Hoosiers retool in victory

You probably thought IU finally pulled out the win. \nAfter all, freshman guard Armon Bassett's circus shot fell, putting IU up by one with 44 seconds remaining in the game.\nBut after Bassett missed his free throw, you realized something. Fourty-four seconds is a long time. Enough time for Rich McBride of the Illini to get a wide-open 3-point attempt. He missed. Enough time for Illinois to run a play for McBride on its next possession with 19 seconds to go. IU junior forward D.J. White wouldn't let him get the ball, though. After swarming Illini forward Shaun Pruitt around the free-throw line for five seconds, the whistle blew. A turnover on Pruitt. IU ball. Victory, right? \nWell, not until IU's senior guard Earl Calloway was fouled and hit both of his free throws to put the Hoosiers up by four, making it a two-possession game for the Illini. It was out of reach. The final three seconds ticked off the clock. Finally, the game was over.\nIt was just one of those games. One where two well-coached, disciplined teams traded shot for shot in the second half until one of them finally got a few key stops. One where until the final buzzer sounded and the band began to play, did you really -- I mean really -- know the game was over? This time, in front of their home crowd and up against their newest rival, it played out in favor of the Hoosiers. \n"It seemed like we were fighting uphill a lot today," said coach Kelvin Sampson. "We had so many opportunities to maybe extend a four-point lead or a five-point lead, and Illinois kept answering."\nHe's right. \nThree times in the second half, IU extended its lead to four points in the midst of mini-run. But these Fighting Illini, in congruence with their namesake, kept fighting. They simply wouldn't let IU out of their grasp until the very end.\nAnd hey, did anyone else notice a different approach on offense Saturday for the Hoosiers? \nThis is a team averaging just higher than 20 3-point shot attempts a game for the entire season. Saturday, they took just nine, which tied for their lowest all season. Senior guard Rod Wilmont, who has taken more than 10 3-pointers himself four times this season, passed up 3-pointers all game, instead opting to drive to the bucket.\nAfter the game, Sampson said the Hoosiers emphasized getting to the free-throw line more and not looking to shoot 3-pointers so early in the shot clock during practice this week. He also said he didn't mind his team shooting threes, but that it's hard to be a good 3-point shooting team for two months.\nThat's been one of IU's glaring weaknesses through its first 23 games of the season -- getting to the free-throw line with any sort of consistency. All year, the opposing teams have simply owned the Hoosiers in trips to the charity stripe.\nLast month against the Illini in Champaign, Ill., the Hoosiers only went to the line six times, with all of those attempts coming in the first half. On Saturday, they took 23 free throws. That marks only the second time during the entire Big Ten season that the Hoosiers have taken more attempts at the line than their opponents. \nTeams are expecting the Hoosiers to gun from the outside. But with a shot fake and a drive, they can create higher percentage shots for themselves, and if they're lucky enough to draw a foul and score, they can still amass three points on their possession. \nMarch is just around the corner.\nIf the Hoosiers continue to vary their offensive attack and keep opponents guessing, it should serve them well come tournament time.