DAYTON, Ohio — This was the type of game Indiana rarely finds a way to win. The pace slow, the play physical, the score low, the game ugly.

We’ve seen it too many times before. Butler. Wisconsin. Minnesota. Wisconsin again.

Temple gave the top-seeded Hoosiers everything they could handle on Sunday afternoon in Dayton. They had them on the ropes, had them frazzled. Their dream season was quickly slipping away.

But this time, Indiana found a way — an ugly, low-scoring and physical one — and the Hoosiers are moving on. They won a game in a way they never can. Now, the Hoosiers are more dangerous than ever. Now, they have won in every imaginable way.

Indiana 58, Temple 52.

“It was just a matter of time, the way our guys approached it, that things would break for them,” said Indiana coach Tom Crean. “If we just continued to defend, if we continued to get good shots and good ball movement and get the ball inside out on offense … That’s exactly what happened.”

What made this one different? Well, it’s really quite simple: Leadership. This team’s seniors have been through it all. They’ve lost too many times to Wisconsin and Wisconsin-like teams to let it end their collegiate careers.

Jordan Hulls, who took a brutal hit to his shoulder in the first half only to come back and hit big shots later, made sure his teammates never quit. He took control in the team’s huddles during timeouts.

“He said, ‘We were down by five with 52 seconds to go at Michigan,’” associate head coach Tim Buckley said of Hulls. “He said that with two minutes to go in the game.”

“Jordan kept saying, ‘We’re not done, we’re not done,’” Yogi Ferrell said.

Hulls’ words were important, but his actions were even more so. He was clearly in pain — he constantly grimaced late in the first half — but he refused to remain on the bench in the biggest game of Indiana’s season. Hulls wanted to be on the floor.

“He said, ‘You’re gonna have to cut my legs off for me not to play in this game,’” Maurice Creek said.

Christian Watford may not be as vocal as Hulls, but his leadership was just as important. Watford’s blocked shot of Antony Lee and the rebound that followed was the biggest play of Indiana’s season to this point. It saved the game, it got them to D.C.

Lee thought he was all alone and figured he’d get an easy layup. Watford had other ideas.

“Christian wants to win, and his leadership showed through,” Buckley said. “He may not be the most vocal guy, but he has that fire that burns inside. He had to make a winning play, and that’s what he did.”

“Biggest play of the year. We’re moving on because of that,” Hulls added.

Watford’s 3-pointer to beat No. 1 Kentucky last year brought the Indiana program back into the national spotlight. And unbelievably, the play he made Sunday was even bigger.

For as much as Watford as been criticized over the years, the guy routinely steps up in the clutch. People remember Kentucky, but don’t forget about the round of 32 tournament game against VCU from last year. The Hoosiers were getting beat up, and Watford led them back.

And what about Victor Oladipo? Last season, he probably would have missed the ocean if he shot a basketball from 21 feet away. Against Temple, he didn’t hesitate when he caught the ball late in the game with the shot-clock winding down. He simply buried the dagger.

“I was open, and I just pretty much shot the ball,” Oladipo said. “It really didn’t have anything to do with the moment or the confidence to shoot it. I just caught it and shot it. I didn’t think about it.”

He didn’t think about the fact that he has struggled from behind the 3-point line in recent games. Or that there was still time on the shot clock. Or that a make would send him home for the Sweet 16. But now, he will get to.

Indiana’s dream season is alive, and despite the third-round scare, the Hoosiers are as scary as ever.

DAYTON, Ohio — Check out 43 photos by Jamie Owens from Indiana’s 58-52 win over Temple in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena in the embedded photo gallery after the jump. Purchase prints from J. Scott Sports.

Watch and listen below as Tom Crean, Cody Zeller, Christian Watford, Jordan Hulls and Victor Oladipo answer questions from the media after Indiana’s third round NCAA Tournament win over Temple on Sunday:

You can read a full transcript here.

What. A. Weekend. Both opponents tried to play the same slow-the-game-down strategy while letting one player contribute the most offense, but the difference was one team was far more successful in doing so.

In the Second Round (but really, it’s the first round), the Hoosiers matched up against a James Madison squad that beat down LIU-Brooklyn in their play-in game. Forward Rayshawn Goins was very confident in his pre-game interview that he could take it to the #1 seed in the East, but was far from impressive, going 1-6 for 2 points. Instead, it was the freshman point guard Andre Nation that took the scoring load, putting up 24.

However, the first nine points of the game were scored by Indiana’s freshman point guard Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell. He finished with 16 points on 7-12 shooting, picking up 8 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists as well. Following his fast start, the rest of the team followed suit, ending the game with a shooting percentage of 52.7, and 39.1% from beyond the arc. They never once trailed, and at one point held a 30 point advantage before Tom Crean began putting in his bench players so his starters could get some much needed rest as the Hoosiers went on to win 83-62.

The Round of 32 was a much different story. Temple had beaten the slightly favored NC State 76-72, holding off a late charge by the Wolfpack. Khalif Wyatt was the focus for the Hoosiers, as he had the tendency to take over games, which was evident in their first game when he dropped 31 points. And Wyatt came to play against the Hoosiers as well, putting up 20 points in the first half and really giving Indiana fits trying to shut him down. Even worse was the  lack of made field goals down the stretch in the first half, as only 9 points came in the final 11 minutes.

The story continued in the second half as the teams traded buckets throughout a majority of the final 20 minutes. Despite the Owls picking up six fouls with 12:05 left, the Hoosiers didn’t seem to want to attack the basket to pick up the fouls to put them into the bonus, so Temple led 41-35 with just over ten minutes left.

