Running the Gauntlet

When the goin' gets tough, the tough get goin'.\nThe IU basketball team hopes to adopt this saying and take it into Saturday's match-up with defending national champion University of Connecticut. And believe it or not, after losing to run-and-gun No. 9 North Carolina Wednesday, things do get tougher for the Hoosiers.\nContrary to Wednesday's game in friendly Assembly Hall, a young IU team, which starts two freshmen and a sophomore, must play on the road and in a hostile environment against No. 7 UConn and veteran coach Jim Calhoun.\nKnowing the tough schedule facing his team, IU coach Mike Davis said starting freshmen Robert Vaden and D.J. White must gain experience on the fly.\n"What we have to do is continue to throw them in the fire," Davis said. "That's where we are right now. We play UConn Saturday, then we come back and play Notre Dame, then we go play Kentucky and Missouri and Charlotte. There's no time for them to be freshmen."\nVaden, who will be playing in his second-ever nationally televised game Saturday, impressed against UNC with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Vaden said the team must carry over its intensity and heart to Saturday.\n"Our schedule is one of the toughest," Vaden said. "I think now knowing we can play with the top teams in the country, we're going to bring it every game."\nOne aspect the Hoosiers hope doesn't carry over is their shooting performance Wednesday night, as IU struggled from the field, hitting only 33.4 percent of its shots. IU also struggled from the free-throw line. The Hoosiers only connected on eight of 15 from the charity stripe. \nTheoretically, those seven misses were the difference in the game, as UNC won by seven, 70-63.\nIU (2-1) was also out-rebounded for the third time in as many games Wednesday.\nSomehow, the Hoosiers and Davis hope to fix their shooting and rebounding problems before facing the defending champ Huskies.\n"For us, we don't have a cupcake," Davis said. "All of our games are tough. If you don't show up, you can lose by 30 or 35. Anybody can beat you."\nUConn's schedule so far has been light, as the Huskies have cruised to two victories against Buffalo and Florida International. Calhoun's 19th Huskie team is led by leading scorer junior Rashad Anderson and his 20 points per game, and top big men, sophomores Josh Boone and Charlie Villaneuva.\nSaturday's game is the first of a two-year, home and home series between the Hoosiers and Huskies. This year's game will be played at UConn's second venue, the Hartford Civic Center, while IU will welcome UConn next season in a match-up most likely slated for Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This will be the series's fifth rendition, as the Huskies and Hoosiers are tied at two wins a piece.\nSaturday, three days after their first loss of the season, Davis and the Hoosiers will look to get back in the win column. But the tough schedule will assuredly claim one victim -- Davis' sleep time.\n"It's tough to sleep at night because of the schedule, but it's one that we have to play," Davis said. "We have the personnel now. We're just young." \n-- Contact sports editor John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.