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(01/23/06 5:51am)
Not since 1972 has the IU-Purdue rivalry been this one-sided. \nWith their 62-49 win against the Boilermakers Saturday, the Hoosiers have won six in a row and nine of the last 11 rivalry meetings. Purdue held a similar dominance over the series in the early 1970s, and the last time IU saw this much success was 1955.\nBut IU coach Mike Davis doesn't see the rivalry staying one-sided much longer.\n"I don't know another team in the country that can lose four starters and be able to compete," Davis said. "The scary part is that they are all coming back next year. Then you are looking at a Purdue team that could be in the top two or three in pre-conference (next year)." \nWithout those four starters, Purdue had to resort to a more hard-nosed, slugfest style of basketball Saturday that resulted in IU's lowest point total of the year. The Hoosiers' 62 points matched their season low, but Purdue's 49 marked the first time since March of 2003 that IU held a team below 50 points.\nIt was a prime night for IU's best defensive effort because the Hoosiers' 39 percent shooting effort marked their worst of the season. In the first half especially, IU needed its defense to get through the first seven minutes in which only four points were scored. \n"I'm not sure (why we started slowly), but defensively I thought we did enough to keep us in the game," Davis said. "We were just not ready to shoot the basketball."\nIU's prototypical prowess from range wasn't as evident Saturday as many Hoosiers hesitated on their shots and the usual 3-point leaders struggled to find a rhythm. Senior guard Marshall Strickland, sophomore forward Robert Vaden and junior guard Rod Wilmont combined to shoot 6-17 from the three.\n"This was the first time I saw guys kind of not ready to shoot the basketball," Davis said. "If we are wide open, I don't mind us taking 40 threes ... Our guys just looked a little gun shy."\nPurdue's plan of attack was no secret. Every time senior forward Marco Killingsworth touched the ball, he seemed to have two or three Boilermakers surround him. Davis said the Hoosiers generally feed well off of Marco's tendency to draw defenders, but they struggled Saturday. \nNonetheless, Killingsworth managed to score 18 points and grab 10 rebounds for his second-straight double-double. But an even greater surprise than beating the double teams might have been Killingsworth's successes at the free throw stripe. The senior transfer made eight of his nine attempts.\n"I've just been listening to coach (Donnie) Marsh," Killingsworth said. "He told me to just get a routine and take your mind off what happened. Shoot it in, don't think it in."\nBehind Killingsworth, the scoring was rather stagnant with Wilmont and Vaden chiming in with 14 apiece. Perhaps Saturday's true encouragement wasn't based in the scoring category, but rather in rebounding. For the second straight game IU won the battle of the boards -- pulling down 38 rebounds to Purdue's 31. Five Hoosiers had five or more rebounds led by Killingsworth's 10 and Vaden's eight.\n"I am not going to talk about rebounding because I may jinx us, but it is an effort," Davis said. "We may have set an all-time low in rebounds with 18 at Michigan State, but when you look at it, Marco has had 12 and 10 (rebounds). He is going after rebounds he wasn't going after earlier"
(01/20/06 5:28am)
Coaching\nDuring the entire offseason, IU coach Mike Davis had doubters and critics in his face at all times.\nBut below the whirlwind of controversy, Davis held in one hand the most talented and most experienced team he'd ever coached. In the other, he held a deep-rooted personal desire for success, with a hint of urgency.\nWhat happened next? One hand washed the other, both hands washed the face.\nDavis managed all the skepticism to perfection, refusing to even acknowledge the possibility of failure and all its potential ramifications. He insisted on a "just-wait-and-see" mentality and proved himself wise beyond anyone's belief.\nThe combination of a talented team and a supportive coach has the Hoosiers sitting pretty at 11-3 and just half a game out of first place in the Big Ten.\nNobody knew it at the time, but as Davis embraced all the preseason attention, it allowed his team to remain focused on one thing -- winning.\nSo far, it's worked.\nShooting\nThis is an easy assessment.\nIU shoots better than any team in the country -- that is a scientific fact. The Hoosiers shoot 52 percent from the field, but that's not hard to do when the man taking the most shots makes 62 percent of them. Senior Marco \nKillingsworth leads the prolific shooting effort, shooting below 50 percent just three times this season. And Killingsworth has plenty of company among players making more shots than they miss -- there are five more. \nWhat about the long ball you ask? The Hoosiers lead the nation there as well at 47 percent proficiency from deep. Three Hoosiers rank among the Big Ten's top-five 3-point shooters: Junior Errek Suhr (.545), senior Marshall Strickland (.517) and sophomore Robert Vaden (.493). \nDefense\nThis is the one area that can really go either way for the Hoosiers.\nCase in point, the good -- holding rival Kentucky to 53 points and 7 percent 3-point shooting, then keeping the opposition below 60 in the next three games.\nCase in point, the bad -- allowing Michigan State to score 87 points and shoot 64 percent in the second half, not to mention relinquishing 79 points to lowly Western Illinois University.\nThe Hoosiers' practices tend to get more heated when conducting defensive drills, so the coaching staff seems to be addressing the problem. But the proof will be in the production for the remainder of the season. Ten of the 11 Big Ten teams average more points per game than the Hoosiers currently give up, so to borrow an old cliché, something's got to give.\nRebounding\nIt's a good thing the Hoosiers shoot so well, because if they missed their first shots, chances are, they wouldn't get a second one.\nIU's 34 rebounds per game average is second worst in the Big Ten, ahead of only Northwestern's 27. Only Killingsworth has a double-digit rebounding game to his credit this season. But the 6-foot-8 senior also has a one-rebound game to his credit against Michigan State, and that rebound was on his own miss.\nThe Hoosiers, however, did offer a glimmer of hope Tuesday against Illinois when they pulled down 39 boards and outrebounded the over-sized Illini squad. The Illinois win directly contradicted the previous game's effort when IU grabbed only 18 rebounds in a loss to Michigan State. This is the primary area of question for this year's Hoosiers.\nPassing\nIt's hard to lead the nation in shooting percentage without getting plenty of open looks. And it's hard to get open looks without great ball movement.\nResorting back to that logic class taken to fulfill a philosophy requirement, it's easy to conclude that the Hoosiers have, indeed, succeeded in passing the basketball. And that's a valid argument.\nDidn't take a logic course? Perhaps math is more of a strong suit. IU averages 17.8 assists per game and that's good for a No. 20 ranking among all NCAA Division I schools. \nThe aspect that makes IU unique is that racking up assists truly has been a team effort. The four players who have been staples in IU's starting lineup (Killingsworth, Vaden, Strickland and senior Lewis Monroe) all average more than two assists per game, with Vaden and Monroe leading the effort.
