Indiana 58, Temple 52: Victor Oladipo scored 16 points – including a critical 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining – as the Hoosiers rallied late to edge the Owls in the third round of the NCAA Tournament East Regional at Dayton, Ohio.
Oladipo added eight rebounds while Cody Zeller overcame foul trouble and six turnovers to score 15 points for Indiana (29-6), which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season. The top-seeded Hoosiers, who won for the first time when scoring fewer than 60 points, will meet fourth-seeded Syracuse in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Khalif Wyatt exploded for 31 points to lead Temple (24-10), matching his scoring output in the Owls’ second-round victory over North Carolina State. Anthony Lee tallied 10 points and was the only other Owl to finish in double figures.
Wyatt singlehandedly kept the Owls in the game early on. He torched a plethora of Indiana defenders – including Oladipo, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year – and finished with 20 first-half points as Temple settled for a 29-26 advantage at the break.
Even though Wyatt’s offense slowed after hitting a layup to open the second half and Temple led by no more than six points at any point, the Owls held their advantage until Oladipo hit the second of two free throws with 1:19 remaining to give Indiana a 53-52 lead. Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson missed a jumper on Temple’s next possession and Oladipo answered with his insurance jumper from the top of the key.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Indiana improved to 11-1 all-time as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. … Three Temple starters (Scootie Randall, Jake O’Brien and Will Cummings) shot a combined 0-for-21 and scored a total of three points. … Jordan Hulls – who set a school record Sunday by appearing in his 134th game - left the contest in the first half after taking a shot to his right shoulder from Randall while chasing a loose ball. He returned at the start of the second half wearing a protective vest and finished with five points.
Temple | Indiana | |
Khalif Wyatt 31 | Scoring | Victor Oladipo 16 |
Scootie Randall 3 | Assists | Kevin Ferrell 3 |
Scootie Randall 9 | Rebounds | Victor Oladipo 8 |
Khalif Wyatt 4 | Free Throws Made | Cody Zeller 7 |
Scootie Randall 2 | Steals | N/A |
Scootie Randall 2 | Blocks | Christian Watford 2 |