FINAL: IU defeats Illinois 79-61
IU opened its game against Illinois on a 20-5 run and didn't look back, defeating the Illini 79-61.
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IU opened its game against Illinois on a 20-5 run and didn't look back, defeating the Illini 79-61.
At halftime, IU leads Illinois 43-26.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The seniors on the IU women’s basketball team don’t want to end their careers at Assembly Hall like they did Wednesday against Michigan.IU (17-9, 4-9) led by six at halftime, but its lead quickly evaporated in the second half. Senior forward Simone Deloach said the Hoosiers lost their toughness, leading to a 70-58 loss.Deloach and the rest of the senior class — Sasha Chaplin, Andrea Newbauer and Milika Taufa, along with senior transfer Tabitha Gerardot — have one final regular season home game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Illinois.The seniors have put extra emphasis on the game to end their careers at Assembly Hall on a positive note.“It definitely is (added motivation),” Deloach said. “It’s going to be an emotional game. It will probably bring out some better emotions within us for the seniors and the entire team. I think it will be a good boost to help push us through.”IU’s three true seniors went 26-63 during their first three years at IU, winning only six Big Ten games.Following a 6-24 season their sophomore year, IU fired Coach Felisha Legette-Jack and hired IU Coach Curt Miller.Miller quickly drew up a rebuilding plan and began to work on revitalizing the struggling IU program. He not only brought in new schemes on the court, but he also put an emphasis on setting the foundation for making IU a program capable of regularly competing for national championships in the future.Miller said this year’s seniors were a big part in building the locker room he needed.“The initial buy-in happened off the court,” Miller said. “They tried to build a locker room chemistry and not smaller cliques. It was really important that we had their buy-in early, and they did.”Chaplin, a sixth-year graduate student who is celebrating her second senior day after being granted an extra year of eligibility, said she has been impressed with the way the program has grown since coming to IU six years ago.She watched as Cook Hall was built during her tenure, but said the biggest growth has been the fans.“We’ve had good moments in those previous seasons where we did well, and we had those moments where we didn’t do so well,” Chaplin said. “Just the community actually coming and standing behind us these past seasons. It’s really cool to see more fans show up and to embrace the game.”This season, fans watched IU win 17 games with at least four more games remaining. It’s the most games the program has won since the 2008-09 season.Though there is still basketball left to play, this year’s senior class leaves the program well before IU is ready to become the powerhouse team Miller is trying to create. Instead, they’ve laid the framework for future players.“It’s actually pretty good to see the program making those stepping stones and us this year as well as last year laying that foundation for the program,” Deloach said. “It’s a great feeling leaving with a positive note with the system.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
IU lost to Michigan 70-58 on Wednesday. Hear what IU Coach Curt Miller and seniors Simone Deloach and Tabitha Gerardot had to say postgame.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tabitha Gerardot walked into her coach’s office knowing her time playing basketball for Valparaiso was over.Gerardot was sweating. She was nervous. She hates disappointing people.From the moment she woke up after her final game of her junior season in 2013, before she had even opened her eyes, Gerardot was analyzing her options.She wrote everything she was going to say in a notebook over and over again, but practicing and doing were two profoundly different things when a basketball scholarship was at stake.Gerardot was a standout player for Valparaiso, an All-Conference player. She was the star.After about two weeks of scrutinizing, Gerardot composed herself one final time and told her coach she was leaving it all behind.She told her coaches she would not return for her senior season at Valparaiso. Valpariso Coach Tracey Dorow provided her a letter of contact on the spot and told her she could transfer to any team outside of the Horizon League.The next morning, Gerardot received a call from IU Coach Curt Miller.