(01/18/06 5:45pm)
A Bloomington court storming was long overdue.\nGray-haired women standing courtside, holding strands of yellow string were no match for more than 17,000 fans after a 62-60 upset of No. 7 Illinois. It hasn't been long since fans last graced Branch McKracken Court (last year against Michigan State), but it has been awhile since IU last won a home game as meaningful as this.\n"I was so happy we won," senior forward Marco Killingsworth said. "I didn't want to come out of conference with two back-to-back losses. That would start to mess with your head."\nBut as hoards of fans surrounded the celebrating Hoosiers, the team members found themselves more surprised than enthused. \n"We didn't expect that," senior guard Marshall Strickland said. "We were as happy as they were that we won, but it wasn't like we were unranked beating the No. 1 team."\nFans flooding the floor surprised the IU players, but perhaps the night's biggest surprise was a 39-31 Hoosier rebounding advantage. Earlier in the week, IU coach Mike Davis described his team's rebounding troubles as "scary" after an 18-rebound effort against Michigan State.\nDavis mocked IU's ability to rebound when he joked about 5-foot-8 guard Errek Suhr being the team's third-leading offensive rebounder. Regardless of whether Davis intended for it to happen, the team certainly responded.\n"We were very motivated (to rebound)," sophomore forward Robert Vaden said. "(Davis) kind of made us feel bad because he said a Division I team should never get 18 rebounds -- especially Indiana ... We got 39 tonight and hopefully we can keep doing that."\nAlmost a week after grabbing just one rebound against Michigan State, Killingsworth pulled down 12 rebounds and scored 23 points for his fourth career double-double. But it was just one rebound that stood out for Killingsworth when he sealed the game by pulling down a miss from Illinois' James Augustine with less than 30 seconds remaining.\n"I thought, defensively, we played as well as we've played all season," Davis said. "We rebounded the ball and I never thought I could say that."\nKillingsworth's contributions come as no surprise by this point in the season. But with the big man only scoring three points in the first half, the contribution had to come from elsewhere. Junior Rod Wilmont and freshman Ben Allen answered that call. \nWilmont fell three points shy of a career high with 17 points on the evening -- 12 of those coming from behind the arc. Allen saw a mere nine minutes of action, but earned more "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" chants by shooting 2-2 from three.\nAllen's timely threes and a skying dunk from Wilmont helped carry the Hoosiers through the first half and rejuvenate the crowd after an early 10-point deficit.\n"The bench probably won the game for (IU) tonight," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.\nAs for the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and Illinois' most potent offensive threat -- Dee Brown -- his numbers do the talking. Five points, 1-9 shooting and five fouls.\n"Lewis did a great job on Dee," Wilmont said. "As a team, we played really great defense ... That's something we've got to keep doing"
(01/17/06 6:50am)
The two teams atop the Big Ten's scoring margin category will meet at 7 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall. No. 13 IU ranks second in the Big Ten averaging 15 points more than their opponents, while No. 7 Illinois sports a conference best 17-point spread.\nBoth teams are 2-1 in conference play with their lone losses coming on the road, but beyond that, the similarities cease.\nIU maintains its lopsided margin on the offense. The team shoots a Big Ten-best 53 percent from the field and a nationwide-best 47 percent from three. They average 80 points a game and have only been held below 70 points twice, both of which were losses.\nIllinois distances itself with defense. The Illini rank among the top 20 in field goal defense, holding teams to 38 percent shooting. They also join Northwestern and Iowa among the nation's top 10 in points allowed, limiting opponents to just 55 points per contest.\nOn the surface, it seems as though tonight's game will be won and lost when IU has the ball. But the Hoosiers' attention this week has focused more on the other end of the floor.\n"We can run our offense and pretty much score when we want to," junior guard Rod Wilmont said. "We just have to lock down our defense and we should be there to win games."\nIU coach Mike Davis said rebounding has become more than just a problem.\n"It's not a concern -- it's scary," he said. "If you're a poor rebounding team, you should get at least 25, but we got 18 (against Michigan State). So maybe we're below poor."\nDavis compared rebounding to shooting free throws. He said the team can consistently work on it in practice, but come game time it simply isn't executed.\n"Errek Suhr is our third-leading offensive rebounder on our team -- Errek Suhr. How scary is that?" he said of the 5-foot-8 guard. "I really can't explain it. We talk about it. We work on it. We watch film, but it's just a matter of going and doing it."\nLast week, assistant coach Donnie Marsh, who manages IU's defense, said the guards play a crucial role in becoming a better rebounding team. Marsh said the wings need to have the presence to recognize a shot, and then crash into the paint to sky over the battling big men. \nIU's most successful rebounding guard has been Wilmont, who averages 3.7 boards per game. Wilmont held the second-highest rebounding total for IU against Michigan State with four boards on a night when senior forward Marco Killingsworth managed only one. But Wilmont said he can still improve his numbers, and that the team as a whole needs to unify on defense.\n"You've just got to have everybody playing hard," he said. "We'll have three guys playing hard at once, and two resting. And when you've got two guys resting, or even one resting, that messes up all the rotation. If we can get five guys out there playing hard for the full 35 seconds, we can beat anybody"
(01/12/06 5:25am)
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- As the Michigan State lead swelled throughout the second half, IU's frustration only mounted.\nOn this night, the cooler heads would prevail.\nAmong the seemingly endless string of Hoosier frustrations were reach-in fouls, verbal spats and continuous loose balls bouncing into awaiting Spartan arms. But perhaps nothing was as continually agonizing for the Hoosiers as the multiple Spartan shots that dropped as the shot clock buzzer sounded.\n"(Those were) mental lapses," junior guard Earl Calloway said. "That's something we've got to work on -- playing team defense."\nThe shot clock frustration seemed to boil over midway through the second half when Michigan State's Drew Neitzel held the ball at the top of the key with less than five seconds remaining on the shot clock. The IU defenders, in a zone at the time, got crossed up in their assignments and Neitzel was able to streak to the bucket and lay in an easy score as the horn sounded.\n"When (the clock) gets down it means you're playing good steady defense," Calloway said. "But for them to come out and get a shot, that takes a toll on us because 30 seconds is a lot of time to waste."\nUnfortunately, the shot clock represented only a sliver of the IU irritations in the second half.\nAt one point in the second period, with the game still within reach, IU turned to a trap defense and pinned Michigan State along the sideline. Calloway pried the ball loose for what appeared to be a timely Hoosier steal. But by the time the Hoosier guard turned to run, a whistle blew and the referee signaled that Calloway had stepped out of bounds. Not only was the turnover scratched, but Michigan State received a fresh shot clock and made IU pay by extending the lead to eight on the ensuing possession.\n"That's just part of game I guess," junior guard Rod Wilmont said. "They were getting loose balls and we were picking up fouls while we're trying to get back in it. It's hard, but you've got to play through it -- especially on the road."\nFor Wilmont, loose balls may have been less of a concern than a slew of second-half fouls. The junior guard was called for three quick infractions, taking him from foul trouble to fouled out as the game moved further out of IU's reach.\n"That's the road," freshman Ben Allen said. "It is hard, but we've really got to shut that out of our minds and play our game. Let the referees worry about themselves and just officiate the game."\nThe pinnacle scene of frustration, however, may have come when senior forward Marco Killingsworth and Michigan State's Paul Davis stood toe-to-toe after a Killingsworth foul. The altercation was separated quickly, but gave rise to both benches and incited an already raucous Michigan State home crowd.\nBoth men took seats on the bench to cool off, but on this night, it was the collectively cool Spartans that managed to walk away victorious while, like Killingsworth, the Hoosiers were left watching.
