A pleasant surprise

OK, let's all just admit it now. We were expecting the Hoosiers to find a way to lose Saturday's game against undefeated Ohio State. As the clock ticked down to the final buzzer, everyone in Assembly Hall was waiting for the other shoe to drop and for IU to find a way to blow the game. We've become accustomed to this song and dance throughout the last three seasons. It's just how things operate. The Hoosiers play tough and end up falling just short when they play good teams. \nBut Saturday, we were once again reminded that this is a different team, with a different attitude.\nTrailing by 17 points late in the first half, the Hoosiers fought back and showed a toughness that has been sorely lacking in Bloomington lately. No offense to the past few Hoosier teams, but in pressure situations, they showed their true colors and disappeared. When facing adversity, last year's team was softer than a wet ham sandwich. \nThis team prides itself on taking a punch and firing back. Marco Killingsworth played his rather large tail off in the second half, finishing with 26 points, five rebounds and four blocks. He also spent the entire evening frustrating Ohio State center Terence Dials, forcing him into foul trouble. Killingsworth was visibly exhausted late in the game, but he continually fought for position in the post and ran the floor. You could see in his eyes that he was not going to let his team wilt under pressure.\nWhile Marco had an \ninspiring performance, my player of the game was Marshall Strickland. The senior guard played all 40 minutes and finished with 15 points. But his most important contribution to the team was his calming influence and his willingness to step up and make big plays. He hit two huge three-pointers at the beginning of the second half, played great defense all afternoon and looked as fresh in the last five minutes as he did at the opening tip. \nHe showed what he's made of during the game's final two possessions. The Hoosiers had the ball, with the score tied at 79 and only 10 seconds remaining. As the final play developed, Strickland set a screen on Dials to free up Killingsworth. As the two collided, Strickland allowed himself to fall to the ground, forcing the official to call Dials for his fifth and eliminating foul, and giving Marshall two shots from the charity stripe. \nThe Winfield, Md., native calmly sank both free throws to give the Hoosiers the lead at 81-79. Then for good measure, he stripped Matt Terwilliger of the in-bounds pass on the defensive end, closing out the game and beating those previously unbeaten Buckeyes. \nIf there is one player on this team who has struggled through the ups and downs of the past three years, it's Marshall Strickland. He is a different player this season though and you can tell by his attitude that he will not let this team fail. \nSo the Hoosiers have opened the Big Ten season 2-0, tied for first place with Northwestern and Wisconsin. Yes, that's right. If I had looked at the standings and seen that in any recent year, I would have thought the apocalypse was upon us, but this is a different year, and different team, with a different attitude.