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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Men's basketball coach Mike Davis said he wanted to have a good time at Midnight Madness as Friday night turned into Saturday morning at Assembly Hall. Judging by his reactions to his players' loose style of basketball, Davis at least somewhat enjoyed himself.\nAnd more important than what happened Saturday morning, Davis was more pleased with what his team didn't do, pointing out that some players last year had too much fun.\n"I want to have fun, but I don't want to embarrass the program," Davis said. "It was better than last year."\nThe fans seemed to have no complaints. A raucous crowd that filled nearly every seat except the balcony level was entertained by a spot shot competition, a three point contest and a slam dunk competition before a 10 minute intrasquad scrimmage by the men's team.\nSophomore guard A.J. Moye and women's freshman forward Me'sha Salters won the shooting competition. Freshman walk-on guard Ryan Tapak had a surprise performance, winning the three-point contest and Moye ended the games by winning the slam dunk competition.\n"I worked hard in the off-season and (Davis) rewarded me with the opportunity to display my newfound shooting touch," Moye said. "We had fun."\nThe intrasquad scrimmage was the first chance for Davis to watch his team play with referees. The white squad, led for the second year in a row by sophomore center George Leach, beat the red team, 24-21. Leach had 14 points.\nJunior guard Tom Coverdale ran the offense for the white team while freshman Donald Perry did the same for the red team. Perry had several nice moves and a couple of assists to senior Jarrad Odle.\n"The scrimmage wasn't as sharp and good as we'd have liked, but that's to be expected because we haven't had any practice time," Coverdale said.\nThere were several turnovers by both teams and the offense was never much more than one-on-one moves from the wings. Davis wasn't surprised, but said the practice went better than last season's opening scrimmage.\n"(Midnight Madness) was bad but last year was awful," Davis said. "We haven't done anything as far as structure so it was like an open-gym, pick-up game."\nSaturday morning was more of an opportunity for fans to see the individual skills developed by the players during the off-season. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, who sat out the scrimmage with a minor foot injury, said the team took advantage of the personal attention from the coaching staff.\n"The coaches have done a good job developing the kind of workout we needed, and we've worked hard as a team to get ready for that," Jeffries said.\nEight hours after they concluded Midnight Madness, the Hoosiers were back on the floor, holding another public practice Saturday morning in front of about 500 fans. Jeffries, who hurt his foot during a pickup game late last week, practiced.\nThe team worked on shooting under pressure, boxing out and free throw shooting, something lacking during the scrimmage.\nThe Hoosiers took the day off Sunday but begin regular practices today. \nDavis said he was pleased with the team's individual work with coaches, but he also wants his players to focus on working hard over the next month before the first game, Nov. 18 at Charlotte.\n"I thought we really worked hard the past week," Davis said. "We have some guys that need to get pushed a little bit."\nCoverdale said the team is in a better spot now than it was a year ago.\n"The most important thing is what kind of shape we're in right now and I think we're in 10 times better shape than we were in last year," he said. "Everybody's just a lot more relaxed and looking forward to the season"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Nothing could stop the Hoosiers on Sunday at Assembly Hall against Athletes in Action. \nAt one point, sophomore forward Jared Jeffries grabbed a rebound and put it back to extend the IU lead to 72-42 midway through the second half. What's impressive about the play is Jeffries made it with one arm; Eric Dunn of Athletes in Action was holding the other one.\nLed by Jeffries' 23 points and eight rebounds, and with contributions from nearly every player on their roster, the Hoosiers whipped Athletes in Action, 105-59 in front of 11,553 fans in the team's pre-season opener.\nIU got out to a quick lead by scoring the game's first 19 points. Representative of the balance that would pace the Hoosiers all day, those 19 points came from five different players. \nAthletes in Action would not score until a layup by Josh Hall put them on the board just more than six minutes into the game.\nMen's basketball coach Mike Davis could not have been happier with the offensive effort. Junior forward Jeff Newton had 17 points, senior Jarrad Odle scored 16 and junior guard Kyle Hornsby added 14 points, including four three-pointers.\n"I wanted to get off to a good start offensively," Davis said. "It was great to see that. I thought the ball movement was great."\nDavis had said he has been looking for someone to step up and replace the offensive void left by Kirk Haston's departure for the NBA. Judging by Sunday's offense, there are a number of places for Davis to look.\n"People questioned how we would do without Kirk," Jeffries said. "I think this shows that with Kirk being gone, a lot more players have a chance to step up and take new roles."\nJunior guard Tom Coverdale had nine points and 12 assists. \nThe Hoosiers were known last year as a defensive team and that appears not to have changed. But now there are more offensive options. Coverdale pointed to the defense early in the game as being the key to the game and the spark that ignited the Hoosiers' offense.\n"I just think it's all based on momentum," he said. "I thought our defense was really good in the beginning, and it kind of carried over to our offense, and that's what we were able to do in the beginning to get out to such a big lead. \n"We know as a team everything's based around our defense."\nDavis singled out Newton's and Odle's performances as impressive. Newton was 8-for-12, shooting from several spots on the floor while grabbing eight rebounds. Odle was 7-for-8.