Rivals both use similar style

When the Hoosiers line up across from Purdue tonight at Assembly Hall, they'll see a lot of themselves in their opponents. \nBoth teams average 72 points per game. Both teams hold their opponents to less than 65 points per game - Purdue to 64.1 and IU to 59. IU rebounds with more frequency, but only by three rebounds per game. And at 1-1 in the Big Ten, both teams are searching for their second conference victory tonight. \nBesides their records and statistics, IU coach Kelvin Sampson said Purdue utilizes a focus on defense and rebounding - a style IU also employs. \n"I think we try to do the same thing," Sampson said. "They have tremendous ball pressure. (Purdue guard Chris) Kramer is a really mature player, he would rate really high on the intangible scale. I love kids like that - much like (IU forward) Lance (Stemler) does for us - scrappers, tough kids. ...They've been a lot like us, they just have improved a lot as they've gone along this year. (Purdue coach Matt Painter) has done a lot with his team."\nPainter praised the Hoosiers' style of play as well. \n"I think they've done a very good job of molding that team," Painter said. "They play very hard. They're aggressive, they get after it. I like their athleticism."\nBoth teams have arrived at tonight's game thanks to similar conference paths. The Hoosiers dropped their first conference game at No. 5 Ohio State on Jan. 2, and rebounded Sunday afternoon with a 73-51 home win against Michigan State. The Boilermakers dropped their first conference game at Minnesota on Jan. 3. They evened their conference record with a 64-60 home win over Penn State Saturday. \nThe Hoosiers' path has been more convincing. IU's loss to OSU came after 11 second-half lead changes, and their win over previously ranked Michigan State was never in question. \nStill, Samspon has been focusing on getting more consistency from his squad, especially from his freshmen. \n"I need to keep an eye on (forward) Xavier (Keeling), (guard) Armon (Bassett) and guard (Joey) Shaw," Samspon said. "Once you get to this point of the season, it's so much between their ears. I'm not going to get them in any better shape. We're not going to all of a sudden between games have a three-hour conditioning practice. I'm not very smart, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. So everything they do from this point forward really comes down to if they're mentally tough enough to handle the grind."\nIU guard Rod Wilmont said he expects a tough, physical game from the Boilermakers - the kind of game he knows the Hoosiers play. Sampson said he expects the same thing. \n"This game is going to be a little bit physical," Sampson said. "Watching film, they kind of play like us - pressure hard up top. They rebound well. It's going to be a physical game"