This Date in Hoosier History: Indiana Defeats Florida State to Advance to 1992 Elite Eight

March 26, 1993 — Albuquerque, New Mexico

Indiana head coach Bob Knight arrived in New Mexico for the 1992 West Regional semifinals with a whip that aroused controversy in the days that followed.

Senior forward Eric Anderson came of the bench and played like the whip had his attention against Florida State.

With the Hoosiers trailing 9-2 early against stifling pressure defense, Knight inserted Anderson into the game, and things changed almost immediately.

Behind Anderson, Indiana took a 40-38 lead into halftime at The Pit in Albuquerque.

The 6-foot-9 Anderson made 6-of-7 first half shots including 2-of-3 from long range. Anderson added 3-of-4 from the free throw line for a 17 point first half performance off the bench.

Indiana scored 10 unanswered points to open the second half, and the Hoosiers surged to a 67-51 lead with around ten minutes left in the game. FSU rallied back to within 77-72 with under three minutes remaining, but an 8-0 IU response closed the door.

In the end Anderson would tally 24 points to lead IU to an 85-74 win in the round of 16. The Chicago product was playing in an unfamiliar role coming off the bench after starting for most of his career for IU.

”I don`t mind not starting,” Anderson told reporters after the game. “There`s no big difference. We always have eight or nine people play. It doesn`t matter to me who`s starting. We were successful the first two games. Why deviate?”

Anderson wasn’t the only Hoosier off the bench to make a major impact on the game.

Junior guard Greg Graham was a substitute but played 36 minutes. He scored 19 points and added 7 rebounds.

Jamal Meeks played 27 minutes off the bench and led IU with nine assists as he attacked the Seminole pressure.

Indiana shot 50 percent for the game, including 58.3 percent from two point range. After the choppy start, Knight moved to a smaller lineup that could better handle the Seminole pressure. The Hoosiers ended the game with 19 assists and only 9 turnovers.

The Hoosiers would go on to play UCLA two days later for the West Regional title.

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