\n"Newton's really played hard," Davis said. "He's improved his effort. With Jeff Newton playing the way he did (Sunday), we're a good basketball team.\n"Odle, right now, is the first guy off the bench."\nFor the game, IU held AIA to just under 39 percent shooting for the game while the Hoosiers hit at an impressive 66.7 percent clip. AIA turned the ball over 18 times while IU committed only nine turnovers and had 31 assists.\n"I thought we ran and executed our offense really well," Coverdale said. "We're going to get better and better."\nSophomore guard A. J. Moye did not play. Davis said Moye broke a team rule by being out past midnight Saturday night.\nFreshman guard Donald Perry saw 25 minutes of action, scoring 10 points and distributing four assists. Freshman walk-on Ryan Tapak put the Hoosiers over the 100-point mark with two three-pointers at the end of the game.\nAfter falling behind by 19, AIA never got closer than 12 points and went to halftime trailing 56-26. Six quick points after the break cut the Hoosiers' lead to 24, but AIA would never get closer than that. Hall led AIA with 15 points. Forward David Fischer added 12. \nIU would get its biggest lead of 48 points late in the second half at 103-57 on a Perry layup with just more than three minutes left in the game.\nFor most of the game, the Hoosiers played with three guards on the floor and all were effective shooting from the outside. Jeffries said that will only help the team if it can get consistent scoring from different players.\n"It takes pressure off me," he said. "I don't have to press. I can just go out and play my game"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Another day and another road trip to a game away from Assembly Hall. \nThis time, the mens basketball team will be on the other side of the continent, taking on University of Alaska-Anchorage in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night in Anchorage, Alaska. The game will be on ESPN2.\nThe tournament will be on the Seawolves' home court, Sullivan Arena.\nThe No. 20 Hoosiers (1-0) spent a lot of energy Sunday night in their 65-61 comeback win at Charlotte. Now, after returning from North Carolina to practice at Assembly Hall Monday, IU will go to Alaska to face the Seawolves, who will be playing their season opener.\nAlthough it will be difficult, junior guard Kyle Hornsby said the tough schedule to start the season will help the Hoosiers in the long run.\n"It gets you ready for the Big Ten season," he said. "We lost some games last season that we should have won. Those are the kind of games you have to win if you're going to win a Big Ten championship."\nPerhaps IU is already learning to do that after its win Sunday night after being down by as many as 12 in the second half. \nSunday, Coach Mike Davis noticed his team was more prepared to handle a tough environment than last year.\n"(Charlotte) almost broke us," he said. "If this would have been early last year, you know we would have folded."\nIn the other half of the Hoosiers bracket is Marquette and Tennessee, who will also play Wednesday. The other bracket, which will begin play Thursday, features Oregon State against Texas and St. John's against Gonzaga.\nThe semifinals will be played Friday before the championship and consolation games Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers were last in this tournament in 1995, when they beat the Seawolves in the opening round before falling to Duke and Connecticut.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Joseph Forte went to the NBA along with Brendan Heywood. Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers decided to stick with football.\nHead Coach Matt Doherty knew this season would be hard for North Carolina, considering what he lost from a team that fell to Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March. \nPlus, the Tar Heels have to run through the rugged ACC, which is loaded with No. 1 Duke and No. 5 Maryland among others.\nBut were things supposed to be this bad this early? Lose at home to two unranked teams some people haven't even heard of to open the season? That bad?\nDoherty probably wasn't expecting so much trouble to start his second season as coach of his alma mater.\n"Our guys are still fragile," he said. "They need to get more comfortable, and I think they have in the past few days. Hopefully that will show."\nThe Tar Heels (0-2) needed to improve this week as they prepare to take on the Hoosiers tonight at the Smith Center as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. \nNorth Carolina opened its season with a 77-69 loss to Hampton and followed that with another disappointing performance by falling to Davidson, 58-54. In fact, the only win the Tar Heels do have this year is a 107-76 win against EA Sports All-Stars in their exhibition opener. They lost their other preseason game to Nike Elite, 81-70.\nDoherty wasn't as surprised as most people by North Carolina's two losses to open the season.\n"To me, Hampton was as good as I expected them to be," Doherty said. "Davidson is probably better than people think."\nSome might have pointed to this happening in Doherty's second season at Chapel Hill, especially after Forte left early and the loss of Curry and Peppers. The questions have caused Doherty to re-evaluate what he is doing and look back at what he has been through as a player and a coach. \nDoherty spent four years as a player for North Carolina and spent seven years under Roy Williams at Kansas before coaching Notre Dame for a year. He took the North Carolina job in the summer of 2000 after several other candidates said no.\nAll of those experiences have helped him as he tries to get his team on track.\n"There are times it weighs on me. Sometimes you question yourself," Doherty said. "I've been coaching with coach Williams for seven years and played for Smith for four and coached through some tough times at Notre Dame and last year.\n"You draw on your own experiences and try to control what you can control."\nThe players Doherty is in control of this year are led by seniors Kris Lang and Jason Capel. Capel leads the Tar Heels with 13 points per game and Lang is averaging 12 points per game.