Learning his lesson

On Dec. 21, 2002, IU basketball coach Mike Davis learned a valuable lesson. \nHis Hoosiers, undefeated and ranked in the top 10 nationally, faced bitter rival Kentucky at Freedom Hall. A thrilling, up-tempo game entertained all in the crowd, but for most, the fireworks were yet to come. \nWith 10 seconds remaining in the game, then-IU freshman Bracey Wright drove to the basket and missed a shot that would have propelled the Hoosiers into the lead. Davis, irate at the officials for not calling a foul, berated the referees and then ran onto the court in a display of raw emotion and frustration. Two technical fouls were called, Davis was ejected and the Wildcats -- helped by five free throws, four coming courtesy of the aforementioned technicals -- stretched the margin of defeat to six points. \nIn the Hoosiers' next game, IU dropped a shocker at Temple before Davis' one-game suspension for abuse of officials was announced. Then-Athletics Director Terry Clapacs credited the loss to an over-emphasis by the media regarding Davis' tirade. \nTuesday night against Wisconsin, the Hoosiers had positioned themselves to win a crucial road game in Madison, where the Badgers, now 30-1 in conference home games, lose as often as a woman says yes to me. Wisconsin's lone loss came this season at the hands of the unblemished and No. 1-ranked Fighting Illini of Illinois, so the Hoosiers would have been in grand company. \nIn the final three minutes of the contest, those Hoosier fans glued to their TV sets needed to be sedated and tied down to prevent a coffee table-shaped indent in their Sony, or in my case Daewoo, magic box.\nAppropriately draped in stripes, the Big Ten officials working Tuesday's contest have been accused of robbing the Hoosiers of a monumental upset and a chance at cementing their claim to a NCAA Tournament at-large bid. \nDespite the lack of calls going IU's way, including a near mugging of Rod Wilmont in the lane and some phantom fouls whistled in favor of Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson, the Hoosiers still had a chance to win.\nOn the bench, in near disbelief, stood Davis. Dumb founded at the officiating and not understanding how a contest with such importance was taken out of the hands of those playing the game, the Hoosier head man did not rush onto the court. He did not get in the referees' faces. He did not pick up technical fouls. He calmly gathered his players, sat them down and coached them. \nTwo years ago, Davis blew a gasket as well as the Hoosiers' chance at victory. Now a seasoned vet in the coaching ranks, Davis showed his maturity and allowed his team an opportunity at a nearly impossible sweep of Michigan State and Wisconsin in back-to-back games when the team needed it most. \nHad Davis exploded as he has in the past, a buzzer-beater put-back on a failed box-out might not have been the story. The headlines might have read, "Davis loses cool, game." Talk of yet another meltdown might have bogged the Hoosiers in a relentless media quagmire, and Saturday's vital upcoming contest against Northwestern might have been an afterthought. \nDavis, not foreign to critics, kept his cool with perhaps the highest stakes of the year. That's a commendable effort that might prevent a relapse like 2002's disappointment at Temple as now the focus shifts to the United Nations Wildcats, who boast three Croats, two Canadians and a Frenchman. \nMost Hoosier fans see Saturday's tilt as a foregone conclusion, putting the cream and crimson at the magical 10-win conference mark. However, the Wildcats have beaten IU three of the last four meetings, including a 21-point debacle earlier this year. Maybe it's that streak of 32 consecutive home wins against Northwestern that breeds confidence, the longest Hoosier streak against any opponent.\nBut it could have been different, and Saturday, Mike Davis will be where these young Hoosiers need him most -- on the bench.