IU's on-court issues remain

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The fog might have lifted, but the mood has yet to brighten around IU.\nStill in the wake of IU coach Mike Davis' resignation announcement, the Hoosiers dropped their fifth straight game in a 70-58 loss to No. 14 Illinois. IU has now lost seven of its last eight contests, and has yet to win a road game in conference play.\nExternally, the two programs couldn't appear more contradictory. Illinois (22-4, 8-4) has won six of its last eight games, and now sets the pace atop the Big Ten. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers (13-10, 5-7) have a lame duck coach, sit at seventh place in the Big Ten and are back on the dreaded bubble that's haunted them the past two seasons.\n"We're not worried about the NIT," junior guard Earl Calloway said. "We want to go to the tournament. If it happens, it happens, but our main focus is finishing strong in the Big Ten and going to the tournament."\nThough the Hoosier losing skid remained in tact, Davis said Sunday's loss at least showed potential for a turnaround.\n"I thought we took a step in the right direction," Davis said. "I saw some guys fighting harder than they normally fight, and I saw some guys missing shots that they normally make. This was a tough game for us to play after last week."\nLooking back at the past week, the Hoosiers have dealt with the following: a missed game because of illness for Davis, a flock of media speculation about Davis' future with the team, a trip to Pennsylvania, a loss in Pennsylvania, Davis' official resignation, and, capping it all off, a trip into one of the most hostile environments in the country -- Illinois' Assembly Hall. And just for good measure, Illinois decided to hold its "Paint the Hall Orange" game Sunday to encourage fan enthusiasm.\n"It's been a challenging week, but you know, that helps us develop as young men," Calloway said. "We all knew the situation before we came up here to school. It happened, so you've got to deal with it and move on."\nPerhaps no team was better qualified to testify about the Hoosier squad's new look than Illinois. Davis has said that IU's best game of the season was against Illinois on Dec. 17, when the Hoosiers won 62-60. Illinois coach Bruce Weber summed up IU's metamorphosis best.\n"They've lost their swagger," he said. "There is no doubt; they are a different team than you saw in December."\nIU now comes back to Bloomington for a week that welcomes Penn State and No. 16 Michigan State. Hoosier fans are no longer in the dark about Davis' future, but the spotlight now turns to IU's tournament status.\n"It's time for us to win some games," Davis said. "I told our guys after the game, you can think about it and lose, or you can go out and win, and play hard, and try and do something special"