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In 1979, Bird led upstart Indiana State to the NCAA final in Salt Lake City against Magic Johnson-led Michigan State. The Sycamores lost 75-64 and haven't returned to the tournament until now.

"It's ironic," Indiana State guard Michael Menser said Wednesday at the Jon M. Hunstman Center, where his underdog team tackles Texas on Thursday in the first-round of the NCAA West Regional. "There's a huge connection. When you say Indiana State, everyone says that's where Larry Bird went. But we're trying to make a name for this team. We're here to play for the 1999-2000 Sycamores.''

Said forward Matt Renn: "We're going to try to do something the '79 team didn't do, and that's to win in Salt Lake."

"I'm a firm believer in fate," added multi-talented guard Nate Green. "At the same time, if the coach had said we would have been sent to Madagascar, I would have been happy, too."

Indiana State (22-9) received a somewhat suspicious at-large berth, critics claiming the NCAA selection committee was swayed by nostalgia instead of performance. The 12th-seeded Sycamores have a tall task against the fifth-seeded Longhorns, led by 7-foot-1 junior center Chris Mihm.

Bird now coaches the Indiana Pacers, but his legend lives. He recently showed support for his alma mater by attending Indiana State's last regular-season game.

"It was a tremendous thrill for our players and our community," said coach Royce Waltman, a former assistant to Bobby Knight at Indiana. "They've (the '79 team) taken on folklore status. It's a great story that is nothing but positive for us."

Tark's return

After a nine-year absence, NCAA nuisance Jerry Tarkanian is back in the tournament with Fresno State. It marks the 17th appearance for Tarkanian, 69, who led UNLV to the national title in 1989-90.

"It's real nice," said Tarkanian, whose team has lost to first-round opponent Wisconsin in each of the past two regular seasons. "I've been here before. Now, it's important that we play well."

The Bulldogs are led by national scoring leader Courtney Alexander, a senior guard who is averaging 25.6 points per game.

"I think any athlete strives to be in the national spotlight," Alexander said. "You love the opportunity to play on CBS in front of millions of fans."

Up and down

Earlier this week, Mihm was named a first-team All-America by several publications. The euphoria disappeared Wednesday when he learned his grandmother had died.

"It's something that I'm really trying to put aside right now,'' said Mihm, who found out at the airport before Texas flew to Utah. "I need to be here for my team, and it's something I'll deal with when the appropriate time comes."

Don't expect Mihm's head to swell with this week's honors.

"He's one of the most unassuming people around," Longhorns coach Rick Barnes said. "It's not going to change him."

Woods out

After evaluating tests Tuesday, Arizona team physicians failed to clear junior center Loren Woods, and he will miss the remainder of the season. Woods, who averaged 15.6 points and 7.5 rebounds and led the Pac-10 Conference in blocked shots with 3.9 per game, injured his back against Washington State on Feb. 12 and sat out the past six games.

"We've been facing that for a while, wondering what would happen," said coach Lute Olson, who has seven scholarship players on his roster. "We'll continue to miss him. The guys have done a great job of stepping up."

Day and Knight

Say what you want about Bobby Knight, and plenty continues to be said, but don't expect to hear any knocks on him from Indiana State players, even after they upset his home-standing and 14th-ranked Hoosiers last December 63-60.

"After we beat IU, he came into our locker room and said, 'You guys played well and kicked our butts,' " said Green.

Added Menser, an Indiana native: "He said we could let it make our season or go on to bigger and better things."

Obviously, they did.

Where's Jason?

Olson still can't understand how fellow Pac-10 Conference coaches omitted freshman point guard Jason Gardner in voting for rookie of the year, even though he was the national freshman of the year in two publications. The Pac-10 award was shared by Casey Jacobsen of Stanford and Jason Kapono of UCLA.

"For a while, I questioned their intelligence," said Olson. "I'll never figure that one out, frankly."

Nor does Olson understand the big fuss about the Wildcats receiving a No. 1 seeding despite a 26-6 record and a co-conference championship with Stanford.

"On what basis?" he said. "These kids have earned the ranking they have. Now, they have to prove they belong there."

Sleepers

Barnes isn't surprised to see so many unheralded teams in the tournament. On the contrary, he said the national talent pool continues to increase.

"What is says is that players can play,'' he said. "They're not just in power conferences. I think players are everywhere, even though sometimes people don't know about them.''

Tip-ins

• Texas came to Salt Lake City last December for a game against Utah and lost 79-73. Apparently, they are not superstitious. The Longhorns ate at the same restaurant Tuesday night.
• Gabe Muoneke and Chris Owens of Texas shared a room with Nate Green of Indiana State at a basketball camp in Santa Barbara, Calif., last year. Said Muoneke of Green: "He was one of the few guys there who didn't have a huge ego. In my opinion, he's very underrated."
• Luke Walton, a redshirt freshman at Arizona and the son of former NBA standout Bill Walton, was an overwhelming pick as the most improved player by his teammates.