\nDoherty mentioned a meeting he had with Lang at the Smith Center that had them talking basketball past midnight. Having had that meeting, Doherty said he has been pleased with the way Lang and Capel have taken responsibility for the team's poor open to the season.\nBeyond his players, Doherty continues to turn to the deep Tar Heel family for encouragement during this tough stretch. He said he talks to former North Carolina coach Dean Smith almost every day and has been in contact with Williams at Kansas.\n"Coach Williams called me the other night. He told me, 'hey, you need to hang in there.' There are people that will put things in perspective for you," Doherty said. "Someone told me it's not a matter of if but a matter of when." \nThat might be true if some of the younger Tar Heels step up. Freshman forward Jawad Williams has struggled to live up to the hype surrounding him. North Carolina is also looking for more production from Adam Boone and Melvin Scott.\nThe Tar Heels will need to get things together. After its contest with IU tonight, North Carolina has a schedule that includes a trip to Kentucky before the ACC season beings.\nDoherty might not have expected things to go bad so quickly, but he said he knows how to rectify matters.\n"The only way I know to get through things is work and work intelligently. I've got to put a plan together and make them believe in it," he said. "At some point, we hope it will click for us.\n"They've come back and they've worked. I think we'll be better this week"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Southern Illinois coach Bruce Weber and his men's basketball program are looking forward to facing the Hoosiers on Salukis hardwood for the first time.\n"It's been the talk of our town for the past two years," Weber said. "People are excited -- we'll be close to a sellout for the first time in 11 years.\n"Everybody's talking about Indiana coming here."\nWeber and the Salukis will host the Hoosiers tomorrow at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill. Tip off time is set for 4:05 EST.\nFor the Hoosiers, this game will close out a stretch that had them on the road for the first six games of the season, a brutal schedule that has coach Mike Davis wondering who is responsible for IU having to run across the country before playing at Assembly Hall.\nSaturday will be no easier. The Salukis (4-1), out of the Missouri Valley Conference, have posted a couple of impressive wins against Iowa State and at St. Louis. They lost a close one to No. 2 Illinois, 75-72, in the finals of the Las Vegas Invitational last week.\nNobody has to tell Davis how good Weber's team is.\n"They're really good," Davis said. "It's going to be a tough game. If we can beat them it would be a big win."\nThe close loss to the Fighting Illini Nov. 24 got the attention of many. Weber said the game was good for his team, but he would rather have won than just come close.\n"At first, everybody is patting you on the back, you feel good for yourself that you competed," he said. "(Then) it's disappointing, you don't get a chance to play top level teams like that."\nThe leader for Southern Illinois is junior guard Kent Williams. He leads the Salukis in scoring with 16 points a game, but struggled against the Hoosiers last year at Assembly Hall, when IU beat the Salukis 85-63.\n A big part of Williams' frustration in scoring only six points came from having to get around senior guard Dane Fife and his defensive presence.\n"He gets angles on people," Weber said of his guard. "He was disappointed in how he played at IU last year. Fife is a very good defender.\n"We're going to have to deal with that."\nThe Hoosiers (4-1) are coming off a 79-66 win at North Carolina Wednesday. Sophomore guard A.J. Moye led the way with a career-high 20 points, most of which came on four three-pointers in the first half against the Tar Heels. Moye said he wants to continue to be in Davis' starting lineup.\n"With the starting role, I might have more chances to shoot and score," Moye said. "The longer you're out there, the more chances you have to make something happen. I'm just going to continue to make something happen."\nWeber knows IU better than other coaches might. Before taking over at Southern Illinois in 1998, Weber spent 18 seasons with Gene Keady as an assistant coach at Purdue. From what he has seen, Weber thinks the Hoosiers have combined aspects of past teams and have been energized by Davis' offensive scheme.\n"They're doing different things," Weber said. "This is more of an NBA type thing. They're getting into the triangle.\nThey're a hard nosed team that loves to compete, that's Indiana basketball."\nThe things IU has been doing include hitting shots from the outside when they face a zone and getting inside production when they are attacking a man-to-man defense.\nThat combination has Weber and the Salukis in a pinch. Which way do they defend?\n"We got to extend. They're shooting the ball well," Weber said. "We have to do a good job on (sophomore forward Jared) Jeffries. If you extend out, they can manipulate things down low. They're physical and they have size inside."\nLast year against the Salukis, IU used 15 three-pointers to get the victory. Moye thinks the Hoosiers will be in for more of a fight this season.\n"We got a tough one, plus they have some incentive from last year," he said. "We played pretty good against them last year"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- It was over before it started. \nThat's what Mike Davis said after the Hoosiers were trampled by Southern Illinois, 72-60, in front of a sellout crowd of 10,000 at a frenzied and chaotic SIU Arena.\nThe win against IU (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today poll) was the first against a ranked team for the Salukis in more than 13 years. \nDavis said he knew it was coming.\n"I know my team. Just the look in their eyes," Davis said. "Even though we were up 4-0, you could just tell the momentum was (Salukis') way from the introductions."\nThe crowd was noisy throughout, rattling the Hoosiers (4-2) and taking them out of their offense. The game was a pattern of runs by each team, only the Salukis had more. \nTo its credit, IU managed to stay in the game and, after trailing 26-20 at the half, later tied the contest. But Davis said his team stopped executing its offense after the game was tied, and the Hoosiers' inability to get the ball inside led to their demise.