Hoosiers look to rebound from 2 consecutive losses

IU has struggled on the boards all season long, but the biggest rebound of the season won't come from a box out.\nThe season's most crucial rebound could come tonight against Northwestern (10-8, 3-4 Big Ten) in Assembly Hall, where the No. 21 Hoosiers will try to bounce back from two straight road losses.\n"By no means is (the season) over," IU coach Mike Davis said. "That's the way people are thinking, and I don't want my guys to think that way."\nIU (12-5, 4-3) suffered its worst defeat of the season Sunday to a Minnesota squad searching for its first conference win. The Hoosiers fell five days earlier to an Iowa team still reeling from a 30-point loss to Michigan State.\nUnderstandably, Davis has to deal with some morale problems.\n"The fan base can get the players' mind-set down," Davis said. "You would have thought we just lost 10 games."\nStanding between them and a much-needed win is the Big Ten's leading scorer and a unique offense.\nNorthwestern forward Vedran Vukusic averages a conference-best 20.5 points per game and is the focal point of a scoring attack comprised of screens and hard back-door cuts.\n"You've just got to hope you're in shape because you do so much back cutting and stuff guarding your man," senior forward Marco Killingsworth said. "You better hope you're in some shape because that's what it's going to come to down to."\nThe Wildcats' diverse offensive sets are offset by a one-sided scoring attack, as Vukusic has little help. Northwestern guard Mohamed Hachad is the only other Wildcat averaging double figures with 10.7 points per game.\n"We want to get this thing going in the right direction again," senior guard Marshall Strickland said. "We've got to take care of home."\nAnd with the way the Big Ten is this season, getting back on the right path shouldn't be too difficult.\nWith Wisconsin falling at home to Illinois on Tuesday night, only three teams with two losses still remain -- Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. The Badgers became a three-loss team, joining the logjam of Ohio State, MSU and IU.\n"I'm quite sure everybody said the same thing about Michigan State when they lost two games," Davis said. "Iowa lost by 30 and they came back and won two home games. Even though other people might put us under the bus, we can't put our own selves under the bus. That's the problem I have right now"