(01/11/06 5:16am)
Perhaps the only thing scarier than a team like Michigan State riding a winning streak is a team like Michigan State riding a losing streak. \nThe Spartans enter tonight's game with IU after consecutive Big Ten losses to No. 7 Illinois and No. 21 Wisconsin. Both games might have been stronger statements about the home teams than the traveling Spartans, but nobody seems to doubt that No. 14 Michigan State will carry the quintessential chip on its shoulder.\n"It's going to be like a war out there," freshman forward Ben Allen said. "They've lost two away games now, and they're looking for a win. And they're just going to fight as hard as hell to get a win against us."\nBut Hoosier faithful needn't worry too much.\n"We're the same," Allen continued. "This is our first road trip in the Big Ten and we're going to go out and we're going to get this win and keep Michigan State winless in the Big Ten."\nIU coach Mike Davis said Monday that this year's scenario surrounding the Michigan State trip seems eerily similar to the 2003-04 season. The Hoosiers entered East Lansing riding a five-game winning streak, including the most recent victory over a ranked Big Ten team. But Davis said some players on that team looked past the Spartans and, to no surprise, IU fell 84-72. \nJust to further the eeriness, that 2003-04 team then returned home for an important game against Illinois, which it also lost. After Michigan State, the No. 9 Hoosiers also will return home to play the Illini Tuesday.\n"We've got to go in there and try to win," Davis said. "This can't be a game that we go into saying, 'Well if we lose, it's no big deal.' It's a big deal."\nIU holds the all-time edge over the Spartans at a total of 61-40. But recently it's been Michigan State winning three of the last four meetings, with IU winning the latest affair in overtime last season, 78-74. Davis holds a 5-6 lifetime mark against Tom Izzo and the Spartans, but the Hoosiers are aware that history is meaningless once the Breslin Center is filled and the first tip is tossed.\n"I know the crowd is going to be wild and they're just going to be absolutely crazy about getting a win," Allen said. "I don't think it's going to compare to anything I've ever played against before."\nThe history can be recounted and similarities can be drawn, but all the story lines seem to whittle down to the same point -- Michigan State needs a win and IU knows it.\n"Without a doubt I know they're going to be fired up," senior guard Marshall Strickland said. "They really need this win and we need it too, to separate ourselves from the pack"
(01/09/06 5:10am)
Ohio State dared Lewis Monroe to beat them. And that's precisely what happened.\nThe Buckeyes served the senior transfer a virtual slap to the face when they barely guarded him on defense, often leaving him open to double team fellow Auburn transfer Marco Killingsworth. But Monroe swung back in the second half, serving Ohio State a knockout blow with 11 points and five assists in the final period.\n"I told Lewis, I said, 'it's time for you to play man, show people what you can do,'" Killingsworth said. "He was hitting shots, passing and rebounding. He played really well for us."\nIt didn't take long for Monroe to show people what he could do. IU's first three possessions of the second half all resulted in made 3-pointers and all were assisted by Monroe. The point guard even chimed in, knocking down two of his own threes. All in all, Monroe either scored or assisted six of IU's seven second-half threes.\n"I thought Lewis Monroe played his best basketball game," IU coach Mike Davis said. "That is the Lewis Monroe we expect to play every game."\nMonroe had spent the majority of the season playing in the shadows of the other Auburn transfer. While Killingsworth was gaining national attention as one of the country's best big men, Monroe posted one quiet night after another. Despite ranking third in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio, Monroe seemed to garner more attention for what he wasn't doing -- attacking the basket.\nBefore Saturday's game, Monroe had never scored more than 10 points in a game and had more free throws (16) than field goals (14). And the first half against Ohio State appeared to be nothing short of the same old Lewis Monroe -- quiet and nonthreatening.\n"No one knows how good Lewis is except for us," Davis said. "I talked to him at halftime and told him to be a man and step up and make some plays. We know how good he is, but the fans and media don't know."\nThe fans and media alike got a first hand look at how good Monroe can be as the 6-5 point guard blossomed before their eyes in the second half Saturday. Monroe peaked just inside of 10 minutes when he attacked the basket, drawing extra Buckeye defenders. Monroe then effortlessly swung the ball behind his back finding Killingsworth unattended under the basket.\n"(Killingsworth) hasn't seen that in so long, I think he wasn't even expecting it," Monroe said.\nDuring the very next trip up the court, Monroe stood outside the arc as his defender backed off, expecting a feed to the post. The senior stepped to the 3-point line and fired a shot that put the Hoosiers up by two. \nThe fitting end to Monroe's evening came with a minute-and-a-half left, when Monroe tied the game at the free throw line. At a moment where the Lewis Monroe of the first half might have passed away an opportunity to drive, Monroe aggressively penetrated the defense and drew a foul that tied the game and sent Ohio State's Matt Sylvester to the bench with five fouls.\nAfter a first half worth forgetting, Monroe finally fought back and helped the Hoosiers attain yet another NCAA Tournament resume-booster.\n"Tonight the best thing to happen to (Monroe) was that they did not defend him," Davis said. "That is like an insult to a player when you do that"
(01/09/06 4:57am)