\n"We played so fast and so ahead that we never executed the offense," Davis said. "Then, once we tied the game, we came down and took a foolish shot."\nThat shot was a three-pointer by senior guard Dane Fife that followed Newton's play. From there, SIU held the Hoosiers scoreless for more than three minutes and built a 43-34 lead when Brad Korn hit a three-pointer as he fell down with 12:12 left in the game.\nIU did not intimidate the Salukis (6-1).\n"We didn't get tight," Southern Illinois junior forward Jermaine Dearman said. "We just wanted to keep pushing and keep fighting."\nSIU coach Bruce Weber said his team was trying to get too fancy at the start of the second half. After they calmed down, though, the Salukis began to put the Hoosiers away.\n"We didn't need a pretty game, and I think that is what happened in the start of the second half, we got soft again," Weber said. "I called a time out and said, 'you aren't going to win pretty.' We needed an ugly, hard-nosed game. We were much more physical after that."\nSIU would get the lead up to 12 at 54-42 with just over eight minutes left. IU would get the deficit down to 54-49 with six minutes left on a 15-footer by Newton, but the Hoosiers would get no closer. The Salukis responded with an 8-0 run to get the lead to 13 at 62-49.\nJunior guard Kent Williams hit six free throws in the last two minutes to put the game out of reach.\nThe Salukis were more physical than IU on the boards, outrebounding the Hoosiers 45-38. Junior center Rolan Roberts, 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, dominated the lane with 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots to go with his 12 points. \n"Not all five guys were going to the glass. We gave up 17 offensive rebounds," junior guard Tom Coverdale said.\nWilliams had a game-high 22 points, 17 of which came in the second half when the Hoosiers collapsed on Roberts. Williams had only six points in the Salukis' 85-63 loss at Assembly Hall last season. \nNot only was his offense big, Williams said the defense was the key.\n"We're a totally different team this year. We play defense," Williams said. "We put pressure on the ball the whole time. They just pushed us around (last year). Today I didn't think they pushed us around."\nRoberts and the Salukis held the Hoosiers to 33 percent shooting from the floor. IU hit just four of 18 three-pointers after hitting 15 three-pointers in last season's win against SIU. \n"They recovered well, last year they didn't," Davis said. "They forced us into taking one or two dribbles. We're not good off the dribble. Not one guy on our team can penetrate or do anything with the basketball."\nSophomore guard A.J. Moye lead the Hoosiers with 17 points. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries had 13 points and seven rebounds.\nDavis drew comparisons between this loss and the Nov. 23 loss to Marquette, 50-49.\n"Anytime we have success we walk around like we're big dogs. I was very disappointed in the effort that we gave defensively," he said. "We've been beaten by two mid-major teams because of effort. This game is no different than the Marquette game. \n"It was foolish."\nThe Hoosiers jumped out to a 4-0 lead despite the raucous crowd. Davis said at that point IU had done what they had intended offensively. But the Salukis would respond with a 13-2 run over the next six minutes.\n"The first two series we moved the basketball, and we made them play defense for 25 seconds," Davis said. "We got easy shots.\n"We got rattled tonight."\nAfter Moye hit a three-pointer to bring the Hoosiers within three at 21-18, IU would not score for more than four minutes. \nMoye gave credit to the Salukis for their defense, but said the Hoosiers were continuously hurting themselves.\n"Basketball is more mental, and we weren't really focused like we should be," he said. "We tied the game a couple of times, then we didn't execute. They came out with a lot of intensity and they fought, but we really beat ourselves"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Tom Coverdale doesn't know why, but there is something about playing against Notre Dame that brings out the best in him. Even when the game is on the line and the other team is trying to rattle him, Coverdale seems to like beating the Irish.\nLast season, it was his 30 points that led the Hoosiers to an 86-78 upset at No. 10 Notre Dame. Tuesday, Coverdale hit four critical free throws down the stretch with Irish freshman guard Chris Thomas talking in his ear to help IU preserve a 76-75 win in front of a sellout crowd of 17,456 at Assembly Hall.\n"I don't know. Part of it might be psychological, because I played well against them in the past," Coverdale said. "I was just thinking the same thing I thought with every other free throw."\nThe Hoosiers (5-2) have now beaten the Irish seven straight times and Notre Dame has not won at Assembly Hall since December of 1973.\nCoverdale finished with 11 points and four assists. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries' 28 points and six rebounds led the Hoosiers. \nCoach Mike Davis didn't give Coverdale the start last night after a sub-par performance Saturday. Davis said he liked Coverdale's response to the challenge.\n"Tom Coverdale is a good basketball player," Davis said. "He's got habits he's got to break for us to be a good basketball team."\nNotre Dame (7-1) trailed IU 70-64 with 3:31 left. Senior center Ryan Humphrey and Thomas took over, with Thomas' pull-up jumper with 54 seconds left cutting the Hoosiers' lead to 72-70.\nCoverdale rebounded a Jarrad Odle miss and was fouled by Thomas in the lane with 30 seconds left. After Coverdale hit both free throws to give the Hoosiers a four-point lead, Thomas pulled up and hit a three over Coverdale to pull the Irish within one at 74-73 with 21 seconds left.\nSenior forward Harold Swanagan fouled Coverdale, who hit both free throws to get the lead back to three with 19 seconds left. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey used a timeout to set up a play, but junior guard Matt Carroll's three-pointer rimmed out.