IU hosts Wildcats

After the No.18 Hoosiers (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten) dropped their third loss in six games against Ohio State Saturday night, the frustration of the team was obvious. \nIU got off to one of its best starts in recent memory this season with an 8-0 record and No. 6 ranking headed into winter break. But since then the offense has sputtered and coach Mike Davis, as well as other members of the team, have questioned the squad's passion.\n"You think about this game (and) you look at the mistakes we made in this game and they're mistakes we've been making all year long," senior guard Kyle Hornsby said after losing to OSU. "I don't know what's different about this game that's going to make us learn from them but hopefully we will and we'll come out and do better in the next few games."\nThe Hoosiers will have a chance to right the ship during a three game home-stand that begins at 7 p.m. tonight against the Northwestern Wildcats (8-5, 0-2), who have steadily improved over the last three seasons under coach Bill Carmody.\nThis season the Wildcats have been led by the strong play of freshman point guard T.J. Parker, who is averaging 12.5 points and 2.8 assists per game.\n"T.J. Parker has been playing real well for us most of the year," Carmody said of his young floor general, who is the younger brother of San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker. "We've been really happy with him running the team and the poise he's shown out there."\nParker is joined in the backcourt by junior shooting guard Jitim Young, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.\nAlthough the Hoosiers are 28-0 against Northwestern at Assembly Hall, Davis said they must step up their intensity if they expect to maintain that streak.\n"I think (Northwestern's) getting better week by week and that's what you want to do and we're really struggling right now because we have no leadership," he said. "At the beginning of the season I thought we were one of the best teams in the nation. If you asked me a month and a half ago, I'd have said we had a chance to win two games over them, but now they're improving and getting better all the time."\nThe Wildcats, who until recently were the perennial doormats of the Big Ten, have indeed become a much more competitive team. Their defense is perhaps their best asset as they are holding opponents to a stifling 59.3 points per game and are averaging 6.2 steals per contest.\nAlthough they have opened the Big Ten season with two losses against Iowa and Purdue, they were able to keep up with both teams. \nThe Iowa game came down to the wire before a couple missed three-point attempts by the Wildcats and three key free throws by the Hawkeyes.\nWhile the Wildcats trailed for nearly the entire game against Purdue, they trimmed the lead to 64-60 with less than six minutes to go before the Boilermakers pulled away to win 82-68.\n"I thought we played better against Purdue, actually," Carmody said. "We just weren't able to stop their best guy (senior point guard) Willie Deane. Now we have to go to Indiana where they have a lot of best guys. They have so many weapons offensively; you just don't know where to start."\nDavis, however, does not share Carmody's positive outlook on the Hoosiers. He explained that he may have to make some adjustments heading into tonight's game. The major problems he cited were a lack of rebounding and a reluctance to get the ball inside to forward Jeff Newton and center George Leach. \n"I need to make some personnel changes," he said. "I have guys out there who aren't showing any leadership, that aren't playing hard. Our guys pulled for each other last year, and if you watch, how many times have you seen that this year? There's some stuff going on that I don't like. I'm going to change it -- it will surprise a lot of people"