Hoosiers come home, host ’Dogs

When IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack walked onto the floor at Assembly Hall to observe men’s basketball practice last week, she could not even get to her seat before a whistle blew.

IU coach Tom Crean stopped practice, blew his whistle and said, “Give it up for the champions,” referring to the women’s title in the Hilton Concord Classic during Thanksgiving week. Legette-Jack later described the moment in a statement as “bringing tears to her eyes.”

Today, the champions have another test in front of them.

After four straight wins on the road, including the latest against Miami in the Big Ten- ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge, the IU women’s basketball team returns to Assembly Hall at 7 p.m. today to defend its home court against in-state foe Butler.

The matchup between the Hoosiers (5-2) and the Bulldogs (3-4) will feature two teams that appear very similar, starting with both programs having a clear inside presence.

IU senior forwards Amber Jackson and Whitney Thomas have been nearly unstoppable so far this season. Jackson is averaging a little more than 22 points in the Hoosiers’ last three games and earned tournament MVP and co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors after leading the team to victory in the Classic.

Legette-Jack said Jackson’s play has not surprised her because Jackson has been a starter from the day she arrived.

“She has been such a go-to player for us,” Legette-Jack said. “She is a consistent scorer, and for her to go out last weekend and play the way she did, that shows you what she is capable of doing. I don’t think we have seen the best of Amber Jackson yet.”

Thomas, a Bloomington native, is averaging just less than a double-double with 10.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and is also closing in on the 1,000-milestone in both points and rebounds for her career.

Despite the Hoosiers’ balanced attack, with four players averaging double figures, Legette-Jack said Thomas is IU’s leader.

“This is Whitney Thomas’ team, and it has been for a very long time,” Legette-Jack said in a statement. “She is a kid that brings her lunch box, sets it down, plays the game, goes to school, keeps over a 3.0 GPA every single semester, and she doesn’t really care about the credit. She just wants to bring success to our program.”

For the Bulldogs, senior center Lade Akande earned Horizon League Player of the Week honors this week after leading her team to two victories with an average of 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. For her career, Akande has recorded 1,452 points, which is fourth on Butler’s all-time scoring list.

The Hoosiers are largely a defensive-minded team, and statistics suggest the Bulldogs are as well. For the season, IU is holding opponents to 59 points per game, while Butler is holding their opponents right at 60 points. Both teams have lost to ranked teams this season, in similar ways, playing the first half much better than the second.

The Hoosiers came up short against then-No. 22 ranked Xavier 62-59 after leading at the end of the first half 33-27. In the Bulldogs’ first game of the season against then-No. 18 Ohio State, they held the Buckeyes to 31 percent shooting and nine first-half field goals. After trailing by four points at halftime, Ohio State stormed back in the second half to take a 75-56 victory.