Hoosiers almost there

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- There the Hoosiers were, at it again. Down five points with 2:01 to play, freshman Joey Shaw stripped the ball from the University of Kentucky's Ramel Bradley near IU's basket. Shaw hit a layup. The Hoosiers were now down three.\nOn the ensuing UK possession, senior Earl Calloway picked Derrick Jasper's pocket near half court. Calloway sped down the court and attempted a layup. Jasper, however, was there for a block, and he knocked the ball out of bounds.\nStill IU's ball. Still a chance to tie the game or trail by one. \nBut after two Shaw misses under the basket and an errant three-pointer by senior Rod Wilmont, IU never scored again. \nSo it went for the Hoosiers in their 59-54 loss to UK on Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena. Fantastic offensive rebounding for second- and third-chance opportunities. Relentless defense. Hustling for loose balls. Terrible shooting.\nJust how terrible?\nTry 50 missed shots.\n"You have to make shots," IU coach Kelvin Sampson said after the game.\nThe Hoosiers have out-rebounded all eight squads they've played this season. I think they've out-defended all of them as well.\nBut the offense continues to be the one question mark for this team. \nAfter struggling to establish himself in the post all season, D.J. White played like the D.J. White Hoosiers fans remember from his freshman year. He was hitting shots over double teams. He played under control and looked fluid. White finished the afternoon with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.\nDespite his effort, what IU has relied on in lieu of White all season -- hitting three-pointers and outside buckets -- was nonexistent Saturday afternoon. IU had its looks. They just didn't fall.\nThe always-on Lance Stemler had his worst shooting game of the season. He was 0-of-7 from the floor, including six missed threes. Calloway finished 2-of-10 for the game.\nCouple White's play with IU's usual outside-shooting performance, and come Big Ten season, this team will be tough to beat -- \nwhether at home or on the road.\nMuch like IU's performance against Duke earlier in the season, Saturday's game again proved this Hoosier squad can compete to win in a hostile environment on the road.\nThey were unafraid and aggressive.\nYou couldn't always say that about a Mike Davis team. (Anyone remember that 61-42 loss at Minnesota last season? Geez.)\nLet's flip that 50-missed-shots statistic around. IU missed 50 shots -- 50 shots! -- but still had a chance to win the game Saturday. The team was in a stadium known for its intimidating environment, filled to capacity with 24,253 fans. \nThat's a plus. \nAs Sampson addressed the media after the game, White sat next to him perusing the stat sheet.\nAt one point, his eyes lit up.\nPerhaps he had just run across IU's field-goal shooting for the game: 22-of-72.\nDid we really miss 50 shots?\nYes, D.J., the Hoosiers did.\nIt probably won't happen again all season. But because of it, Kentucky squeaked by with a victory. \nThe Big Ten teams won't be so lucky.