'The Barn,' no funhouse

Believe it or not, things are looking up for IU. \nA few weeks ago, there was no way of guessing that this would be the case. The Hoosiers had been brutalized in their non-conference schedule. And they were facing an intimidating Big Ten schedule that put them away from Assembly Hall for four of the first five games.\nNow they have a chance to head into next Tuesday's game against Purdue with a 4-1 conference record in a most improbable way -- by winning road games. Last year, IU won only a single Big Ten road game. They've already surpassed that with wins at Michigan and Ohio State.\nParticularly inviting is the fact that Minnesota has lurched out of the gate to a 0-4 start in the Big Ten, making them the only team to still be without a conference win. They are 8-8 overall, but their only quality victory is over Princeton.\nEasy win, right? Not so fast. After all, this is IU we are talking about.\nMinnesota's Williams Arena, better known as "The Barn," has been a menace for the Hoosiers since it opened in 1928. The building, which is the oldest in the Big Ten, has not housed a Hoosier victory since 1996. It is also the site of the worst loss in IU history, a 105-56 thrashing in 1994.\nThere is just something quirky about the place that throws opponents off. Maybe it's the raised floor. Or it's drafty. Or the fact that like every great old stadium, such as Chicago Stadium or Boston Garden, it's just really, really loud. \nBefore the season started, A.J. Moye told me how "The Barn" was his least favorite venue to play at.\n"You're scared to dive for a loose ball because you don't want to die," Moye said of the Gophers elevated court. "And one rim is lower than the other, and it's extremely loose. That's their's in the second half. They get game winners all the time where the ball bounces on the rim damn near eight times."\nIt is also important to point out that the Gophers are hardly a team devoid of talent, especially at forward, where senior Michael Bauer and freshman Kris Humphries lead the way. \nAnd IU is almost guaranteed to have problems matching up against center Jeff Hagen, who is 7- feet tall and has the physique of a man who eats his fair share of flapjacks and bacon every morning.\nPerhaps the biggest reason for Minnesota's struggles early in the season is the absence of their best player from last season, Rick Rickert. Rickert made an extremely ill-advised decision to leave school after his sophomore season and go pro -- perhaps the most ill-advised decision to go pro early since God Shammgod.\nNeedless to say, Rickert is nowhere near the NBA right now, but toiling somewhere in Europe. The irony is that as NBA rosters are stocked with more Europeans every year, more players who left college early and didn't crack a roster will be biding their time overseas.\nPack the Hall: As you may have heard, the women's team is hosting Purdue at 2 p.m.Sunday for an event being deemed "Pack the Hall." That means they want you to show up for the game. And there isn't any reason you shouldn't. \nFirst of all, if you're a student, it's free. And there's no football this Sunday. More importantly, it will be benefiting a good cause -- cheering against Purdue. Oh yeah, and if 10,000 fans show up, Vera Bradley, Inc. is donating $10,000 to breast cancer research. So go.