Eight of the 15 teams ranked ahead of No. 16 IU lost this weekend, but the Hoosiers narrowly avoided the same fate, clutching victory away from No. 18 Ohio State in the final seconds, 81-79.\nSaturday's game marked Ohio State's first loss of the season and kept IU at a perfect 2-0 in the Big Ten. Only IU, Northwestern and Wisconsin remain unbeaten after just two conference games.\nSenior guard Marshall Strickland sealed the win by stripping the ball from the Buckeyes' Matt Terwilliger as time expired. Just moments earlier, Strickland gave IU the two-point advantage by sinking two free throws after drawing a charge that subsequently fouled out Ohio State's leading scorer Terence Dials.\nStrickland proved invaluable to the Hoosiers in the final three possessions of the contest. Before the strip, before the free throws and before the charge, with the game still knotted at 79, the senior came to the rescue again by tying up Ohio State's J.J. Sullinger and giving possession to the Hoosiers. Sullinger had grabbed an offensive rebound after a Dials miss, and seemed apt to give the Buckeyes the lead. But Strickland stepped in and kept Sullinger from going back up with a shot.\nAfter the game, IU coach Mike Davis was asked to rate the performance of his senior guard in the clutch. \n"What's the highest number?" Davis said. "Marshall played 40 minutes. He was, to me, the best conditioned athlete on the court ... He got a rebound/jump ball, he took the charge, got the steal at the end, hit the two free throws. That was four things he did for us in 15 to 20 seconds."\nStrickland's 15-point contribution was bested only by senior forward Marco Killingsworth's 26-point effort. After a quiet start to his Big Ten career against Michigan Tuesday night, the 268-pound transfer settled back into form shooting 9-14 from the field and forcing all the Ohio State big men into foul trouble. Every Buckeye 6-foot-5 or taller who saw significant court time finished the game with four or more fouls.\nBut the whistle that drew the most attention from the IU bench came with roughly five minutes remaining in the game. Killingsworth attempted a shot over Dials, who had four fouls at the time. When the whistle blew, Assembly Hall's crowd of 17,278 erupted, believing Dials had fouled out. But the referees charged the foul to Matt Sylvester, keeping Dials in the game. The Buckeye center then proceeded to score nine more points in the final minutes before missing his last attempt, after which Strickland forced a jump ball.\n"I would be a different coach if that (shot) went down," Davis said. "Dials played a fantastic game ... We knew he couldn't defend Marco and we knew Marco was going to have a hard time defending him."\nDials' final shot aside, Davis would also have been a different coach had the Hoosiers not pulled a 180-degree shift at halftime. IU shot 38 percent in the first half and 30 percent from three -- both well below the season averages. Comparatively, Ohio State shot 48 percent in the first half and led by as many as 17 before entering the locker room ahead by eight.\nSophomore guard Robert Vaden described Davis' halftime speech as "very heated," but wouldn't fully disclose what was said. \n"We came out with a lot more energy in the second half," Vaden said. "(Davis) does that every game that we are down. He says something to us that gets us going in the second half."\nThe law of averages became apparent after Davis' motivational pep talk, as the Hoosiers shot the lights out in the second half -- 65 percent from the field and 63 percent from three. \n"They are a prolific shooting team," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "It's incredible how well they shoot the basketball."\nIU continues its 10-day gauntlet of ranked opponents when it travels to No. 7 Michigan State Wednesday.
(01/06/06 4:35am)
There's still one more gift awaiting IU students upon their return to campus this week: a new and improved Robert Vaden.\nThe sophomore forward sent his scoring and 3-point numbers skyward during the holiday break -- an additional threat to his already lengthy list of attributes. He rebounds, he passes, he scores and he defends. As assistant coach Donnie Marsh simply put it: he is a warrior.\nIn the four games the Hoosiers played while students were gone, Vaden averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4 assists, 65 percent shooting from the field and an astonishing 73 percent 3-point shooting. In the process of accumulating those statistics, Vaden managed to string together 12 consecutive made 3-pointers in three games. Vaden also set a single-game Hoosier record shooting 6-6 from beyond the arc against Ball State.\n"I've said Vaden is our best player for a while," IU coach Mike Davis said after Tuesday's win over Michigan. "He has the highest basketball IQ on this basketball team ... He won't take control of a game, but that's good in a way because he shares the basketball."\nVaden's significance to the team was more evident than ever in the second half of Tuesday's 70-63 win against the Wolverines. The sophomore took just one shot in the first half, but then exploded for 17 points in the final 20 minutes, including two straight threes to start the period. \nAfter the game, Davis couldn't question the importance of the Indianapolis native. \n"If we didn't have Robert Vaden in the second half, we would have lost this basketball game," he said. \nVaden described himself as a player who needs to come through in those tough moments. And if nobody else wants to have the ball in their hands, he's more than willing to take it. \n"He makes some tough shots when we need him," junior guard Rod Wilmont said after the game. "When we need a shot, we look for Vaden. The rest of us feed off him."\nThe numbers tell Vaden's story offensively, but Marsh shared the story of his defense. \nMarsh called Vaden the "quarterback for the defense." It's Vaden's responsibility to communicate defensive changes to the rest of the team, and he even takes it upon himself to adjust certain schemes on the run. \nWhy put a sophomore in charge of something so important? Just look for the buzzwords his coaches use to describe him. The words "vision," "feel for the game" and "instincts" are commonly tossed around the postgame press room when talking about Vaden. And Marsh said the rest of the team is starting to catch on.\n"It's nice to see our guys responding," Marsh said. "They understand that (Vaden) is a warrior, and if we take on his personality, we have a good chance to be very good." \nVaden already leads the Hoosiers in minutes, 3-pointers, free throw percentage, assists and steals. And during the break, Vaden led IU in almost every other statistical category as well. \nBut students who missed Vaden's recent outburst need not worry -- Davis said he sees plenty more of No. 24 in IU's future.\n"I wouldn't be surprised, when it's all said and done, if he isn't our leader in scoring, rebounding and assists," he said.
