Hoosiers travel to OSU in budding rivalry

Are IU and Ohio State rivals on the hardwood?\nIU coach Kelvin Sampson faced that question during his weekly Big Ten teleconference on Monday.\nSome Hoosier fans have considered the Buckeyes a rival ever since Ohio State head coach Thad Matta out-recruited former IU coach Mike Davis for the services of Indianapolis natives Greg Oden and Mike Conley. The duo led Ohio State to the national championship game last year before leaving Columbus for the NBA.\nSampson’s reaction to the question was mixed.\n“I’m not real sure how to answer that question,” Sampson said. “I’ve been here one year and parts of a second and we have only played Ohio State once. Ohio State’s program is on such an upswing, I’m sure they think everyone is a rival for them. When you are a really good team, everybody gets up to play you.”\nSampson went on to conclude Ohio State is not a rival, noting that the Hoosiers already have a debate within the fan base as to who is IU’s biggest rival – Kentucky or Purdue. The relationship between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes could become more heated during the recruitment of high school sophomore DeShaun Thomas of Fort Wayne. One of the top prospects in his class, Thomas had verbally committed to Ohio State before telling the Indiana Daily Student he had begun to reconsider his initital commitment Jan. 13.\n“Purdue is the rivalry here and then Kentucky would be the other,” Sampson said. “I don’t think you can have 10 rivals, not in the sense of what a rival is.”\nMatta said he doesn’t spend much time thinking about if IU or Michigan was his team’s biggest rival. He added that since become the Buckeyes have won the last two Big Ten championships, every conference game is going to be a challenge.\n“I feel like every game we play is a rival game,” Matta said. “I think rival games are more fan- driven than coach-driven.”\nThe No. 14 Hoosiers will look to ride the momentum of Thursday night’s win at Illinois when the team travels to Columbus Sunday. The game comes right before IU’s crucial three-game home stand against Wisconsin, Michigan State and rival Purdue. The stretch of games at Assembly Hall will go a long way in determining the Hoosiers’ shot at the Big Ten championship.\nThe Hoosiers fell to Ohio State 74-67 last year in the only matchup of the season between the two teams. Senior forward D.J. White tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds for the Hoosiers while guarding Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft.\nThis season, White will be the blue-chip prospect, in the midst of a career year for the forward. White picked up his fourth Big Ten Player of the Week award, one shy of the all-time record in one season, held by former Purdue player Glenn Robinson.\n“Right now I’m just on a high, trying to play well right now,” White said in a release. “This is my fourth award this year and it means a lot to me.”