Jeffries chose Hoosiers over Devils

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Mike Krzyzweski figured he didn't have much of a shot at convincing Jared Jeffries to play basketball at Duke. \nAfter all, Jeffries grew up and played high school basketball within a stone's throw of Assembly Hall and the IU campus. \nKrzyzewski had more of a chance than he thought. \nJeffries, a sophomore forward at IU and the Hoosiers' leading scorer, visited Duke during Midnight Madness during his senior year at Bloomington North and nearly took the bait. \n"When I did come back from Duke, I was leaning toward going there," Jeffries said Wednesday. "It took me a week to make that decision."\nTonight in the NCAA South Regional semifinal, Jeffries will wear the cream and crimson and try to knock off the defending national champions from Duke, a team he nearly was a part of. \nHe isn't a Blue Devil thanks to Hoosier coach Mike Davis, who had developed a friendship with the 2000 McDonald's All-American and Indiana Mr. Basketball. That relationship ended up saving Davis and robbing the Blue Devil program. \n"I didn't think he wanted to come home in Bloomington and see my face and know that I would be disappointed he went to Duke," Davis said. "It was close. He came to Indiana because of me; that's what he told me."\nDuring his visit, Jeffries spoke with current Blue Devil standout Mike Dunleavy, who plays a similar style and has a build and soft-spoken demeanor similar to Jeffries'. Jeffries also made an impression on Krzyzewski, who said he is fond of players of the Jeffries-Dunleavy body-type. \n"He's a great kid with an unbelievable family," Krzyzewski said. "We knew it was a stretch trying to recruit him; when you drive to his home, you go past Assembly Hall. I thought it was worth a shot and it was. He's had an unbelievable two years at Indiana, which is not surprising."\nREADY TO ROLL\nIU arrived in Lexington Tuesday night and practiced for the first time in Rupp Arena for 50 minutes Wednesday afternoon. \nIU went through basic drills, shooting and running the floor before giving way to Kent State, Duke and Pittsburgh, which all held 50-minute practice sessions that were open to the media and public.\nThe Hoosiers were scheduled for a closed practice at Transylvania University in Lexington Wednesday night and have the option of a shoot-around in Rupp Arena today. \nUK FOR IU? \nBefore IU played Kentucky in Indianapolis Dec. 29, Davis expressed his hatred of Kentucky, which stemmed from his playing days at Alabama, a Southeastern Conference rival of the Wildcats. \nBut Wednesday, he retracted those statements, in hopes that neutral Kentucky fans in attendance tonight will pull for the underdog Hoosiers. \n"I love Kentucky. I love Kentucky. They're my favorite team other than Indiana," Davis said. "I apologize if I ever said anything to offend any Kentucky fan."\nSeveral hundred fans, most of them supporting IU, watched Wednesday's open practice. \nBRUISED AND BATTERED\nJunior guard Tom Coverdale, who inured his left ankle in IU's first-round victory over Utah, practiced Wednesday and didn't show a noticeable limp. His ankle, which was heavily taped and might have a slight tendon tear, kept him out of practice earlier this week. \n"He's probably about 65, 70 percent," Davis said. "He's not the quickest guy in the world, but I tell you what, there's not a tougher guy in basketball than Tom Coverdale."\nJeffries showed no limp on his tender right ankle, and sophomore guard A.J. Moye, who continues to nurse a sore shoulder and a thigh contusion, showed no signs of slowing down his fast-paced style. \n"That's just something you have to play through," senior forward Jarrad Odle said. "Coverdale and Jeffries have been doing that."\nMike Roberts, who is redshirting this season after injuring his lower leg before the season, has practiced at home this season, and began practicing on the road during IU's trip to Sacramento, Calif., for the first and second rounds. He did the same Wednesday and appeared not to be bothered by the injury. \nSLIM BENCH\nFoul trouble could plague both teams tonight, thanks to benches that rarely go more than eight deep. \nDuke has only six players who average more than 17 minutes per game and only six players who have played in every game. After the top six scorers, Duke's remaining eight players have combined for just 188 points (9.2 per game) this season.\nIU has eight players who average 14 or more minutes per contest. Injuries have limited IU to six players who have played in every game, but Jeffries has missed just one game and Odle has played in all but two. \nHOOSIER CONNECTION\nBesides Krzyzweski's ties with former IU coach Bob Knight, whom he played under while at Army and served as a graduate assistant during one season at IU, the Blue Devils have two more representatives with Hoosier roots.\nAndy Mears, who played high school basketball at Lawrence North High School near Indianapolis, joined Duke's team as a walk-on in September. Mears has played in 10 games and scored 11 points this season. \nDuke Academic and Recruiting Coordinator Mike Schrage graduated from IU in 1998.