(01/06/06 4:28am)
The right of passage into Big Ten basketball isn't an easy one. \nJust ask senior forward Marco Killingsworth, who had to deal with checks, bumps, elbows, slaps, scrapes and shoves for 40 minutes against Michigan's big men Tuesday night. It marked the first Big Ten conference action for many of IU's key players including Killingsworth, fellow senior transfer Lewis Monroe, junior college transfer Earl Calloway and freshman Ben Allen.\nIU Coach Mike Davis called them "first conference game jitters," but regardless of what they're called, they were evident Tuesday. Killingsworth scored 15 points, but shot 42 percent from the field, well below his season average of 63 percent. Monroe played 36 quiet minutes, accumulating two points and three assists. Calloway and Allen combined for just seven minutes of court time.\n"It takes a little time," IU assistant coach Donnie Marsh said. "You have to get your legs under you; get banged once or twice and know you're not going to get that call. Then you can handle it."\nMichigan lived up to the Big Ten mantra of physical play, and Marsh said Ohio State and 260-pound center Terence Dials are sure to present more of the same. Luckily for the Hoosiers, their roster also features several players who have already taken their Big Ten licks, and those players rose to the occasion Tuesday. Junior Rod Wilmont and sophomore Robert Vaden helped IU pull away from Michigan with timely threes and momentum-shifting dunks in the second half.\n"I told Earl (Calloway) before the game that it's going to be a different type of game," Wilmont said after the Michigan game. "After four years, I know that every Big Ten game is going to be tight. Every team is going to be tough and is going to play a good game in conference."\nPerhaps no better stat reflects a team's physicality than rebounds. And despite the Hoosiers' win Tuesday, Michigan dominated IU on the glass, grabbing 42 rebounds to IU's 29. One player, Michigan forward Graham Brown, nearly out-rebounded IU's entire starting lineup as he claimed 21 boards on his own. But Marsh said that becoming a great rebounding team doesn't depend as much on the big men as it does on the wings.\n"Our big guys demand attention, so our wings have to do a really good job of reading that and going to get some rebounds," he said. "That's when you become a great rebounding team -- when your wings rebound, not just your big boys."\nMore physical play will be on display at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Assembly Hall when the No. 16 Hoosiers welcome No. 18 Ohio State.
(12/12/05 6:37am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard in the RCA Dome Saturday, Davis found himself shrouded by his star forward who just finished "his best game," according to Davis. \nThe senior transfer assembled another killer stat line, scoring 23 points on 7-of-8 shooting, grabbing 11 rebounds and even managing a respectable 9-for-14 free throw performance. \nBut to Killingsworth, no number stood more important than the 79-53 final score against Kentucky. After the game, Killingsworth certainly wasn't shy about sharing his sentiments on the Wildcats.\n"If you play basketball and you play on the college level, you ain't going to like Kentucky," he said. "They're one of those teams where you're either going to love them or you're going to hate them -- and I hate them. I'm being straight-forward with you. I don't like them."\nKillingsworth recalled a moment late in the game when a Kentucky player sarcastically told Killingsworth, "It's about time you beat us." To which Killingsworth replied, "Well, you can say whatever the hell you want, but you've got to go home five hours with a loss."\nIf the senior's talk wasn't enough to frustrate the Wildcats, his ability to draw fouls certainly helped. Killingsworth toed the free-throw line 14 times -- doing his part to give four different Wildcats four fouls.\n"If they are playing him man-to-man, I feel like he can score on just about anyone in the country," Davis said. "For us to have that presence in the paint ... We go as Marco goes."\nSome of that Kentucky frustration first boiled over with about 6:40 remaining in the first half. Killingsworth missed a free throw but rebounded his own miss. He took a quick drop step toward the hoop, pivoted, plowed over a Kentucky player in the process and finished with a gentle lay-in. As Kentucky quickly turned the ball up the court, the downed Wildcat grabbed Killingsworth's leg and the two continued to scrap until a charge was called on the opposite end.\nAnd again, five minutes into the second half, senior Marshall Strickland had to pull Killingsworth from another scrum along the sideline after a loose ball rolled out of bounds amid contact. \nAs frightening as a raging 268-pound Killingsworth might be, the potential for IU's offense when sophomore D.J. White returns might be even scarier to future opponents. Killingsworth said he hopes to see his counterpart in the post as soon as the next game.\nWhen White finally returns, he will join the man sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff described as "the biggest presence in the country right now."\nAs for what White's addition will mean to the team, Ratliff said, "that will just be gasoline to the fire, baby"
(12/09/05 5:53am)
At times, the Hoosier offense has looked down-right sloppy.\nThey've thrown passes to no one. They've lost their dribble trying to keep a quick pace. Twice their turnover totals climbed into the twenties. And in their two losses, their turnovers have surpasses their assists.\n"Our turnovers are unforced turnovers," said IU coach Mike Davis. "We are dribbling the ball too fast and throwing to people who are not looking."\nThere's been no shortage of culprits either. Senior Marco Killingsworth has turned the ball over five or more times in half the Hoosiers' games. Fellow Auburn transfer and point guard Lewis Monroe has two games with four turnovers, including a three-turnover, zero-assist performance against Duke. And three other players have added four-turnover games of their own this season.\nThe question remains, can it cease?\nThere's no single answer to solving the Hoosiers consistency problem. Amidst a string of four games in 10 days, Davis said a lack of intensity can be cited as the primary culprit for Tuesday's loss to Indiana State.\n"We didn't play with a lot of intensity," he said. "We played like we thought we could win the game at any time."\nWithin the steady stream of opponents has come a multitude of different defensive schemes to overcome. In IU's first couple games, the opposition focused its attention on Killingsworth -- opening up the three-point shot which IU took advantage of. Then Duke came into Assembly Hall and focused entirely on limiting the Hoosiers' open looks from outside. And though Killingsworth had a career night, the 2-10 three-point production left IU just short of an upset. \nSince then, Eastern Michigan and Indiana State have presented the Hoosiers with more zone defense, collapsing on Killingsworth every time he touched the ball. The result -- 24 total points and nine turnovers between the two games. \nBut regardless of what the defense is doing, Davis said most of the turnover blame falls squarely on what IU is doing, not the other team.\n"We have talked about turnovers from day one -- about how they are unforced," he said. "It is hard to overcome that, and still we were in a position to win the (ISU) game despite the turnovers. We just can't play that way. We have addressed it in practice and in meetings. We just have to take care of the basketball."\nHeading into a match up against Kentucky that has been one-sided in recent years, offensive efficiency should prove as crucial as ever. But, again, there's no magic answer. In fact, the way Davis sees it, the solution may be far simpler than one might think.\n"We just have to play basketball," he said. "There is no panic setting in. We just have to play basketball. There isn't any panic if there is no panic within us, and we're not panicking"
(12/09/05 5:52am)