\n"We should have fouled," Davis said. "We made a mistake by letting them catch the basketball."\nHumphrey tipped Carroll's miss in to cut the lead to 76-75 with two seconds left, but following a missed free throw by freshman guard Donald Perry, Humphrey's court long heave missed as the buzzer sounded.\nIn such a close game, Davis couldn't help but notice the difference of playing in front of the home crowd.\n"It was strange," Davis said. "We're so used to playing on the road. Tonight was good. Our fans were great tonight."\nAfter getting handled by Southern Illinois Saturday, Davis wanted a better effort from his team. He got that in a very physical game that saw junior forward Jeff Newton foul out with 2:47 left. Jeffries played the last 6:41 of the game with four fouls.\n"You just got to play tough around the basket," Davis said. "Our guys are tough in there, I know it's in them."\nHumphrey finished with 23 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Thomas had 24 and Swanagan added 17.\nDavis also said he wanted his team to think before taking the quick three-point shot. The Hoosiers made only four three-pointers at Southern Illinois and Davis questioned his team's shot selection. The Hoosiers hit 7-of-17 three-pointers against the Irish.\nIU ran its offense more effectively, running the ball through the post players almost every time down the floor. Jeffries touched the ball more often, giving the Hoosiers with his best offensive game of the season. \nThe Hoosiers shot 46.8 percent from the floor for the game, getting better shots by working their offense. IU had 32 points in the paint and 14 second chance points.\n"We've been getting it inside but not as deep as we wanted to," Coverdale said. "When we get our inside game going like we did tonight it opens up the outside game a lot more. It makes our offense (run) the way it's supposed to run."\nAfter shooting only 35 percent from the floor in the first half, the Irish found themselves down 40-30 at the break. Brey credited the IU defense for the deficit.\n"They are a very good defensive team. It was a physical game, but you expect that," Brey said. \nFrom the outset, the Hoosiers were determined to run their offense through their post players. The plan worked early and IU grabbed a 9-4 lead. The Hoosiers used runs of 8-2 and 9-2 to open a 36-22 lead, their biggest of the night, with 4:23 left before halftime.\nThe Irish got back in the game behind Thomas and Humphrey opening the second half on a 12-6 run that led to a close second half. The Irish shot nearly 60 percent from the floor in the second half to get back in the game. \nDavis noticed that the Hoosiers might have tired, having little time to recover from Saturday's loss. Still, IU managed to hang on.\n"I don't know if we were tired down the stretch, but we were definitely a different basketball team down the stretch," Davis said. "I thought we came back tonight and gave a lot better effort"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Junior forward Jeff Newton only had four points Saturday against Ball State. He also had seven rebounds. More importantly, Newton helped the Hoosiers take control of the frontcourt in their 74-61 win at Assembly Hall.\nWith 9:32 left in the first half, Newton blocked the shot of Ball State junior forward Theron Smith. On the Cardinals' next possession, senior guard Patrick Jackson was about to go for a layup on a fast break before he saw Newton fill the lane. Watching Newton the whole way, Jackson had to settle for a 15-foot jump shot that he missed.\nThe sequence set the tone for the rest of the game, with the Cardinals having to rely on jump shooting to keep them close. The Hoosiers (6-2) finished with 40 points in the paint. Ball State (5-2) had just 12. \nAlong with sophomore forward Jared Jeffries and sophomore center George Leach, Newton and IU dominated the lane on both sides of the floor.\n"Defensively, we had to do a great job on Smith and (Chris) Williams and Jackson and I felt like we did that," coach Mike Davis said.\nDavis knew his defense could take control of the game based on what he saw of the Cardinals' wins in the Maui Invitational, when Ball State knocked off top-five teams Kansas and UCLA before losing to Duke.\n"Kansas didn't play any defense. UCLA didn't play any defense," Davis said. "And Duke just kind of played when they wanted to."\nFor the game, the Cardinals shot 41 percent from the floor, including 10-of-21 from three-point range. Junior guard Chris Williams led Ball State with 18 points, but Jackson was held to eight points.\nBall State coach Tim Buckley said the Hoosiers disrupted the Cardinals' offense in every way.\n"The thing about Indiana is they have great length. All of their guys are pretty long players, so they can give you enough cushion so as you can't beat them off the dribble," Buckley said. "But at the same time, they can give you enough cushion so that they can challenge your jump shots.\n"So that makes it very difficult for you. They're just very well versed in good defense."\nThe Hoosiers finished with a 43-34 rebounding edge. Smith and senior center Lonnie Jones combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds for Ball State, but IU's trio of big men was too much to overcome. \nPlus, Smith played the last seven minutes with four fouls, making him less aggressive around the basket. Both Newton and Leach each finished with three blocks officially.\n"George and Newt are really good shot blockers. Having those guys behind myself and the guards out there makes it a lot easier because if somebody beats you, you don't have to foul," Jeffries said. "They're back there to block the shot."\nOffensively, the Hoosiers have recommitted to going through the inside part of their offense more often. Against Notre Dame, Jeffries had a career-high 28 points and threw in 22 more Saturday.\nDavis knows that if IU can get the ball to its star, there's a good chance somebody might score.\n"Our biggest problem this year is that we hadn't gone inside quick enough," Davis said. "Now once Jeffries catches the basketball you can double team him or play him single. If you play him single he can get to the basket. \n"And now his confidence is going sky high. We made a point in practice that we're going inside every time the guy's open. I don't care what play we're running, if he's open let's get the basketball to him. We did a good job tonight of getting the ball to Jeffries and Newton and Leach."\nDavis will continue to look for a strong effort from his trio of forwards. And he knows that if someone isn't performing, he has other options.\n"I have nine guys that I can play," Davis said. "If they're not playing hard, I can put someone else in"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
