Lucky No. 7

IU might only have eight wins on the season, but the team has figured out how to beat Michigan seven straight times. The Hoosiers' 62-53 victory was IU's third straight, and sixth in the last seven games.\nThe victory pushes IU to 3-1 in the Big Ten and 8-7 overall. Michigan fell to 12-6 and 3-1 in the Big Ten.\n"It's not that we're out-coaching Michigan. It's just the way the breaks have been. I hope it'll be eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. We'll be sitting here talking about 20, 21," IU coach Mike Davis said with a smile on his face.\nDavis said a lot of IU's success can be attributed to Michigan's Chris Hunter not playing and Daniel Horton being hobbled with a leg injury.\nIt took a freshman's effort to get IU the win as D.J. White paced the Hoosiers with 16 points, including 11 straight in a four-minute stretch in the second half to push IU to a 10-point lead, 51-41.\nA White dunk, with 8:03 to go, spurred the packed house to a roar and gave IU a 45-39 lead. Chants of "D.J. White, D.J. White" came down from the student section. The Hoosiers never looked back as the only thing to stop White was foul trouble when the freshman had to exit with his fourth foul with 4:36 to go.\nWhite said it was his focus that helped him overcome his foul trouble and a little halftime advice from transfer Marco Killingsworth.\n"(Killingsworth) told me to just keep my head and keep playing hard," White said. "The crowd brought me some energy, and kept my confidence up high heading into the second half. I respect them and appreciate it."\nMichigan kept it close, and after White exited, Dion Harris hit a three to draw the Wolverines to within five with 3:54 to go.\nFrom there, White handed the reigns to Bracey Wright and Robert Vaden. Wright's pull up jumper put the Hoosiers back up five after Horton had cut it to three. After IU won a lose ball when Michigan knocked it out, Vaden tipped in a Wright miss to put the Hoosiers up seven, 58-51, with 1:17 to go.\nMichigan coach Tommy Amaker was disappointed with the Wolverines giving up 14 offensive rebounds, including Vaden's follow.\n"They got a big one there with the tip-in," Amaker said.\nWright had five offensive rebounds of his own.\nIU was on cruise control from there, hitting enough free throws in the final minute to clinch the win. IU shot 26 free throws in the second half, hitting 18, compared to the Wolverines seven makes.\nThe Hoosiers were aided by a scrappy defensive effort that forced 20 Michigan turnovers, including nine turnovers from Michigan's starting backcourt of Dion Harris and Horton. Amaker didn't have an answer for his team's sloppy play.\n"We can't be a good basketball team if our guards play the way they did tonight," Amaker said.\nTwo minutes into the second half, IU caught a break when White was originally charged with a third foul. After the officials consulted the courtside monitors, it was ruled a shot clock violation on Michigan and White's foul was taken away.\nIt was the second straight game the officials had to consult the courtside monitor after IU's double-overtime win at Purdue Saturday.\n"I like that because this is the first time we've gotten a call in our favor," Davis said. "We may be the only team that's been in this situation this often. It's not the officials, it's just the way things are going for us."\nThe Hoosiers now find themselves in a similar situation to last season when IU started 5-1 in the Big Ten only to finish 7-9.\nWright said it's his and everybody else who played last year's job to prevent a similar situation for the Hoosiers.\n"As quick as things can go your way, they can turn right around," Wright said. "I enjoy every win that we get and I'm happy to put this streak together, but at the same time I'm cautious about the way we approach things because I've seen it before."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.