At times, the Hoosier offense has looked flat-out impressive.\nThey averaged 100 points in their first three games. They drained 16 threes -- twice. And they recorded more than 20 assists in all four of the team's wins this season.\n"It's making the open passes," said IU coach Mike Davis. "Our assist numbers were way up when we were throwing the ball out and making the extra passes."\nThere is no shortage of weapons in the IU offense. Senior Marco Killingsworth stormed onto the national scene with a 34-point performance against No. 1 Duke. Senior Marshall Strickland shoots better than 50 percent from three. And freshman Ben Allen has recently increased his production, dropping 21 on Indiana State behind five-of-six three-point shooting.\nThe question remains, can it continue?\nThere's no single answer to solving the Hoosiers consistency problem. Amidst a string of four games in 10 days, Davis said a lack of intensity can be cited as the primary culprit for Tuesday's loss to Indiana State.\n"We didn't play with a lot of intensity," he said. "We played like we thought we could win the game at any time."\nWithin the steady stream of opponents has come a multitude of different defensive schemes to overcome. In IU's first couple games, the opposition focused its attention on Killingsworth -- opening up the three-point shot which IU took advantage of. Then Duke came into Assembly Hall and focused entirely on limiting the Hoosiers' open looks from outside. And though Killingsworth had a career night, the 2-10 three-point production left IU just short of an upset. \nSince then, Eastern Michigan and Indiana State have presented the Hoosiers with more zone defense, collapsing on Killingsworth every time he touched the ball. The result -- 24 total points and nine turnovers between the two games. \nBut regardless of what the defense is doing, Davis said most of the turnover blame falls squarely on what IU is doing, not the other team.\n"We have talked about turnovers from day one -- about how they are unforced," he said. "It is hard to overcome that, and still we were in a position to win the (ISU) game despite the turnovers. We just can't play that way. We have addressed it in practice and in meetings. We just have to take care of the basketball."\nHeading into a match up against Kentucky that has been one-sided in recent years, offensive efficiency should prove as crucial as ever. But, again, there's no magic answer. In fact, the way Davis sees it, the solution may be far simpler than one might think.\n"We just have to play basketball," he said. "There is no panic setting in. We just have to play basketball. There isn't any panic if there is no panic within us, and we're not panicking"
(12/06/05 5:27am)
Believe it or not, the Hoosiers actually entered last week's game against Duke with more recent series success than they do entering today's game against Indiana State.\nIU had won the previous two meetings against the Blue Devils before losing by eight Wednesday, whereas the Sycamores have won two of the last three meetings with IU and gave the Hoosiers all they could handle last season in a 56-52 Hoosier win. \n"With Indiana State, they're going to come at us," junior guard Errek Suhr said. "They do every year because they're Indiana boys, and they're playing against the team they grew up wanting to be on."\nThe last time the Hoosiers traveled to Terre Haute, Indiana State sent them back to Bloomington with a one point loss, 58-59. The year before, 1999, the Sycamores upset IU 63-60 in Assembly Hall. But this year, Suhr believes the circumstances are different.\n"I think this year we're a different type of team," he said. "We're fast, and we're uptempo, and we play hard all the time."\nIU coach Mike Davis concurs with Suhr's sentiments and said IU needs to focus on playing its own game in order to combat ISU's emotion and intensity. Davis cited the many upsets occurring around the country where experienced mid-major schools take down nationally ranked programs.\n"This year, everybody could work with their team from day one," Davis said. "So if you have an older team, it doesn't matter if you're a mid-major or a high major, if you work with your team from day one you're going to have a head start."\nDavis went on to say that because teams are allowed to start practicing sooner, the level of play early in the season is better than ever. For an experienced team, the extra practice can do wonders on the court -- regardless of its conference.\n"You can see the chemistry," junior guard Rod Wilmont said. "Guys are really good with each other because they don't have anybody leaving early."\nThe undefeated Sycamores (3-0) aren't quite as experienced as some of the most threatening mid-major schools, but they do return 6-foot-5 guard David Moss who averages 24 points per game and shoots nearly 60 percent from the floor. Davis said Moss is a natural scorer, but he also leads ISU in assists and is second on the team averaging 5.3 rebounds per contest.\nIU touts a 20 point-per-game scorer of its own in senior Marco Killingsworth, who is riding some recent success that earned him Big Ten Player of the Week. Killingsworth won the award two weeks ago as well, making him the first Hoosier since Steve Alford to win the award twice in three weeks.\nIU will try to hand the Sycamores their first loss at 7:05 p.m. tonight in the Hulman Center at Indiana State. \n"They're not the same as last year," Davis said. "They're better this year than last year. We think we're better this year than last year. It's just a matter of who plays well"
(12/05/05 5:15pm)
In IU's first four games, freshman forward Ben Allen never played more than 15 minutes, never scored more than eight points and never grabbed more than four rebounds. But Allen eclipsed all those marks Saturday night, warranting a steady stream of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oy, Oy, Oy!" chants from the crowd.\nCrikey!\nThe man from the land down under stepped up to the occasion, scoring 15 points in 23 minutes on 6-8 shooting, in a 79-63 IU victory against Easter Michigan University. \nThe Hoosiers (4-1) desperately needed the boost from the bench in a game where senior forward Marco Killingsworth drew double teams and fouls all night long.\n"That's the first time I've ever had (the crowd chanting like that)," Allen said. "When they get that 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!' chant going it really gives me a lift."\nThe freshman said he remained focused all week in practice after committing a quick foul in the Duke game and being pulled in less than a minute. IU coach Mike Davis said he got on his foul-prone forward a little this week, and shifted Allen's attention to moving his feet and avoiding the ref's whistle. \nAllen pleased his coach by playing 23 foul-free minutes against Eastern Michigan, but it was the Eagles' coach who was most impressed.\n"Ben Allen, if he is 18 years of age, is one of the best 18-year-olds I've ever seen," Eagles' coach Charles Ramsey said. "He is fundamentally sound, he can really shoot the ball and he's going to do nothing but get better."\nAllen came to IU primarily as a "catch-and-shoot" kind of guy, Davis said, but he displayed his increasing versatility by scoring four buckets from the post to accent his two treys.\n"(Assistant) coach (Kerry) Rupp has done a really great job with Ben to improve his post game," Davis said.\nIU needed the solid presence down under the basket from the Australia native as Killingsworth saw consistent double and triple teams before fouling out in the game's final minutes. Killingsworth's inconsistent court presence forced Allen to serve a variety of roles for the Hoosiers.\n"When Marco and I are playing, I've got the ability to step outside and hit the three because obviously he is going to draw a lot of attention down in the post," Allen said. "Whereas with me and (Robert) Vaden, I'm going to draw a crowd and free up Vaden on the perimeter."\nJoining Allen in a night of solid bench play was junior guard Errek Suhr. No longer a surprise, Suhr incited perhaps the largest crowd eruption of the evening when he drained a three and got fouled with 6.7 seconds remaining in the first half -- doubling IU's lead to eight.\nThat three-ball was, again, one of many for the Hoosiers who hit double digits again in the 3-point column with 10. Senior Marshall Strickland led IU with three long balls on five attempts, actually dropping his season 3-point percentage to 62.5. \nA primary reason for IU's outside success has been more zone defenses from opposing teams. Ramsey said he never coached as much zone as he did Saturday, and several other teams have tried that approach to easily double team Killingsworth inside. But as far as sophomore forward Robert Vaden is concerned regarding the zone: bring it on. \n"I like playing against a zone because you can always pick it apart," he said. "I think that's one of the worst things you can do is play zone in college basketball because you can find open shooters"
