Earning Their Stripes

Coaching\nDuring the entire offseason, IU coach Mike Davis had doubters and critics in his face at all times.\nBut below the whirlwind of controversy, Davis held in one hand the most talented and most experienced team he'd ever coached. In the other, he held a deep-rooted personal desire for success, with a hint of urgency.\nWhat happened next? One hand washed the other, both hands washed the face.\nDavis managed all the skepticism to perfection, refusing to even acknowledge the possibility of failure and all its potential ramifications. He insisted on a "just-wait-and-see" mentality and proved himself wise beyond anyone's belief.\nThe combination of a talented team and a supportive coach has the Hoosiers sitting pretty at 11-3 and just half a game out of first place in the Big Ten.\nNobody knew it at the time, but as Davis embraced all the preseason attention, it allowed his team to remain focused on one thing -- winning.\nSo far, it's worked.\nShooting\nThis is an easy assessment.\nIU shoots better than any team in the country -- that is a scientific fact. The Hoosiers shoot 52 percent from the field, but that's not hard to do when the man taking the most shots makes 62 percent of them. Senior Marco \nKillingsworth leads the prolific shooting effort, shooting below 50 percent just three times this season. And Killingsworth has plenty of company among players making more shots than they miss -- there are five more. \nWhat about the long ball you ask? The Hoosiers lead the nation there as well at 47 percent proficiency from deep. Three Hoosiers rank among the Big Ten's top-five 3-point shooters: Junior Errek Suhr (.545), senior Marshall Strickland (.517) and sophomore Robert Vaden (.493). \nDefense\nThis is the one area that can really go either way for the Hoosiers.\nCase in point, the good -- holding rival Kentucky to 53 points and 7 percent 3-point shooting, then keeping the opposition below 60 in the next three games.\nCase in point, the bad -- allowing Michigan State to score 87 points and shoot 64 percent in the second half, not to mention relinquishing 79 points to lowly Western Illinois University.\nThe Hoosiers' practices tend to get more heated when conducting defensive drills, so the coaching staff seems to be addressing the problem. But the proof will be in the production for the remainder of the season. Ten of the 11 Big Ten teams average more points per game than the Hoosiers currently give up, so to borrow an old cliché, something's got to give.\nRebounding\nIt's a good thing the Hoosiers shoot so well, because if they missed their first shots, chances are, they wouldn't get a second one.\nIU's 34 rebounds per game average is second worst in the Big Ten, ahead of only Northwestern's 27. Only Killingsworth has a double-digit rebounding game to his credit this season. But the 6-foot-8 senior also has a one-rebound game to his credit against Michigan State, and that rebound was on his own miss.\nThe Hoosiers, however, did offer a glimmer of hope Tuesday against Illinois when they pulled down 39 boards and outrebounded the over-sized Illini squad. The Illinois win directly contradicted the previous game's effort when IU grabbed only 18 rebounds in a loss to Michigan State. This is the primary area of question for this year's Hoosiers.\nPassing\nIt's hard to lead the nation in shooting percentage without getting plenty of open looks. And it's hard to get open looks without great ball movement.\nResorting back to that logic class taken to fulfill a philosophy requirement, it's easy to conclude that the Hoosiers have, indeed, succeeded in passing the basketball. And that's a valid argument.\nDidn't take a logic course? Perhaps math is more of a strong suit. IU averages 17.8 assists per game and that's good for a No. 20 ranking among all NCAA Division I schools. \nThe aspect that makes IU unique is that racking up assists truly has been a team effort. The four players who have been staples in IU's starting lineup (Killingsworth, Vaden, Strickland and senior Lewis Monroe) all average more than two assists per game, with Vaden and Monroe leading the effort.