“I knew he was interested right after I got the contract,” Gerardot said. “And I knew I wanted to go there.”She signed her letter of intent just after graduating from Valparaiso in three years.Gerardot would join IU’s women’s basketball team and pursue a master’s degree in linguistics.The match seemed puzzling. Gerardot was transferring to a school she beat last season.In fall 2013, starting as a graduate student with one year of eligibility remaining, Gerardot was committing to a struggling program in the second year of a six-year rebuilding plan.The pairing was unlikely, but Gerardot was determined to make IU her new home.***Her journey to Bloomington was far from typical.She was homeschooled until she started at Canterbury High School in Fort Wayne her freshman year — a college preparatory school known more for rigorous education than producing basketball stars.Gerardot calls herself a homebody. Switching from home school to Canterbury was a leap, but a necessary one if she was serious about playing college ball.As a high school standout at Canterbury, Gerardot led the Cavaliers to three state championships and was named the state tournament’s most valuable player in 2008 and 2010.In her senior season, she was an Indiana All-Star and a First Team All-State selection. She ended her high school career with 1,944 points and graduated as Canterbury’s all-time career leader in rebounds with 1,157. When Gerardot left Canterbury to go to Valparaiso, she left her home and family behind to begin her college career. “It was a big decision to leave,” Gerardot said, “but I realized that if I didn’t do those things that I wouldn’t grow in the areas I really needed to grow in.”***Gerardot is driven by faith.Her parents are both religious people, but Gerardot said she they never pushed her to follow in their footsteps. Her faith and commitment to God was her own decision, she said. It has become a major part of who she is.“I think that’s the biggest thing about me that influences my life,” she said. “To realize that he’s watching all the time and cares what we do — that’s what motivates me.”Miller often talks about needing to build a championship locker room before building a championship team. He said he believes the foundation of a rebuilding process needs to be getting the right types of personalities in the locker room at leadership positions to set the tone for the program and what it means to be a Hoosier.Gerardot has been a carbon copy of the mode Miller wants his players to follow. It’s why he wanted her to be a Hoosier.“It’s not only on the court, intangible things that we believe are very important to our program,” Miller said. “It’s how you carry yourself off the court.”But as Gerardot will tell you, she’s far from a perfect person. She admits sometimes she takes things too seriously. She risks putting too much pressure on herself and her young teammates to perform well. Miller said since coming to IU, Gerardot’s teammates have helped her learn to relax more.“Our team, on the other hand, has allowed Tabitha to lighten up a little bit and to realize you can still be a real Christian kid, you can still do all the right things, but you are allowed to have fun,” he said. “The team has coached Tabitha into letting her guard down and having more fun and not taking everything so serious.”***During a preseason workout, freshman guard Taylor Agler snapped a picture of Gerardot in the training room looking slightly out of place.Gerardot was standing on a piece of training equipment looking down with a thick book in her arms — getting a quick study session in during training.“Sometimes, there’s just not enough hours in the day,” Gerardot said with a laugh. “So yes, I bring my studying into the athletics room often.”Gerardot graduated from Valparaiso a year early with a double major in French and Spanish. One of the major reasons she left Valparaiso in the first place was to pursue a master’s in linguistics at IU.She speaks French, Spanish, Italian and Swahili along with English. She learned Spanish and French in high school and picked up Italian in her spare time. “The rumor is that I’m fluent in Swahili and Italian, but I’m not fluent yet in those,” Gerardot said.She’s starting to take classes in Chinese at IU and wants to learn German. She said language has fascinated her since she started learning Spanish in her freshman year of high school.Her ability to study language and communication has sometimes led to her over-analyzing situations on the court.