(12/01/05 5:37pm)
Wednesday morning the name Marco Killingsworth only really resonated with fans in Indiana and Alabama. Today, however, is a different story.\nThe senior transfer exploded onto the national scene Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 34 points in a nationally televised 75-67 loss to No. 1 Duke. The Blue Devils entered the game with the defending defensive player of the year set to guard Killingsworth, but they spent the entire night searching for answers.\n"Our game plan was to go inside all night," IU coach Mike Davis said. "If Marco needs to score 40 or 50 points, we'll let him do that."\nFive minutes into the game, all signs pointed to a career night of a different kind. The fifth-year senior missed a shot (his only of the half) and committed three turnovers before finally loosening up.\n"We came out tight as can be," Davis said. "(Marco) is like guys' big brother. If he's a little shaky it really hurts us."\nWith 14:08 on the clock, and the score 18-8 in favor of Duke, Killingsworth received a pass in the post, shook free from Williams and dropped in a layup. The score gave him his first two points and the packed house its first spark of life. \nThe Killingsworth show was ready to begin.\nOn IU's next possession, sophomore forward Robert Vaden missed a jumper, but Killingsworth grabbed the board, gave two quick head fakes and dropped the ball in off the glass.\nThe Auburn transfer dictated the pace for the final minutes of the first period, scoring 13 of IU's last 17 points. At one point, Killingsworth scored on three-straight IU possessions, capped by a 15-foot jumper to pull the Hoosiers within five. \n"He showed us that we needed to step up and play just as hard as he was playing," Vaden said. "He just inspired us to play hard."\nKillingsworth proved his value in the first half, but he proved himself invaluable in the second. The halftime break seemed to only increase the 268-pound forward's desire as he scored six straight IU points and drew four fouls from both of Duke's starting forwards.\nThe senior matched his 17-point effort in the first half with 17 more in the second, including a clutch 3-pointer that pulled IU within five. \n"I just saw (the three open) and let it ride," he said. "(Williams) laid off me so much I had to shoot it."\nKillingsworth then inspired the loudest reaction of the night when he threw down a dunk that gave IU the lead with 7:40 remaining in the game.\nUnfortunately, the Killingsworth Express "ran out of gas" in the game's waning minutes, Davis said. With only a minute left to play and IU within five, Killingsworth made a strong move to the basket and dropped a two-footer on the front of the rim. A shot that seemed like it would have fallen earlier in the game rolled away from the basket and took IU's chances with it.
(12/01/05 1:04am)
The last embrace between IU coach Mike Davis and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski occurred on March 21, 2002 at centercourt of Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. Davis extended his hand to shake Krzyzewski's just moments after raising it above his head in a frenzied celebration. The Hoosiers had just upset the No. 1 Blue Devils, throwing Davis and the Hoosiers onto the national stage -- a place Coach K was long accustomed to. \nBut that was the last time. The next time the two coaches embrace will be at 9 p.m. tonight when Krzyzewski and his once again No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils take the floor at Assembly Hall to play Davis and his No. 17-ranked Hoosiers. Both teams enter tonight's game undefeated (Duke 5-0, IU 3-0), and both shoot better than 50 percent from the floor.\nBut that might be where the similarities end. IU's offense has exploded this year for 300 points in three games resulting in a trio of lopsided victories. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils depend more on their defense, holding their opponents to just 55 points per game and nearly 20 percent shooting from the three-point line. \nLooking back at the last meeting between the two storied programs, it appears as though the roles have reversed in a statistical sense. Duke averaged more than 90 points per game that season, and IU relied on its defense to capture the postseason win. The Hoosiers' late-game pressure forced Blue Devil mistakes and spurred a 10-3 run to close the game and give IU the 74-73 win. Duke shot just 33 percent in the second half and missed 10 of its 14 three-point attempts.\nThis time around, the key for the Hoosiers might not be offense or defense, but rather the tempo of play.\n"We're going to make them run with us and see if they can keep up," senior guard Marshall Strickland said. "They won't expect us to be as fast as we are."\nDespite all the history, despite all the campus hype, the Hoosiers were quick to downplay the significance of this game over any others. After all, it's still the regular season and this game will count just the same as the ones against Nicholls State and Western Illinois.\n"I've been playing ball my whole life, and I think if you concentrate more on the name and all that stuff, you're going to try and do more and you're going to mess up more," senior Marco Killingsworth said. "If you take it as another game there won't be so much pressure on you."\nThis is the first time in the IU-Duke series history that the two teams have squared off in the regular season. All the previous meetings have come in either preseason or postseason tournaments, including three games in the NCAA tournament. In two of the postseason games, the winner went on to win the national \nchampionship.\nAll history and hype aside, IU coach Mike Davis said this game is not do or die. He said the game will be a challenge, but not necessarily a measuring stick for the team.\nFor the fans, on the other hand, they will witness something unseen at Assembly Hall in nearly five years -- a No. 1 ranked team. Davis may be able to downplay the importance of tonight's game for the team, but for the fans, he admitted, "they should be excited."\n"This is why they come to (IU)," he said. "To be a part of this"
(11/28/05 3:53pm)