When Christmas break began, the Hoosiers sat at 6-2 and were coming off of two consecutive wins in their first two home games of the season. IU was headed to Miami to take on the Hurricanes and escape the cold of the Midwest.\nThings change, and they did for the Hoosiers over the last three weeks. What IU men's basketball coach Mike Davis was doing in the courtroom began to receive more attention than wins and losses.\nA blowout loss to Kentucky at the RCA Dome Dec. 22 followed a disappointing loss to the undefeated Miami Hurricanes. Finally, after beating Eastern Washington, IU lost to Butler in the finals of the Ameritech Hoosier Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse Dec. 29.\nBy the time the Hoosiers opened the Big Ten season with a win at Northwestern Jan. 2, the games were taking a backseat to Davis' words.\nAfter the 66-64 loss to Butler, Davis criticized the officiating, bringing a $10,000 fine from the Big Ten. In the final minutes of the game, Davis was called for a technical foul. During the press conference following the game, Davis claimed, "we get hosed down everywhere we freaking go in clutch situations, you'll see."\nPrior to the Butler loss, the Hoosiers' coach drew heat after he said on his weekly radio show before the Wildcat loss that he hates Kentucky. Davis said the comment was misinterpreted, but this would be the least of his problems.\nA deposition he gave in a case involving former assistant coach Ron Felling and former IU coach Bob Knight was released last week.\nDavis was present when Knight fired Felling. Felling is suing Knight for wrongful termination which came a day after the Hoosiers beat Notre Dame in December of 1999. The deposition was given Oct. 23, 2001 at the Monroe County Courthouse in Bloomington. The following information is from the deposition obtained by WTHR-13 in Indianapolis.\nFelling's lawyer, William C. Potter, did most of the questioning. Knight's lawyer, Russell Yates, was also present. University Attorney Ellen Boshkoff represented IU.\nPotter asked Davis about a number of things. Davis said he has not talked to Knight since the day before Davis accepted the interim job at IU in Sept. 2000.\nDavis was also asked about Knight's reputation for "violent outbursts."\n"I mean, if we were sitting here now, and if you said something that he didn't like, he would go off, scream and yell and curse at you," Davis said in the deposition. "I mean all the coaches and people, I mean it didn't matter who it was."\nWhen Potter asked Davis if he would describe Knight as a bully, Davis said "yes."\nAlso, Davis questioned how helpful Knight had been when Davis was pursuing a head coaching job at Tulane a few years ago. Davis wanted to coach in the South, but Knight thought otherwise.\n"I said I wanted it because I'm from the South," Davis said. He recalled that Knight responded with an expletive, dismissing Davis' interest and claiming that "it's a bad job." \nAs far as the incident with Felling was concerned, Davis said he was present with assistant coach John Treloar, assistant coach Pat Knight and Knight. Felling had been on the phone with former IU player and assistant coach as well as current Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich.\n"Coach immediately told us 'you guys won't believe what I heard (Felling) say over the phone to Dan Dakich," Davis recalled. "He told us what he heard, and he said, 'Mike, he was talking about you too.' Then when he said that, I just kind of dropped my head and really didn't pay attention after that part of it.\n"They went back and forth. (Knight) was saying what he overheard (Felling) say, and (Felling) would say, well, 'I didn't say that.' And then (Knight) would say yes, (Felling) did and that's when Coach Felling went up against the TV, and the tapes flew everywhere."\nFinally, Davis said Knight has tried to undermine the IU basketball program since he was fired.\n"It's all hearsay," Davis said. "People I've recruited, he's called people around them for them not to come and play for me. I've also heard he convinced Kirk Haston to come out early."\nIn the end, Davis and the Hoosiers seem focused on basketball. Since the fine and the release of the deposition, IU has beaten Northwestern and Penn State. Junior guard Tom Coverdale said the issues surrounding the team haven't been a problem.\n"We don't worry about that stuff," Coverdale said.
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Michigan State has the same overall record of 9-5 as the Hoosiers. But while Coach Mike Davis and IU have toured the country playing 11 of their first 14 games away from Assembly Hall, the No. 25 Spartans have had nine of their 14 games at home in the Breslin Center.\nNot surprisingly, Michigan State is undefeated at home. The Spartans have won 53 straight games in East Lansing, the longest such streak in the nation. \nBut they have yet to win on the road. And after a 75-64 loss at No.14 Stanford and a 70-67 loss at Minnesota Saturday, Tom Izzo is ready for his team to improve on the road.\nThe Spartans have their sixth chance at a road win tonight against the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall. Izzo thinks his team is ready to get it right after tough road losses at Stanford and No. 3 Florida.\n"It was a disappointing couple of games, and yet I thought in a way we played pretty well in both games, and I think we're better prepared for the Big Ten," Izzo said. \nThe Spartans can take some solace in their loss to the Gophers. They were playing without starters Adam Ballinger and Marcus Taylor. The fact that they were without the more than 26 points and 10 rebounds those two average impressed Coach Davis.