A 'classic' test for Hoosiers

A little more than eight months ago, the IU women's basketball team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers' magical season ended abruptly and with disappointment. After several practices and two exhibition games this year, IU begins the regular season this weekend along with its quest to return to the tournament. IU hosts the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic as they play Wofford 6 p.m. Friday night at Assembly Hall. The second game between Ball State and Houston is set for 8 p.m. The winners battle in the Championship 4 p.m. Saturday, while the consolation is at 2 p.m.\n"This is a really good tournament," coach Kathi Bennett said. "There are some quality teams. This is probably the toughest IU Classic we've had. It should be interesting to see how we stack up."\nWhile IU lost to Texas Christian University in this tournament last season, Wofford finished 16-13 and was .500 in the Southern Conference. Wofford's expected starting line-up features four underclassmen including two Indiana products. Sophomore guard Ricaye Harris is a graduate of Muncie Central High School, while sophomore forward Maria Renner played in Indianapolis at Decatur Central High School.\nThe Hoosiers have never faced Wofford, but sophomore guard Jenny DeMuth said the team is looking forward to the challenge.\n"If we start off the season well, we will set the tone for the rest of the season," DeMuth said. "We need to come out and compete. This team has a competitive spirit. We have a real desire to play and a will to win."\nIU's probable starting lineup features three upperclassmen. Both seniors Lisa Eckart and Kristen Bodine will see their first full regular season action at Assembly Hall. Eckart sat out last year after transferring from Evansville. Meanwhile, Bodine redshirted a year ago after tearing her ACL. \nIU is the defending Classic champions, as they triumphed over Northern Arizona 61-56 in the championship game last year. In addition, IU has only lost once in the history of the classic, which dates back to the 1993-1994 season. The Hoosiers are looking for a repeat performance this year and continued dominance in this event. \nFreshman guard Cyndi Valentin said it is important to be successful at the beginning of the season, because that is how you measure your progress. At the same time, Valentin said it would be bad to start the season with two losses, but added that would motivate the team more than anything else.\n"We would have to get ourselves out of a slump," Valentin said. "But we don't want to get in a slump in the first place, even though it would motivate us. We should already be motivated."\nThe Hoosiers have won both of their exhibition contests this season. They defeated Premier Sports and the Reebok Lady All-Stars by a combined 48 points. Bennett said she knows it won't be that easy in the regular season.\n"We got better from the first exhibition game to the second and that's important," Bennett said. "Also everyone played, but starting Friday it's going to be a challenge, both physically and mentally." \nIU played transition basketball in its final exhibition contest. The Hoosiers created fast breaks by earning steals and long rebounds to trigger easy scoring opportunities. Running and gunning is something Bennett said she likes her teams to do because it starts with defense, a staple of Bennett squads. Bennett said this team is capable of getting out in the open court. \n"This team has the opportunity to be one of the best transition teams I have ever coached," Bennett said. \nWin or lose, IU will have to come right back and play on Saturday. They will either play Ball State or Houston. The Hoosiers own a commanding 22-3 all-time record versus the Cardinals and hold a 3-0 all-time mark versus the Lady Cougars.\nTwo games in consecutive days means the Hoosiers will receive a conditioning test. Valentin said it will be tough and very intense but welcomes the challenge. \nThe Hoosiers impressed in their final exhibition game last Friday winning against the Reebok Lady All-Stars and scoring 93 points. That team featured a host of stars, but were no match for IU. The Hoosiers hope they can sustain the momentum from last weekend and start the season with consecutive victories.\n"After last weekend, we needed to work on some defensive things," DeMuth said. "Defense is what's going to keep us in games and our defense should lead us this weekend. I can't wait to take the court and play tough defense now that the games really count"