“Sometimes I pay too close attention to details, and what people say and on the competitive floor what you say isn’t always what people mean,” Gerardot said.***Tabitha Gerardot is a one-and-done player at IU.Despite the Hoosiers’ recent history of struggles — IU was predicted to finish last in the Big Ten in the preseason coaches’ poll — Gerardot said she came to IU hoping to help the Hoosiers have a chance at an NCAA Tournament run. It’s a dream she has had since she was a little kid.“I have wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament forever,” Gerardot said. “When I came here, that was exactly what I wanted to do.”During recruitment, Miller explained the incoming class of freshmen and their potential helped sell Gerardot on joining the team.Her decision to come to IU has resulted in her being a part of the most successful start to a season in IU women’s basketball history. “She’s definitely a key to our team,” senior forward Simone Deloach said. “It’s just been great to have her for this last year. She’s definitely contributed a lot.”With three regular season games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament and a potential NCAA Tournament run begins, Gerardot said the closing stretch of the Big Ten season is crucial. She came to IU for a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, and she said she intends to keep pushing herself in quest for a chance to go to the big dance. “I’m excited about what has happened with our record, but we’re still fighting,” Gerardot said. “We’ve got more games to play and they’re all going to matter, especially towards the NCAA’s and Big Ten.”The perfect ending to her college career would be raising a national championship banner as a Hoosier.“I mean, that’s what everybody’s going for,” Gerardot said. “I don’t want to set the standards any lower, but I also know that takes a tremendous amount of work.” ***During player introductions against Penn State last Thursday, Gerardot’s name was the first to be called.In her lone year at IU, Geardot has become a staple in the Hoosier lineup. She has appeared in all 25 games, 21 of which she has started. She’s second in the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game and second in rebounding with 5.8 rebounds per game.?The lights of Assembly Hall turn off. The spotlight shines down on Gerardot as she is introduced.“At forward, a 6-foot-1 senior from Fort Wayne, Indiana: Tabitha Gerardot.”She jumps up and runs through tunnel of clapping teammates. At the end of the tunnel she’s greeted by another graduate student, Sasha Chaplin. Chaplin, the most experienced Hoosier player, has made Gerardot feel at home at IU. Gerardot said she feels more like a veteran Hoosier than a new kid on the block.Gerardot leaps into the air smiling, arms fully extended to high five Chaplin. She takes her spot awaiting the other starters and wipes the bottoms of her shoes. As freshman guard Larryn Brooks runs by, Gerardot cracks a smile while giving her a high five.Gerardot said she has taken it upon herself to try to work with younger players and give them the senior leadership and perspective they need.“I just think I understand where they’re coming from and the battles and how it goes,” Gerardot said. It’s the exact role Miller brought Gerardot to the team to fill. “The players really look up to Tabitha,” Miller saidGerardot and the rest of the starters huddle for a last-second discussion before taking their spots on the court.She lines up just a few feet away from mid-court where Deloach is preparing to battle for possession on the jump ball.As the referee throws the ball into the air, Gerardot watches Penn State win possession.She begins to backtrack towards the North end of the court, yelling “woah” as she scrambles to matchup with a defender. A Penn State layup attempt gets blocked and the Hoosiers take the ball the other way. Gerardot misses on her first 3-point attempt of the game, but without much reaction she heads back and matches up on defense again.Gerardot will be one of four seniors to be honored on senior night Saturday against Illinois at Assembly Hall.She is only guaranteed four more jump balls — four more opportunities to be an IU women’s basketball player.Four more chances to play for her new home.Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball maintained a six-point halftime lead against Michigan with a chance to add a conference win and move one step closer toward clinching a postseason bid, only to see it slip away.Michigan (17-10, 8-6) outscored IU (17-9, 4-9) 44-26 in the second half and handed the Hoosiers their third consecutive loss, 70-58.With only three regular-season games remaining — two of which are on the road — IU Coach Curt Miller said the loss at home was a missed opportunity.“We knew this was a very big week, and we don’t talk about it with the team, but the coaching staff knows that it’s a big week,” Miller said. Senior forward Simone Deloach agreed Michigan was a winnable game, but the Hoosiers lost their resilience during the second half.“It’s a tough loss,” Deloach said. “These last couple months is when the tough teams play, and I just think we need to find our toughness back.”Senior forward Tabitha Gerardot led the Hoosiers during the first half, scoring 16 points off 7-of-10 shooting. She finished with a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds.Gerardot nailed a 3-pointer with two minutes and 10 seconds remaining in the first half to spark an 8-2 run to close the half.Coming out of the locker room, IU’s offense stalled while Michigan’s caught fire.Freshman guard Larryn Brooks turned over the ball during the first possession, and Michigan’s Shannon Smith converted an and-1 on the ensuing fast break. Smith’s layup sparked an 11-2 Michigan run, giving the Wolverines a 37-34 lead with 16 minutes and 37 seconds remaining.“We talked about how important it was to sustain it in that first four minutes of the second half, and we didn’t get them to miss a shot until almost nine minutes into the second half,” Miller said. “Essentially it took over control of the tempo of the game.”Deloach converted on a layup with 15 minutes and 24 seconds remaining to give IU a 38-37 lead, but Michigan outscored the Hoosiers by 13 points during the next seven minutes.IU shot 45 percent from within the arc, but only managed to make one of its 13 3-point attempts.As IU’s offense struggled from beyond the arc, Michigan was able to pull away.“I’m not really sure what happened for us,” Gerardot said. “They were hitting shots and we weren’t.”IU cut the lead to eight points with three minutes and 49 seconds remaining. Michigan’s Siera Thompson responded with a deep 3-pointer to give Michigan a double-digit lead the Wolverines would hold onto the rest of the game.IU has three games remaining, including one final home game Saturday against Illinois, to pick up a résumé-boosting win the team needs to get a tournament bid.Despite their 17 wins, the Hoosiers have struggled throughout conference play. The Hoosiers have only won four Big Ten games.With the season winding down and not much time left to add wins, Miller said IU still has work to do if they want to ensure itself any games after the Big Ten Tournament.“I’d love to send this senior class out with a postseason bid, and we don’t know if we’ve quite secured it yet,” Miller said.
For the third consecutive built a lead only to see it go away in the second half. The Hoosiers lost to Michigan 70-58.
After the first half of play, IU leads Michigan 32-26.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite a large piece of metal falling from the Assembly Hall ceiling and damaging seats at Assembly Hall on Thursday afternoon, IU women’s basketball opens its final home stand tonight against Michigan at 7 p.m. with postseason implications on the line.The Hoosiers (17-8, 4-8) have dropped their last two consecutive games, giving up second-half leads to both Penn State and Nebraska. Defeating either team could have gone a long way toward securing a postseason tournament bid.IU looks to hold serve tonight against a Michigan program the Hoosiers lost to three times last season by an average of 20.6 points per game. IU Coach Curt Miller stressed the importance of earning another win at home to inch closer to securing an invitation to a postseason tournament.“I’m not convinced that we’re not one win away from a postseason bid, maybe to a WNIT or WBI,” Miller said. “So this home stand is very important.”Michigan (16-10,7-6) travels to Bloomington having defeated Illinois 70-63 on Sunday.Junior forward Cyesha Goree was named Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring 30 points off 12-of-15 shooting and grabbing a season-high 19 rebounds against the Illini.IU has struggled in limiting opponents’ star players this season. Penn State’s Maggie Lucas and Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper combined to score 63 points during the Hoosiers’ last two games.Both games resulted in a loss.The Hoosiers need to limit Goree’s efficiency from the floor if they want to slow Michigan’s offense down and avoid suffering a similar situation to when Hooper led a comeback against IU on Sunday, Miller said.