One and done? Hoosiers begin NCAA Tournament facing questions

RALEIGH, N.C. – Several members of the IU men’s basketball team could experience simultaneous firsts and lasts when the Hoosiers play No. 9 seed Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at about 9:40 p.m. \nFor freshmen Eric Gordon and Jordan Crawford, it will be the first time they have participated in the NCAA Tournament. For IU interim coach Dan Dakich, it will be his first time back in the tournament since his playing days as a Hoosier. And, if the Hoosiers lose, it could be the last time any of them experience the tournament in the same roles. \nWhile it’s not their first trip to the Big Dance, the future is also unclear for senior forward D.J. White and sophomore guard Armon Bassett. \nGordon and White are likely to jump to the NBA after the season is over. NBADraft.net, an NBA scouting Web site, projects Gordon will be the No. 6 pick in the first round of June’s NBA Draft. The same site projects White as the No. 22 pick.\n“Of course you think about it,” White said. “Me, I’m a senior. It could be my last game. But I don’t think it will be a factor. I’m going to go out there and play like I’ve been playing all year.”\nThough a senior, White could apply for a medical redshirt after missing most of his sophomore season with a broken foot.\nGordon didn’t want to think hypothetically. \n“We don’t concentrate on losing in any game,” Gordon said.\nNeither Bassett nor Crawford have addressed whether they have considered transferring from IU after the season. Both declined to address their future with the team after former coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in February.\n“I’m just concentrating on trying to win this game and hopefully play the winner of the next game,” Bassett said when asked if he’d considered his time at IU could be coming to an end. \nAs for Dakich, the situation is slightly more complicated. He has publicly stated his hopes to remain as head coach at IU beyond this season. Meanwhile, the University has compiled a 10-member committee to conduct a nationwide coaching search for Sampson’s permanent replacement. The committee is expected to consider Dakich, though IU’s 3-3 record since the interim coach took over is disappointing by this season’s standards.\nLike a sponge, Dakich is trying to soak up the NCAA experience this week, his first as a head coach. About an hour and a half before the Hoosiers took the court for an open practice, Dakich walked onto the floor and challenged fans in the crowd to a free throw shooting contest. \n“It looked like they were bored,” Dakich said of the crowd waiting to watch North Carolina practice. “That was a contest that I never lose because I cheat, quite frankly. If I miss the first free throw, it’s a practice one. It’s about the only thing I can do well in basketball still is shoot free throws.” \nHe said he tried to handle the situation like he handles the rest of his life; he just tries to have fun. \n“There wasn’t any security to keep us off of there,” he said. \nIt might have been a brief respite for Dakich, who said he’s spent most of his waking moments the past week preparing for Friday’s game against the Razorbacks – so much time, he says, that he doesn’t really have any emotions about the whole situation. \n“I guess I need to go get some, but I haven’t really had any,” he said. “Ask me tomorrow, win or lose, and I’ll give you some emotions.”