Team heading for tundra to take on Alaska-Anchorage

Another day and another road trip to a game away from Assembly Hall. \nThis time, the mens basketball team will be on the other side of the continent, taking on University of Alaska-Anchorage in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night in Anchorage, Alaska. The game will be on ESPN2.\nThe tournament will be on the Seawolves' home court, Sullivan Arena.\nThe No. 20 Hoosiers (1-0) spent a lot of energy Sunday night in their 65-61 comeback win at Charlotte. Now, after returning from North Carolina to practice at Assembly Hall Monday, IU will go to Alaska to face the Seawolves, who will be playing their season opener.\nAlthough it will be difficult, junior guard Kyle Hornsby said the tough schedule to start the season will help the Hoosiers in the long run.\n"It gets you ready for the Big Ten season," he said. "We lost some games last season that we should have won. Those are the kind of games you have to win if you're going to win a Big Ten championship."\nPerhaps IU is already learning to do that after its win Sunday night after being down by as many as 12 in the second half. \nSunday, Coach Mike Davis noticed his team was more prepared to handle a tough environment than last year.\n"(Charlotte) almost broke us," he said. "If this would have been early last year, you know we would have folded."\nIn the other half of the Hoosiers bracket is Marquette and Tennessee, who will also play Wednesday. The other bracket, which will begin play Thursday, features Oregon State against Texas and St. John's against Gonzaga.\nThe semifinals will be played Friday before the championship and consolation games Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers were last in this tournament in 1995, when they beat the Seawolves in the opening round before falling to Duke and Connecticut.