“You can absorb 32 points from a star player if you make them come over a lot of shots,” Miller said. “But (Hooper) was really efficient that night, and she really hurt us.”Miller said tonight’s matchup against the Wolverines will see both teams in contrasting styles of play.Michigan outrebounds opponents by 8.3 per game, the best in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have found success this season by scoring on second-chance points off rebounding in the painted area.IU, on the other hand, has scored most of its points from beyond the arc. The Hoosiers still lead the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per game and will likely get plenty of opportunities to let the ball fly from long range against Michigan’s preferred 2-3 zone defense.The Wolverines zone has resulted in one of the better perimeter defenses in the conference this season. They have allowed opponents to shoot 32.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, sixth among Big Ten teams.The Hoosiers’ 3-point shooting has been inconsistent during their last two games. IU went cold during the second half against Penn State, allowing the Nittany Lions to go on a 17-6 run. Miller said not allowing the opposition to go on a large-scoring run is key to IU being able to stay in games late.“We stayed away from that big run against us for a long time in that game, but it came late, and we were unable to get ourselves back in it,” Miller said. “We just want to stay away from that big run.”IU plays Illinois at home on Saturday before traveling next week to playMinnesota and Michigan State before the Big Ten Tournament begins March 6 in Indianapolis.Miller said a win at home tonight against Michigan could be huge in giving the Hoosiers confidence and momentum heading into the postseason.“Any win is a big win right now for us,” Miller said. “If you would have tried to tell me that we were a win away or two wins away from postseason in year two — we’re ahead of schedule and I’m excited.”Follow reporterSam Beishuizen on Twitter@Sam_Beishuizen.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jordan Hooper etched her name in the Nebraska record books Sunday, leading the No. 21 Cornhuskers to a 76-61 victory against IU.The senior forward shot 56 percent from the field and finished with a game-high 31 points — two shy of her season best. She set the Nebraska women’s basketball program record with her 271st career-made 3-pointer and controlled the Cornhuskers’ (19-5, 9-3) offense in the second half.The Hoosier (17-8, 4-8) defense simply had no answer for Hooper.“The thing that’s so tough about Nebraska is they exploit every mistake,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “And when you make a defensive assignment mistake they have great players like Hooper and (Rachel) Theriot to step up and hurt you.”Whenever IU made a run, Hooper answered.Just before halftime, freshman guard Alexis Gassion got to the lane and converted on a layup to put the Hoosiers up by four points.Hooper responded to Gassion’s layup by stepping into a 3-pointer on the ensuing Nebraska possession, tying the Nebraska 3-point record and bringing the Cornhuskers back to within one possession.IU started the second half with a four-point lead, but Hooper caught fire and brought the Cornhuskers storming back. Hooper began taking and converting shots from wherever she had the ball.With IU ahead by two during the opening minutes of the second half, Hooper got the ball under the basket and converted on a short jumper while getting fouled to tie the game at 50. Although most of her scoring was done from beyond the arc, Hooper finished an efficient 4-of-6 from within the 3-point line.Two possessions later, Hooper began to catch fire from long-range once again to extend the Nebraska lead.She created space off a dribble step-back combination and nailed a jumper from just within the 3-point line to increase Nebraska’s lead to four. Hooper scored another long jumper two possessions later.Timeout was called with 7:43 remaining and Nebraska up by eight points. There was still enough time left for the Hoosiers to climb back into the game, but as IU struggled to make shots, Hooper continued hitting them.Miller said there wasn’t much else he could do to slow down Hooper.