face Arkansas (22-11) at 9:40 p.m. on Friday night and will try to prove they were worthy of a higher seed, junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis said.\n“There were a lot of players, including myself, that felt disrespected when the No. 8 seed came out,” Ellis said. “Things like that happen, so that will make you go out and work even harder.”\nThe winner of Friday night’s game will likely face overall No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Round of 32. UNC is heavily favored over No. 16 seed Mt. Saint Mary’s – a No. 16 seed has never defeated a No. 1 seed in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament.\nGetting a shot at the No. 1 team in the nation is even more of an incentive to win the first-round game, but Arkansas will present a stiff challenge, Stemler said. \n“When the brackets first came out, I think that’s what everyone looked at (a potential matchup with UNC),” Stemler said. “I think the coaches have done a good job keeping us focused on Arkansas.”\nThe Razorbacks’ size will present a matchup problem to the undersized Hoosier frontline. IU struggled earlier this season against Connecticut and Wisconsin – two teams with several tall players.\nArkansas has five players who are 6-foot-8 or taller.\n“They have so many big guys,” IU coach Dan Dakich said. “They have more big guys 6-10, 7-foot than anybody in our league. They all are athletic. They all are long. And I think they’re very good.”\nForward Sonny Weems, a first-team All-SEC selection this season, leads Arkansas. Weems suffered a knee injury in practice this week, but said he should be 100 percent for the game.\n“It will be a challenge,” senior forward D.J. White said. “They have a lot of big bodies that they can throw at us. I still go out there and play the game I’ve been playing all along.”\nAt guard, Patrick Beverley sparks the Razorbacks, averaging 12 points per game. He is an excellent rebounder for a guard, pulling down 6.7 redbounds per game. It will be important to box Beverly out on both ends of the court, Ellis said.\n“He’s a tough player,” Ellis said. “Coach Dakich pressed the issue of putting a body on the player. He, being a great rebounding guard, we have to find him when a shot goes up.”\nWhile the Hoosiers have struggled of late, going 3-3 since Dakich took over for former coach Kelvin Sampson, Arkansas believes the Hoosiers will be a challenge.\n“We fully anticipate getting IU’s best shot,” Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. “They have two players who would be top 5 players in any league out there.”\nFor the Hoosiers, the time is now. Regardless of what has occurred this season, White said the team can turn things around in the NCAA Tournament.\n“We know we haven’t been playing as good of late, but it’s a new season,” White said. “Anything can happen.”