Stripe-out set for Sunday’s tilt with Illini

IU coach Tom Crean and his young Hoosiers have had a tough go of it since their last home game.

Whatever momentum they might have obtained from defeating Iowa might have vanished with two road losses since, the first against Big Ten-leading Michigan State.

In the game, Devan Dumes, the Hoosiers’ leading scorer, was ejected and subsequently suspended by Crean.

At Minnesota on Tuesday, IU turned the ball over a season-high 25 times.

Hoping to get some of that momentum back against Illinois, the Hoosier faithful have been asked to participate in a stripe-out.

The goal of the stripe-out is for fans in alternating sections to wear either red or white – giving Assembly Hall a look similar to the Hoosiers’ candy-stripe warm-up pants.

The stripe-out is the latest in a series of marketing ploys from new athletics director Fred Glass aiming to increase attendance for the struggling Hoosiers.

“I think it’s critically important,” Glass said. “One of the things we need to do is learn to create a kind of environment where students want to come.”

Even with attendance down this season, Crean said the fans have done an admirable job of supporting the downtrodden Hoosiers this season, thanking them after every home game.

“You can choose to write it or not, but I’m going to keep saying it,” Crean said to the media. “I cannot believe what this crowd brings and what this nation, Hoosier Nation, brings to this team.”

Weber returns
Hoosier Nation might not have needed the stripe-out as incentive to be fired up for Sunday’s game.

In Illini coach Bruce Weber’s last two trips to Bloomington, he had ammunition enough to rile up the Hall’s crowd.

The past two seasons have seen choruses of boos rained down on Weber for his reaction to former IU standout Eric Gordon’s reneging on his verbal agreement to play at Illinois.

This season, Weber fanned the flames of the budding rivalry between the two schools by saying IU would “suck,” well before the season started.

Illini senior Trent Meacham, whose 21 points on 7-of-9 3-point shooting helped crush IU last month in Champaign, Ill., insisted Weber doesn’t want to beat the Hoosiers any more than he does every game Illinois plays.

“He’s intense. He wants to get every game,” Meacham said of his coach, adding the incentive of beating former IU coach Kelvin Sampson is no longer an issue.

Stay the same
Even with Meacham’s abilIty to hit the 3s, and the fact that Illinois made more than 50 percent of its 3s against IU in Champaign, Ill., don’t expect to see a change in strategy on the part of the Hoosiers.

The Illini average 18 assists per game, tops in the conference. After the game at Illinois, Crean said Illinois is one of the best passing teams the Hoosiers will face, and not over-pressuring Illini jump shots could lead to much easier baskets.

“It was not going to be in our best interest to come out and chase them around and allow them open passes to the basket,” Crean said.

No status yet on Dumes
As of Friday’s press time, it was yet to be determined whether Dumes’ suspension would be lifted for the Illini game. Crean said the decision would be kept internal.