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Indiana opens Big Ten tournament vs. Minnesota

Mar 14, 2008 - 2:35 PM Minnesota (19-12) at No. 20 Indiana (25-6) 9:00 pm EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - After a turbulent season, No. 20 Indiana hopes to end its campaign with its first ever Big Ten tournament title.

Indiana begins its quest for the conference championship on Friday when it faces Minnesota in a quarterfinal matchup.

The Hoosiers had their share of troubles this season, beginning with coach Kelvin Sampson's dismissal due to recruiting violations and ending with two losses in their last three games to fall to the No. 3 seeding entering the Big Ten tournament.

Indiana suffered a 29-point drubbing against then-No. 15 Michigan State on March 2 before closing the regular season with a disappointing 68-64 overtime loss to Penn State on Sunday.

Between the two losses, though, the Hoosiers did manage to forge a 69-55 victory over Minnesota on March 5, sweeping the season series. Freshman Eric Gordon scored 20 points while senior D.J. White added 17 in his final home game.

Minnesota advanced to the quarterfinals by overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit en route to a narrow 55-52 victory over Northwestern on Thursday. Lawrence Westbrook scored 17 points to lead the Golden Gophers.