“It’s tough to watch as a coach because you can see it happen,” Miller said.Hooper converted on another 3-pointer from three feet beyond the arc with 7:25 remaining in the game, pulling Nebraska to a 65-54 lead.Her 3-pointer put an end to the Hoosiers’ hopes to come back. With IU’s offense sputtering down the stretch, the double-digit lead was too much for IU to overcome during the closing minutes of the game.Nebraska outscored IU 44-25 during the second half.“They took advantage of a lot more of our mistakes than we could take advantage of their mistakes,” Miller said. “They were terrific in that last eight to 10 minutes against us.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball gave No. 11 Penn State a scare late Thursday night, but senior guard Maggie Lucas and the Nittany Lions proved to be too much for the Hoosiers, defeating IU 71-63.Lucas started the game on a 7-0 run en route to a game-high 32 points on 10-for-16 shooting. While the Hoosiers struggled to score in the closing minutes, Lucas scored Penn State’s final seven points to squander IU’s hopes of an upset.IU Coach Curt Miller credited Lucas’ performance down the stretch as being the difference in the game.“There’s a lot of good players on that team and without her tonight having a monster game, we may have pulled the upset,” Miller said. “You gotta give her credit. She wanted the ball and she made big, big shots. She did what we weren’t always capable of doing tonight.”IU (17-7, 4-7) stormed out of halftime, rattling off a 10-0 run to claim a 41-37 lead with about 16 minutes remaining in the game.Penn State (19-5, 10-2) had a 10-point lead with two minutes and 38 seconds left in the game, but the Hoosiers began to force turnovers and went on a 6-0 run.Freshman guard Larryn Brooks forced Penn State’s Ariel Edwards into turning the ball over with 53 seconds remaining.Brooks missed a layup attempt, but senior forward Simone Deloach gathered the rebound and converted a layup while getting fouled to bring the Hoosiers within four points.Deloach went to the free throw line with a chance to bring IU within one possession, but failed to convert on the free throw.“If we make that foul shot, it’s a one possession game,” Miller said, “and we all see what can happen in close games in this building.”Lucas went 4-for-4 from the free throw line and freshman guard Alexis Gassion missed a 3-point attempt in the final minute, allowing the Nittany Lions to hold on for the win.Brooks said IU got open looks from beyond the arc all night.Penn State’s length in the frontcourt forced IU to attack from the perimeter, but the Hoosiers could not convert enough. IU shot 8-for-34 from beyond the arc and missed its final nine 3-point attempts.“We didn’t really get to where we needed to be at the end in the closing minutes,” Brooks said. “That’s just on us.”One bright spot for IU was Deloach’s performance. She finished with her second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds.Miller said Deloach’s post play and rebounding was what kept IU within striking distance of Penn State despite IU shooting a dismal 29.7 percent from the floor in the first half.“Another great game for Simone,” Miller said. “At halftime she had eight rebounds. I said you can get 15 tonight — she did.”Miller said he was disappointed IU was not able to pull off the upset of Big Ten-leading Penn State because he said it could have gone a long way towards earning an NCAA Tournament berth.At the end of the day, the Achilles’ heel for the Hoosiers ended up being a problem that has haunted the young Hoosier team all season.IU couldn’t score the baskets it needed to make down the stretch.“We didn’t make some of the shots (we) needed to make to beat a team that talented,” Miller said. “We wanted this one. We needed a signature win — we wanted it and we just came up short.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
Penn State defeated IU 71-63 at Assembly Hall Feb. 13. Below are links to postgame reaction from IU Coach Curt Miller, freshman guard Larryn Brooks and senior forward Simone Deloach.
IU women's basketball gave No. 11 Penn State second-half scare, but the Nittany Lions proved to be too much down the stretch and handed IU a 71-63 loss.
