A MAC Cinderella looking to make the Final Four. A Big Ten blueblood clinging to its basketball supremacy. A future NFL star dominating in the paint, and a remarkable 3-point shooting display.
The 2002 Elite Eight matchup between Indiana and Kent State had all of that and more. Those memories will return for both sides when No. 4 Indiana meets No. 13 Kent State in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday.
It's the first matchup between the schools since the Hoosiers beat the Golden Flashes 81-69 in the South Region final at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on March 23, 2002.
That was a year to remember for both teams, which is sure to be revisited on Friday night. A look back at that legendary Indiana-Kent State game in 2002:
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Kent State was an original Bracket Buster
The Golden Flashes entered the 2002 NCAA tournament with a 27-6 record under first-year coach Stan Heath. Kent State made the tournament in 1999 and had beaten Indiana 77-73 in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Flashes had all the right pieces in the starting five. Trevor Huffman – a sharp-shooting guard who averaged 16.0 points per game – was the leading scorer. Antonio Gates – yep, the same one who went on to become an 8-time Pro Bowl tight end in the NFL with the Chargers – was a 6-3, 240-pound forward. Andrew Mitchell and Demetric Shaw were tough defenders in the backcourt. Centers Nate Gerwig and Jonathan Edwards - a 7-foot sophomore – rotated in the paint.
Kent State burned through No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Pitt to make the Elite Eight. The Golden Flashes were just the second MAC team to advance to the Elite Eight; joining Ohio in 1964.
Post-Bob Knight Indiana was in transition
The Hoosiers were still in the shadow of Bobby Knight – who resigned during the 2000-01 season. Mike Davis was the interim coach that year and was named the coach for the following season.
Indiana was still a full-fledged Big Ten power. The Hoosiers finished 20-11 in the regular season and were led by sophomore forward Jared Jeffries – who averaged 15 points and 7.6 rebounds. Tom Coverdale added 11.9 points per game, and Dane Fife, Jarrad Odie and Kyle Hornsby rounded out the starting five.
The Hoosiers had not been to the Final Four since 1992 – which at that time was a considerable drought for a program that won three national titles under Knight.
Indiana – a No. 5 seed – beat No. 12 Utah and No. 13 UNC-Wilmington before shocking No. 1 Duke in the Sweet 16. That set up the Elite Eight matchup with the Golden Flashes.
MORE: The story behind Dane Fife's exit from Indiana's staff
Antonio Gates was a problem
Gates was recruited by Nick Saban to play football at Michigan State, but he also wanted to play basketball. Gates decided to transfer to Eastern Michigan and played a year of junior college basketball before landing at Kent State.
16 years ago today, Antonio Gates led Kent State to the Elite Eight. pic.twitter.com/fiV9VvK3Yt
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2018
Gates was a mismatch for the Hoosiers. He had 22 points and eight rebounds against the Hoosiers and averaged 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in the tournament run.
Gates, of course, despite not playing college football, was picked up by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played 16 years in the NFL and finished with 955 receptions, 11,841 yards and 116 TDs.
Indiana couldn't miss from 3
The Hoosiers, however, kept Kent State at arm's length with the 3-pointer. Indiana hit 15 of 19 from 3-point range in the game. Fife led the way with five 3-pointers. Hornsby hit four, and Coverdale added three.
The Hoosiers led 40-28 at halftime. Kent State cut the lead to 58-52 in the second half, but Fife stretched the lead back to 10 with a 3-pointer. Indiana held the lead from there.
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That was the difference for Indiana.
"Going to the Final Four is really, really big for the program," Davis said afterward. "To be here this year after all we've done through is a blessing."
Indiana has not been back to the Final Four
The Hoosiers beat No. 2 Oklahoma 73-64 – a team led by future Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson – before losing 64-52 to No. 1 Maryland in the NCAA championship game.
The program sifted through Davis, Sampson, Tom Crean and Archie Miller through the 2020-21 season, and none of those coaches could advance past the Sweet 16 after the 2001-02 season.
Mike Woodson is in his second season with the Hoosiers. Indiana beat Wyoming in the First Four before losing to Saint Mary's in the first round last season.
Kent State's run gets lost in history
The Golden Flashes finished 30-6. Other Cinderella teams have followed since 2002. George Mason (2006), VCU (2011) and Wichita State (2013) all made Final Four runs. St. Peter's even made an Elite Eight run last season as a No. 15 seed. As a result, Kent State's run sometimes gets lost in the shuffle a bit. Kent State was 100-31 in a four-year stretch from 1998-2002.
This marks their fourth tournament appearance since that 2001-02 season.
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Indiana is favored in rematch
The Hoosiers are a 4.5-point favorite in Friday's first-round Midwest Region matchup in Albany, N.Y. Kent State averages 76.6 points per game, and Sincere Carry is a prolific shooting guard who averages 19.2 points per game. Indiana counters with Trayce Jackson-Davis, who averages 20.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. It should be an up-and-down game with a tight finish.