That’s when the tide turned for Indiana. A three point shot by Jordan Hulls followed a Victor Oladipo layup  to close the gap to one before Temple stretched it to a four point advantage that they took into the last media timeout. Cody Zeller then hit a layup and two free throws to pull the teams even with under two minutes. Oladipo was fouled and sent to the line for two shots, but missed his first, sparking a Temple timeout to try and ice the Naismith finalist. The timeout was all for naught though, as he hit the second, giving IU their first lead of the second half.

Not only did he put Indiana in ahead, but put the game away with a cool three point shot taken from the top of the key. Christian Watford followed with the final points of the game, notching two free throws to give Indiana the win, 58-52. But more importantly than the free throws at the end was a key block he had on a wide open Anthony Lee to stop the Owls on what ended up being a crucial possession.

So after the scare the Temple Owls gave the Hoosiers, Indiana has is second straight Sweet 16 appearance and will face Syracuse on Thursday, March 28 for the next step in their quest to hang Banner #6.

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Thanks to a late block by Christian Watford and a 3-pointer by Victor Oladipo, top-seeded Indiana is headed back to the Sweet 16 following a 58-52 win over Temple. Ugly win makes IU more dangerous » The Minute After » Photo Gallery » Video: Players react » Video: Press conference »

Thoughts on a 58-52 win against the Owls:

They did it. Finally.

The Hoosiers, in a grind-it-out game reminiscent of losses this season, got over the hump in a low-scoring affair and willed themselves to victory in crunch time.

It was tough and far from beautiful. But they survive, and D.C. and the Sweet Sixteen are calling.

Much was made of the Khalif Wyatt-Victor Oladipo matchup. Wyatt owned the first half, scoring 20 points in 20 minutes on 8-of-14 shooting. Crean tried others beyond Oladipo like Remy Abell and Will Sheehey, but Wyatt kept old-manning IU, kept hitting while his teammates only mustered nine of the team’s first half points. IU trailed 29-26 at the break, as Jordan Hulls iced his shoulder in the locker room and Cody Zeller sat with two fouls.

Temple, a team that played five-straight one point games during the season, was physical and grabbed this game by the throat. It got second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounding. It slowed the Hoosiers into a halfcourt game. This is the formula to beat Indiana, and the Owls were sitting pretty. Had they hit more shots in the first half (heck, had they hit more shots period with just a 33.9 percent mark from the field for the game and a terrible 3-of-24 performance from distance), and Indiana might be heading back to Bloomington with tail firmly between its legs.

But the Hoosiers played the second half exactly how they needed to in this type of game. Cody Zeller had a rough afternoon (six turnovers, 4-of-10 from the field), but Indiana went to him time and time again early in the second half and he kept drawing fouls, which set up an early bonus situation for IU. The fruits of that labor were capitalized on at the end of the contest, as Indiana got two double bonus trips to the line in the closing minute of the game, where Oladipo hit 1-of-2 and Watford hit 2-of-2. The Hoosiers finished the game 16-of-20 from the line.

And because Temple couldn’t buy a bucket — and because Wyatt went cold for a stretch amidst all his barking and jawing and cursing — Indiana never trailed by more than six and was always within striking distance.

“The big thing for us was that Temple never got any separation,” Crean would say after the game.

And so a late strike would be made.

Down four (52-48) after two Wyatt free throws, Hulls, painful shoulder and all, made a move and hit a jumper at the free throw line.

Hulls told teammates after the game that his “legs would have had to be cut off” for him not to play, and a literal interpretation of such a quote isn’t out of the question.

On the ensuing possession, Indiana’s defense would come up huge. Zeller and Oladipo blitzed a ball screen for Wyatt in the corner. He would heave the ball up at the rim and Anthony Lee was there at the rim to catch the ball. It looked as if it could be another late-in-the-shot-clock score for the Owls — something they did in the second half on a few occasions, a Wisconsin-esque performance. But Christian Watford would help weak side and come up with an enormous block. Lee would get a second-chance off the block and miss. Watford grabbed the board.

A reporter asked Watford after the game if this block was bigger than the #WatShot, and based on the stakes, he would say that it was.

Zeller would get to the line for the Hoosiers on the next possession and hit both attempts. Tie ballgame. And now it was time for the Wyatt and Oladipo show. Oladipo gambled and went for a steal out past the left wing. Wyatt would heave a 3-pointer off of it and miss. The DeMatha product grabbed the long board and drove up in transition, only to be fouled in the process by Wyatt. He would hit 1-of-2 at the line to give the Hoosiers a one-point advantage.

Another Indiana defensive stand began with Wyatt being denied the ball because of Oladipo’s faceguarding. Temple would call timeout with 10 seconds left to shoot and more faceguarding by Oladipo and a double-team from Yogi Ferrell again kept the ball away from Wyatt. The Owls could only muster a deep jumper from Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson that missed and went out of bounds. Oladipo’s huge 3-pointer and Watford’s aforementioned 2-of-2 trip from the line would seal it.

Indiana finished the game on a 10-0 run. After the game, an admittedly relieved Crean would tell this Temple team it was the toughest the Hoosiers had faced all year.

Maybe true, maybe not. But Indiana finally figured out how to win against a team that slowed them down and mucked them up, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

I haven’t looked at a box score or a statistic or a highlight, and don’t really care what IU’s performance means for Thursday or beyond. IU played a game that felt like a loss for about 30 of 40 minutes but somehow pulled it out. Victor Oladipo overcame a rough day to provide an iconic moment in the final minute. Ditto Christian Watford. The Hoosiers remain well short of the ultimate goal but are in consecutive Sweet 16s for the first time in 19 years. Whew.