After one half of play, Penn State leads IU 37-31.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball will welcome No. 11 Penn State Thursday at Assembly Hall with a chance to pad its résumé with a win against the premier team in the Big Ten.A win against the Nittany Lions (18-5, 9-2) could go a long way in securing an NCAA Tournament bid, but doing so will require knocking off a Penn State team that coasted to a 65-52 win against IU (17-6, 4-6) exactly three weeks ago.“This is why this freshman class came,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “This is why that large senior class probably originally picked Indiana — was the opportunity to go a BCS school and play against the best of the best.”Penn State comes to Bloomington after defeating Ohio State 74-54 on Feb. 9.The Nittany Lions are led by senior guard Maggie Lucas, who scored 23 points against Ohio State in the win. Her 9-of-14 shooting performance helped her reach 2,322 career points, making her the fifth-highest scorer in Big Ten history.Lucas tallied 18 points against the Hoosiers in the teams’ first matchup. Freshman guard Taylor Agler believes it will take a team effort to limit the 2012-13 Big Ten Player of the Year.“I don’t think one person can shut down Maggie Lucas or even guard her,” Agler said. “It’s the whole team that needs to do it and that was kind of what we did last time. Even though one person was technically assigned to her, I think the whole team needs to help out.”Offensively, the Hoosiers will look to improve upon their 27.6 percent shooting effort from the last time IU played Penn State. More than half of IU’s field goal shots were 3-point field goal attempts, where the Hoosiers shot 9-of-30. IU scored 40 of its 76 points in the paint against Wisconsin during the Hoosiers’ most recent victory. IU is 6-0 this season when scoring more than 40 points in the paint.Miller said getting the ball to IU’s forwards and centers will be a point of emphasis against Penn State. IU’s post players will also need to combat Penn State’s rebounding. The Nittany Lions are the best rebounding team in the Big Ten and average 14.9 offensive rebounds per game — 3.18 more than the conference average.“I think the statistic at the end of the game that will be a big deal is, ‘Can we keep them off the offensive glass?’” Miller said. “Even when they can’t get it and they are boxed out, their length allows them to tip balls and keep them alive and they scramble and get those 50-50 balls. We are going to need a great night rebounding if we want to get the upset.”IU enters the game as an underdog against conference-leading Penn State, but Miller said that’s a mentality his team has used before.With only six games left before the Big Ten Tournament, Miller said the Hoosiers are focused on the next game ahead and upsetting Penn State.“I think they really have a good underdog mentality going into this game,” Miller said. “I liked our focus. I liked our prep. Where the game will end up, we’ll see after two hours, but I like their mentality.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At this point in the IU women’s basketball season last year, the Hoosiers were 10-14 with one lone win in conference, en route to finishing last in the Big Ten.What a difference a year can make.ESPN women’s basketball bracketologist Charlie Creame has IU projected as a No. 12 seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament. He has the Hoosiers playing No. 5 California in Lexington, Ky.“The Hoosiers sneak back into the field but have a daunting week with Penn State and Nebraska on tap,” Creame wrote.With six Big Ten regular season games and next month’s Big Ten Tournament left to play, IU has less than one month to pad its résumé and get invited to the big dance. Monday’s RPI update through NCAA.com has IU ranked as the fourth best team in the Big Ten at No. 39.IU Coach Curt Miller said he believes IU will need to finish 4-2 to make the NCAA Tournament, and added he believes IU winning two games would get the Hoosiers an invitation to play in the WNIT.IU has not been to the NCAA Tournament since losing to TCU 55-45 in the opening round in 2002. The Hoosiers are 1-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with the lone win coming in 1983 when IU beat Kentucky 87-76.Because of IU’s youth, Miller said the coaching staff has begun to change practice format in recent weeks in an attempt to ensure the freshness of his players as they make a potential postseason run.By this time of year, the girls basketball high school season is coming to an end for many schools. This is the longest season many of the IU freshmen have played in their careers.“We still have (six) games left, let alone the tournament,” Miller said. “We’re trying not to over-practice. We’re trying to practice with intensity but for shorter durations and never go too long.”IU has relied on heavy scouting throughout the season, because the first-year players are seeing their opponents for the first time.Miller said this part of the schedule has remained the same and will remain crucial down the stretch run of the season.“We’re trying to keep the preparation for scouting reports the same and trying to keep them on their routine,” he said.Miller said upperclassmen like senior forward Simone Delaoch have taken on the duty of helping the younger players stay fresh.Deloach said she remembers what it was like to go through th e long season for the first time, and she said she is doing her part to help the younger players take their minds off basketball when needed.