No, I didn't get to go to the Caribbean on the company budget. But I watched IU lose by two to Wake Forest today online - their first loss of the season - and there are a few things that stood out. 1) Turnovers were down, as IU committed only 11 to Wake's 25. That's been a stat coach Jack and the team have been working to tilt in their favor, and it was today. Kim Roberson had nine steals all by herself. 2) Shooting was also down, a problem that has plagued IU for most of this season. The team seemed to break out of their slump last weekend against Ball State, hitting almost 60 percent of their shots in the road win over the Cardinals. But 3-point shooting and overall shooting were both down again Thursday. 3) Amber Jackson just seems automatic, which is big for the Hoosiers this year. She added 11 points and eight boards and seems like she's going to be a dominating presence and a legitimate threat in the post, something that should help Whitney Thomas grab more rebounds, something she does well. 4) Jori Davis seems to have cemented herself as the top freshman in coach Jack's rotation. She has a good inside/outside game, plays strong defense and really hustles, something Jack is big on. She earned her first start against Arkansas-Pine Bluff when Kim Roberson sat with an injury, and she led all freshmen in minutes coming into the Wake game with 76 (Whitney Lindsay was closest with only 41). She's also keeping a running diary of the team's trip to the Virgin Islands. I'm stuck in Purdueland and I'm jealous.
Well that's about it. Enjoy your Turkey Day. Check the blog and the Web site all break for further coverage of IU's trip to the Virgin Islands.
