Shaved heads can't save IU's season

CHICAGO -- Headbands were the fashion of choice to start the season, but two near losses nixed that idea. \nThen IU went to the traditional headdress of basketball players -- nothing -- and that worked, giving them a fourth seed in this weekends Big Ten tournament. \nBut the bright idea of Rod Wilmont to shave his head ended the Hoosiers season Friday afternoon with a 71-55 loss against Minnesota at the United Center in Chicago. \nEight Hoosiers put a 'Bic' to their scalps Thursday afternoon with the exception of Bracey Wright and Pat Ewing Jr., but even the aerodynamics of a coach Kerry Rupp-like look couldn't help the woes of the Hoosiers. \n"It was kind of everybody following Wilmont's lead," said guard Marshall Strickland about the shaved heads. "Wilmont kept talking about Jordan, because we were coming to the United Center, and a bunch of us were hanging out with him and we decided to do it also. It was a fun thing."\nTrying to keep those bald heads warm was a struggle because of the chilly United Center temperature, but the Hoosiers' shooting was colder.\nTheir troubles started on the free throw line and continued to the rest of the court, shooting 55 percent from the line, making 11 of 20 foul shots.\n"Everybody was out there playing as hard as they could, and just free throws killed us though," Wilmont said. "That's what I think the big part of it was, free throws killed us."\nWhen they weren't shooting foul shots, IU shot a dismal 33.3 percent from the field, taking long three's and coming up short on many of their drives.\n"I felt like I should have been attacking the basket more, instead settling for jump shots, but I think all of us should have been doing that," freshman Robert Vaden said.\nHe said once the team realize its shots weren't falling, it should have drove more and taken the ball to the hoop.\nBut before the poor shooting began, Ewing Jr. said he saw the lack of energy in his team. \n"You can tell from the jump, seeing that we were a little sluggish," he said.\nWhen asked where the team's sense of urgency was Friday, Vaden said the Hoosiers forgot it somewhere.\n"I don't know," he said. "I guess we left it in the locker room."\nTrying to shoot themselves out of the slump, IU coach Mike Davis looked to his bench to bring a sense of urgency and productivity to the lineup, but none came.\nFreshman James Hardy came off the pine to score the only two bench points IU had all game with 3:27 left in the game. \nHe said the bench isn't heavily looked upon to put points on the board, but that everyone -- starters and the bench -- had good shots that weren't falling.\n"Everyone just comes in and plays," Hardy said. "Whoever scores, scores. Besides the starters, they're going to get the most playing time. They're going to get the most shots. But as coming off the bench players, we just try to come in and bring fire to the team, the best way that we can. And if we score points whole we're doing that, then so be it"