“We’re going to play basketball, but we’re also here to educate ourselves and to learn,” Deloach said. “Taking little trips to the mall or seeing a movie or even having family dinner night definitely helps to keep their mind off the stress of basketball and the stress of school at times.”In just his second season at the helm of the program, Miller said the possibility of playing in the postseason is exciting, but the Hoosiers have a long month ahead of them.“Certainly, on Feb. 10, it’s really, really fun to even be talking about this subject,” Miller said on his radio show Monday. “But I’m trying to preach to our team that it’s still about the process and (taking it) game by game.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At this point in the IU women’s basketball season last year, the Hoosiers were 10-14 with one lone win in conference, en route to finishing last in the Big Ten.What a difference a year can make.ESPN women’s basketball bracketologist Charlie Creame has IU projected as a No. 12 seed in next month’s NCAA Tournament. He has the Hoosiers playing No. 5 California in Lexington, Ky.“The Hoosiers sneak back into the field but have a daunting week with Penn State and Nebraska on tap,” Creame wrote.With six Big Ten regular season games and next month’s Big Ten Tournament left to play, IU has less than one month to pad its résumé and get invited to the big dance. Monday’s RPI update through NCAA.com has IU ranked as the fourth best team in the Big Ten at No. 39.IU Coach Curt Miller said he believes IU will need to finish 4-2 to make the NCAA Tournament, and added he believes IU winning two games would get the Hoosiers an invitation to play in the WNIT.IU has not been to the NCAA Tournament since losing to TCU 55-45 in the opening round in 2002. The Hoosiers are 1-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with the lone win coming in 1983 when IU beat Kentucky 87-76.Because of IU’s youth, Miller said the coaching staff has begun to change practice format in recent weeks in an attempt to ensure the freshness of his players as they make a potential postseason run.By this time of year, the girls basketball high school season is coming to an end for many schools. This is the longest season many of the IU freshmen have played in their careers.“We still have (six) games left, let alone the tournament,” Miller said. “We’re trying not to over-practice. We’re trying to practice with intensity but for shorter durations and never go too long.”IU has relied on heavy scouting throughout the season, because the first-year players are seeing their opponents for the first time.Miller said this part of the schedule has remained the same and will remain crucial down the stretch run of the season.“We’re trying to keep the preparation for scouting reports the same and trying to keep them on their routine,” he said.Miller said upperclassmen like senior forward Simone Delaoch have taken on the duty of helping the younger players stay fresh.Deloach said she remembers what it was like to go through th e long season for the first time, and she said she is doing her part to help the younger players take their minds off basketball when needed.“We’re going to play basketball, but we’re also here to educate ourselves and to learn,” Deloach said. “Taking little trips to the mall or seeing a movie or even having family dinner night definitely helps to keep their mind off the stress of basketball and the stress of school at times.”In just his second season at the helm of the program, Miller said the possibility of playing in the postseason is exciting, but the Hoosiers have a long month ahead of them.“Certainly, on Feb. 10, it’s really, really fun to even be talking about this subject,” Miller said on his radio show Monday. “But I’m trying to preach to our team that it’s still about the process and (taking it) game by game.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
Senior Simone Deloach was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll, as announced by the Big Ten on Tuesday.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU wrestling lost 18-16 to Michigan State on Saturday during IU’s final regular season Big Ten match of the season before next month’s Big Ten Championship.Freshman Trevor Moody opened the match against the Spartans with a 4-2 decision win against Michigan State’s Brian Gibbs at 141 pounds. The win was Gibbs’ second consecutive Big Ten victory.Junior Taylor Walsh climbed one step closer to becoming IU’s all-time pins leader by pinning Michigan State’s Roger Wildmo. Walsh fell behind to his foe 2-0 early but managed to pin Wildmo at the one minute 40 seconds mark.Walsh’s pin was his 45th during his career, putting up two behind Viktor Sveda’s all-time pins record of 47. The pin was Walsh’s 24th of the season, adding to his school-record for pins in a season.In the heavyweight matchup between IU’s No. 4 Adam Chalfant and Michigan State’s No. 6 Mike McClure, Chalfant defeated McClure 5-1. IU next travels on Saturday to Edwardsville, Ill., for its final matches of the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament.— Sam Beishuizen
IU Coach Curt Miller had a request for senior forward Simone Deloach on her 22nd birthday.“I asked her for one thing — double-double,” Miller said. She got it.