Calloway fuels Hoosiers in 2nd half with up-tempo play

Junior guard Earl Calloway left the doghouse to become top dog in IU's 80-88 loss to Connecticut Saturday.\nThe junior college transfer struggled at Iowa and saw only two minutes against Minnesota, shooting a collective 2-for-9 from the field. After averaging more than 15 minutes per outing before his stint against the Hawkeyes, he never rose from the bench during last week's Northwestern game.\n"It was the coach's decision," Calloway said. "Whatever he has for me, I'll just come in and contribute for the team."\nSo when he saw time against the top-ranked Huskies, he made the most of it.\nHe entered with 10:41 left to go and brought his trademark intensity and up-tempo play.\nWith the deficit at 66-50, he assisted senior guard Marshall Strickland for a 3-pointer. Then, after a three from UConn guard Denham Brown, Calloway tore down the floor to convert a fast-break layup, getting fouled on his way up.\nHe missed the foul shot, but retrieved his own rebound to hit sophomore guard Robert Vaden on the wing for a 3-pointer.\n"We're automatically supposed to push the ball up," Calloway said. "It was a big emphasis to keep pushing it up because we saw the big men weren't running back."\nCalloway contributed on the defensive end as well, intercepting a Marcus Williams pass that led to a 3-pointer from junior guard Rod Wilmont on the other end.\nThe Hoosiers rode back into the game on the shoulders of Calloway, who cut the UConn lead to seven, 73-66, after a reverse circus layup on his own one-man fast break.\n"That was instinct," he said. "He stepped up and I didn't have control to go up with my left, so I reversed it. Thank God it went in."\nCalloway, who has been described as soft-spoken and mild, appeared fired up Saturday afternoon. On one occasion late in the second half, he pumped his arms and screamed after deflecting a Husky pass to sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff for the near turnover.\n"We have been pushing buttons on him all year," IU coach Mike Davis said. "I didn't play him last game and really worked him hard in practice ... Today he came out and played."\nDavis has cited the way teams are guarding IU as part of the reason for his squad's recent turmoil. Opposing coaches have been putting guards on Vaden while the sophomore swingman has been lined up at the power forward position. Forwards that would ideally be guarding Vaden have instead been on IU's guards, like senior Lewis Monroe and Calloway.\n"I thought coach made a good decision by putting Earl in," Wilmont said. "Earl is fast and there was no way they were putting a (power forward) on Earl."\nIn 11 minutes of play, Calloway finished with three assists, two steals, five rebounds and eight points on 4-of-5 shooting.\nDavis said Calloway has been overwhelmed in his first year at the Division I level, saying that Saturday afternoon is indicative of his true ability.\n"If he can play that way for us, it takes us to a different \nlevel," Davis said.