MACOMB, Ill. -- For the third straight game, the IU men's basketball team topped 50 percent shooting and 99 points in its 102-79 victory against Western Illinois University Saturday night.\nAfter only five minutes, No. 20 IU (3-0) owned a double-digit lead, making seven of its first nine shots, including three three-pointers. On the night, IU drained 16 total long balls, the second highest three-point total in school history.\nThe Hoosiers also had a successful evening passing the ball, registering assists on 29 of their 36 field goals.\n"We've never passed the ball like this," IU coach Mike Davis said. "I love this team because of the unselfish play. We have guys on this basketball team that can score 20 points on any given night, but they'll let the 20 come to them." \nSenior Marco Killingsworth let a 20-point game come to him for the second time this season, pacing the Hoosiers with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Auburn transfer quieted the 5,021 in attendance early, slamming home IU's second basket of the game. He never relented from there, missing only one shot (a three-pointer) in the first half.\n"Just wait on that double team, that's what we've been saying," Killingsworth said. "Get it, hold it, wait on that double team and kick it out because eventually you're going to get your shine on."\nSophomore Robert Vaden had his coming out party in the Hoosiers' first road game, scoring a career-high 22 points, after scoring just 20 points in IU's first two games combined. The sophomore also set his career high for assists in the first half alone with six -- totaling eight for the game. \n"I think (Vaden) is one of the most underrated players in the country," Davis said. "I really appreciate him because he played (power forward)."\nThe Hoosiers had five players score in double figures, the most of the season. \nAmong the leading scorers were Killingsworth (22), Vaden (22), junior Rod Wilmont (15), senior Marshall Strickland (13) and junior Errek Suhr (13). Wilmont started for the first time this season and led IU with nine rebounds, while Suhr is the only bench player to hit double figures in all three games this year.\n"Errek Suhr is always the same," Davis said. "I hope people forget to read the scouting report on him because he's always open."\nThe Leathernecks hung with IU for much of the second half -- scoring 47 points to IU's 49. Forward Marlon Mahorn rose to the occasion in Western Illinois' first home game against a ranked opponent in more than 50 years. The nephew of former NBA great Rick Mahorn led the Leathernecks with 17 points behind a 4-for-5 three-point shooting effort.\nNext, IU will welcome No. 1 Duke to Assembly Hall Wednesday. The Hoosiers have yet to be tested for a full 40 minutes, and Davis hopes to keep it that way.\n"There are two things that coaches say that kind of puzzle me," he said. "That they want to be in close games, and they want to peak at the right time. I want to play well the whole year, and I don't want any close games"
(11/18/05 3:53pm)
During his freshman year, Sean Kline threw Assembly Hall into a frenzy with a between-the-legs slam that won him the Hoosier Hysteria dunk contest.\nIn his junior year, Kline threw Assembly Hall into a frenzy of a different sort -- one of heckels and boos.\nNow in his fifth and final season with the Hoosiers, Kline will start tonight's game against Nicholls State University back on Branch McKracken court. And with the past behind him, Kline is ready to redefine himself -- again.\n"I've got a different mentality," he said. "This is the last year. It's no holds barred -- this is it. If you don't get it done now, you're never going to get another opportunity."\nKline starts tonight at forward in place of injured sophomore D.J. White, but fans shouldn't expect to see the same player that incited jeers last season. The fifth-year senior lost weight in the offseason, bringing his playing weight back to a more suitable 233 pounds. Several teammates cited Kline's quickness and agility as the most visible difference between this year and last.\nA season-ending knee injury marred Kline's sophomore season, and the effects carried into last year. So with the team struggling and Kline still recovering, senior guard Marshall Strickland feels the IU faithful took much of their frustration out on the forward. \n"He was kind of the scapegoat," Strickland said. "People picked on him, but we all rallied around him. We had his back even when he was playing bad and I think that has really paid off because he's a better player and a stronger person."\nIU's No. 23 played in 18 games last season, starting only three. The knee injury hindered his playing time in December and January, shortly after he recorded eight points and three rebounds in a start against Charlotte University. But oddly enough, the hampering knee opened more playing time for the then-freshman forward White. With the roles now reversed, it will be Kline looking to take advantage of increased playing time due to White's broken left foot.\n"I think he can just come in and play his game," Strickland said. "He's not going to be looked on to be a star... He doesn't have to come on the floor and be Karl Malone."\nIt's easy to forget that five years ago Kline came to IU as a highly touted all-state player. He graduated from Huntington North High School as the school's all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, and regularly put up more than 20 points and 10 rebounds on any given night. \nBut even though most of the IU student body wasn't around for those days, there are still those around the Big Ten that remember.\n"I still like Kline," Iowa coach Steve Alford said. "He's a blue-collar kid that's just tough as hell."\nStrickland and Kline, the only two players at IU with four years of experience, sat down at the start of the season to discuss their wide-ranging times and emotions at IU. The conversation gave the seniors a scope for their upcoming senior season. \n"We realized it's our turn to take this over," Strickland said. "Sean has the right mindset right now that he wants to lead this team and wants to leave a winning legacy."\nThe formation of that legacy begins at 6 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall.
(11/10/05 4:30am)
If there is a blessing to the injury of sophomore forward D.J. White, it's the timing. \nJust two days after the announcement that White will miss at least six weeks with a broken foot, the No. 23-ranked Hoosiers welcome the Division II University of Indianapolis Greyhounds for their final exhibition game. Fifth-year senior Sean Kline will take White's starting position after scoring 13 points in IU's last game against St. Joseph's College (Ind.).\n"(Losing White) is disappointing because he was playing so well," coach Mike Davis said. "But at the same time, Sean Kline is playing very well. He is a fifth-year senior, so you are not replacing a sophomore with a freshman; you are replacing him with a fifth-year senior."\nStarting Kline will give IU four seniors among its starting five -- three of whom are in their fifth year. Fellow fifth-year seniors Lewis Monroe and Marco Killingsworth will start at point guard and forward, respectively, while senior Marshall Strickland will start at shooting guard. Sophomore Robert Vaden, playing small forward, will round out the starters.\n"(The exhibition games) definitely help," Monroe said. "We have a chance to get everybody out there, and win or lose, it doesn't count. It gives us a chance to work things out and try some new things and find out what works."\nFinding the proper way to replace last year's Big Ten Freshman Player of the Year is certainly a priority for Davis tonight, but he said the No. 1 objective is staying healthy.\n"I just want to get everyone through this game," he said. "If we can get through this game healthy, I don't care what the score is."\nDavis said he would "love" to be able to sit the starters for the entire second half and give the less-experienced players some quality court time. Featuring three transfers and three freshmen (two from foreign countries), playing time will be a hot commodity for the IU bench.\n"We just need guys to step up and play well while people are out," Vaden said. "I got some good experience last year, and it really helped out, and I think it can help these guys too."\nUnfortunately for IU, White's injury will force freshmen forwards Ben Allen (Australia) and Cem Dinc (Turkey) to speed up their transitional period as they adjust to Hoosier basketball. Davis said he has been particularly impressed with Allen's play recently, and nobody has been shy about touting the raw, physical abilities of Dinc.\nAnother option in combating the loss of White will be a smaller lineup, pinning Vaden at power foward, Davis said. The Hoosiers are just as deep at guard as they are at forward with juniors Earl Calloway and Errek Suhr and sophomore A.J. Ratliff, who is expected to return from a thumb injury in a couple of weeks. \n"I played some (power forward) last year, so if Ben, Cem or Kline can't play I would have to step in," Vaden said. "I have some experience down there, so I don't think it would be a problem."\nTip-off for tonight's game is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Assembly Hall.