Worriers

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- With Sunday's loss at Illinois, the Hoosiers are just two road games away from a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 1970. \nIf IU loses in the remaining two road contests, it would be the first time since the 1969-70 season the Hoosiers have gone winless on the road in conference play. \nAgainst Illinois, the story of missed layups, lack of presence on the boards and poor shot selection was a familiar one as the Hoosiers dropped another game, 70-58. \n"They made theirs, we missed ours," IU coach Mike Davis said. \nThe boards haven't been kind to the Hoosiers outside IU's Assembly Hall, as they have been out-rebounded in every conference road game except against Wisconsin. Illinois held a 37-25 rebounding advantage Sunday. \n"Illinois definitely had control of the basketball game, but I thought we fought hard," Davis said. \nIn the first seven minutes of play, IU missed five open layups and went on to shoot 33 percent in the first half. \nWith the exception of last month's game against Michigan State, IU has never shot better than 41 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of play. \n"I just felt like we missed a lot of easy opportunities," Davis said. "We missed some layups." \nOn the perimeter, Davis' concern after the game was with the type of shots his players were \nfiring up. \nHe said he was upset with the amount of contested shots he saw -- a complaint he has aired fairly consistently. "I thought we took maybe five or six shots we shouldn't had taken," Davis said. \nBut unlike many other stints on the road, the six-year coach found something to take out of the loss. \n"I thought they fought hard ... From an effort standpoint, it could have easily been a 25-point loss," he said. "I thought we took a step in the right direction because I saw some guys fighting more than they usually fight." \nOn top of the usual qualms, IU dealt with a strong Illini attack to start the game. \nIllinois fired off a 22-4 run beginning at the 18:03 mark. The skid lasted about 10 minutes, building a deficit from which IU could never recover. \nIllinois forward Brian Randle capped it off with an authoritative dunk over senior forward Marco Killingsworth. Randle waved off a screen from swingman Warren Carter, drove toward the baseline, elevated and sent Killingsworth tumbling to the floor. \n"I did watch the dunk contest," Randle said modestly. "Andre Iguadola is just something else. It just comes when it comes for me." \nAfter a week with two road games, the Hoosiers will make a much-desired return home Wednesday night when they face off against Penn State at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall.\n"We're expecting a support group," junior guard Earl Calloway said. "We need the support. We don't need any negativity"