Dan Dakich. The name still resonates in the Triangle, especially for fans of UNC basketball. Now Indiana's interim coach, Dakich was the Hoosier who played tough defense against Michael Jordan when IU ousted the Tar Heels from the 1984 NCAA East Regional.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey also has connections to the Big Four, though one he'd just as soon forget. He was a standout senior on the Kentucky team that lost to Duke 104-103 on Christian Laettner's famous last-second, turn-around shot in the 1992 regional final.

PAST FIVE GAMES

INDIANA: Lost to Minnesota 59-58 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, their third defeat in the past five games.

ARKANSAS: Reached the SEC tournament final, losing to Georgia. It was the Razorbacks' second defeat in the past five outings.

KEY PLAYERS

INDIANA: Eric Gordon can light it up (21.3 ppg through 22 games). D.J. White (17.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg) is double trouble.

ARKANSAS: Sonny Weems (14.3) tops the scorers. Patrick Beverly (12.3, 6.8 rpg) also warrants close watch.

COACHES

INDIANA: Dan Dakich is 3-3 since taking over as interim coach Feb. 22 after Kelvin Sampson was forced out for NCAA violations.

ARKANSAS: John Pelphrey made a favorable impression in his first-year in Fayetteville.

NCAA PEDIGREE

INDIANA: One of the nation's blue-chip programs, the Hoosiers have won five national championships, the most recent in 1987. The others were in 1940, 1953, 1976 and 1981.

ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks have been to six Final Fours -- and the glory years were the 1990s. Arkansas won the national title in 1994, then made it back to the title game a year later.

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