\n"They go to Minnesota and lose by (three points) and they had two starters out," Davis said. "They're not going to lay down. They're a good basketball team."\nBallinger has missed Michigan State's last three games with a severely sprained right ankle. He isn't expected to play tonight, but Taylor might be able to play through the back spasms that held him out of the loss to the Gophers.\n"He wasn't great (Sunday). I do expect him to play some," Izzo said. "How much, I don't know."\nTaylor is one of the more experienced Spartans. Indiana native and freshman guard Chris Hill helped make up for Taylor's absence Saturday with 25 points and is averaging more than 12 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. \nDavis said he didn't recruit Hill particularly hard out of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis but thinks Hill could end up as the conference's freshman of the year.\n Besides Hill, Davis and is also concerned about Spartan sophomore forward Adam Wolfe, who Davis coached on the Big Ten Tour team this summer. "I thought he was probably the best player on the Big Ten team," Davis said. "He'll be a hard match-up for us because he can shoot." Wolfe is averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds this season and might get his seventh start of the season tonight.\n The last two times Michigan State has traveled to Assembly Hall, the Spartans have lost in the final seconds. Two years ago Lynn Washington tipped in an A.J. Guyton airball to give the Hoosiers an 81-79 win. Last season it was Kirk Haston who hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give IU a 59-58 win against then-No.1 Michigan State.\nThose three Hoosiers are gone now, but Izzo still faces Michigan-native Dane Fife, who won Michigan's Mr. Basketball in 1997. Fife is the last player to win the award in Michigan who didn't go to Michigan State to play for Izzo.\n"I'm still mad at him," Izzo joked. "He's become a phenomenal defensive player, one of the best in our league. I think he's improved each year. He's probably one of the best competitors in the league."\nThe game will be big for the Hoosiers, because their next three games will be at Iowa, at Ohio State and at Penn State. But IU knows it can win on the road. The Spartans haven't found a way to do that yet, but they know they have to.\n"It's difficult to win on the road, and we got to do it," Izzo said.
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Leading up to last night's game, Coach Mike Davis praised Tom Izzo as the best coach in the country, mainly because of the way Izzo can get his No.25 Spartans to be more aggressive than anybody on the boards and defensively.\nBut by the time there were a few minutes left in the game Tuesday night, Izzo could only run his hands through his hair, lean back in his chair and look up to the top of Assembly Hall. Another Michigan State turnover had led to another three-pointer, this one by Dane Fife to give the Hoosiers an 81-58 lead with just 2:33 left.\nA minute later Izzo was relegated to staring at the floor as the Hoosiers, using a terrific first half defensive performance that matched their offensive one, cruised to an 83-65 win.\nWhile Tom Coverdale hit all six of his three-pointers in the first half to lead the IU offense with 20 points in the first 20 minutes, the Hoosiers (10-5, 3-0) were holding the Spartans to 26 first half points, their second-lowest output of the season. \n"That was the best defense we've played all season. To come out and hold them to 26 points in the first half was big," Davis said.\nFreshman guard Chris Hill, who had poured in 25 points for Michigan State (9-6, 0-2) against Minnesota, was held to two points in the first half. While the Hoosiers finished the half shooting over 65 percent from the floor, the Spartans managed just 33 percent.\nSophomore forward Jared Jeffries set the tone early. He opened the game by blocking the first two shots of Spartan forward Aloysius Anagonye in the opening 90 seconds.\n"That was definitely big for us," Davis said. \nThe Hoosiers finished with six blocks and seven steals, forcing Michigan State into 17 turnovers while IU committed only eight.\nAfter Jeffries' blocks, the Hoosiers used a 12-0 run and held the Spartans without a field goal for almost five minutes as IU would build a commanding 28-13 lead the Hoosiers would never relinquish.\n"Tonight our defense was what we're capable of doing," Jeffries said. "We really got to get into teams. If we're going to be a good defensive team, we have to play like we did tonight."\nIzzo said IU's defense was a big reason why the Spartans could not get anything going offensively. Sophomore point guard Marcus Taylor fought through back spasms to play 35 minutes but shot only 6-of-17 from the field.\nIzzo, who called his team's performance the worst he had seen in his six-plus seasons as the Spartans' head coach, said the freshmen Hill and Kelvin Torbert were dominated by the Hoosiers' defense.\n"Our wing guys, Chris got educated and (Torbert) got educated," Izzo said. "(IU) did cause some of that. They took it to us."\nAs for his own defense, Izzo watched his team allow the Hoosiers to shoot over 57 percent from the floor. The Spartans did get the Hoosiers' lead down to 14 in the middle of the second half, but would get no closer.\n"(IU) played awfully hard," Izzo said. "We had our chances to cut it. I thought they were more aggressive in every phase."\nWhile Izzo was blaming his entire staff, he also praised Davis and the Hoosiers for doing what the Spartans have been doing to the Big Ten for the past six seasons.\n"They got exactly what they deserved and so did we," Izzo concluded. "They did it just the way you're supposed to do it."\nDavis and the Hoosiers are learning from the champs.
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With the Hoosiers' next three games at Iowa, at Ohio State and at Penn State, coach Mike Davis pointed to Tuesday night's game against No. 25 Michigan State as a big one for the Hoosiers.\nAnd after fighting through a rugged pre-conference schedule that included trips to Charlotte, Alaska and Miami, the Hoosiers have enjoyed being at home before going on the road again. But those tough road games are appreciated now.\n"I think our preseason schedule has made all the difference for us, even though we went 7-5, it was the second toughest in the country," junior guard Tom Coverdale said. "It's prepared us for the Big Ten."\nA big part of playing in the Big Ten is being able to be consistent in a hectic schedule that strings together home and road games. The Hoosiers are now riding their longest winning streak of the season at three games.\nThe last two of those wins have come at home and, culminating in a perfect 4-0 at Assembly Hall. The presence of more than 17,000 fans never helped more than Tuesday night.\n"I just think this team loves playing at home," Coverdale said. "We knew that we had to come out with a lot of emotion."\nAfter the strong performance last night, and after all the miles the Hoosiers have already logged, Coverdale is confident IU can keep its play at a high level.\n"We know we're ready after one big game to step up at another," Coverdale said.\nIowa is next.\nBIG NUMBERS\nSophomore forward Jared Jeffries had 21 points Tuesday night. And eight rebounds. You can also throw in seven assists and six blocked shots all in 34 minutes. Jeffries came within shouting distance of a quadruple-double, needing only two rebounds, three assists and four blocks.\nWith a national television audience and against a ranked opponent in front of the home fans, Jeffries knew the Hoosiers had to come through and silence the doubters.\n"I think a lot of people have counted Indiana out because we were so up and down," Jeffries said. "They think we're going to be like the typical Indiana team has been the last five, six years, but it's not going to be like that this year."\nIZZO DISAPPOINTED\nThe Spartans have won at least a share of the Big Ten title for the last four seasons, and they've advanced to the Final Four the last three. Michigan State won the National Championship in Indianapolis in 2000 playing a physical style of basketball and mixing in good shooting and smart all-around play.\nMost of those things were missing Tuesday night, and Coach Tom Izzo wasn't afraid to admit it.\n"That was probably the most lackluster performance my team has ever played with," Izzo said. "I'm embarrassed"
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Ohio State Head coach Jim O'Brien wouldn't say that he is surprised to be tied with IU at the top of the Big Ten standings. But going into tomorrow's showdown with the Hoosiers at Value City Arena in Columbus with the conference lead on the line, O'Brien said he is happy with what his team has done so far.\n"We've been living a little bit of a charmed existence," O'Brien said this week. "We've had some good wins and we've had some games that we've been fortunate to win. These next couple of weeks are going to be tough for us."\nThe Buckeyes (13-2, 4-0) have used stellar defense and a balanced scoring attack to join IU (11-5, 4-0) as the only undefeated teams in the conference. Ohio State knocked off Penn State Wednesday night, 76-57, to set this matchup.\nIn the past two years, O'Brien has lost most of the players who helped the Buckeyes reach the 1999 Final Four. Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd were gone after the 2000 season. \nLast season, O'Brien and OSU said goodbye to Ken Johnson, who led the Big Ten with more than four blocked shots per game. Johnson finished his career as the Buckeyes' all-time blocks leader. This season, O'Brien and Ohio State have had to adjust to life without a dominant big man.\n"We've all been spoiled by that," O'Brien said. "We've had to change our approach. We've had to really sell our guys on that. Guys are taking charges more often."\nOffensively, the Buckeyes have four guys averaging more than 10 points per game, led by senior guard Brian Brown, who is averaging 14.5 points and four rebounds per game. Brown is the last Buckeye who saw significant action on the Final Four team three years ago.\nBoban Sabovic is one of the Buckeyes' best long range shooters, averaging 12.5 points per game. Brent Darby and Zach Williams are also scoring in double figures with Williams leading the team in rebounding from his forward position.\nOhio State's offensive balance is reason for concern, but IU Head coach Mike Davis can't help but notice the Buckeyes' defense is the best in the Big Ten. Ohio State is giving up only 58 points per game this season.\n"Offensively they're probably second to none at getting guys open," Davis said. "Defensively, they're doing a great job this year."\nThe Hoosiers are third in scoring defense. \nAlso, the Buckeyes and IU are both in the middle of the league in scoring per game. Both teams have had their success by playing well on both ends of the court. \n"I really believe that Indiana and Ohio State have played much better than everybody else to date," Illinois coach Bill Self said.\nO'Brien said the Buckeyes have to take advantage of the current stretch that they are in which includes five of six games at home. In February, Ohio State hits the road for four straight, including a Feb. 20 stop in Bloomington.\nThe Buckeyes have not spent much time on the road this season, but O'Brien knows that the Hoosiers' win at Iowa last Sunday was not a fluke.\n"Indiana is arguably the best team in the conference," O'Brien said. "I think those guys going anywhere and winning is not that much of a fluke."\nThe game will likely come down to whose defense is better Saturday. Davis will likely stick to his man-to-man defense. O'Brien will probably do the same, but he said he isn't afraid to throw in some zone when it's necessary, especially if the Hoosiers are shooting well early in the game.\n"We are predominately a man-to-man team but we do play some zone. Our best defense is our man-to-man," O'Brien said. "We've really emphasized, to a greater degree, playing together on the defensive end. We've guarded hard the entire season"
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The last time IU saw Penn State, the Hoosiers didn't do much of anything well.\nIU shot just 28 percent from the field and hit just one of 14 three-pointers. After finding themselves down by four points at halftime, the Hoosiers managed to stay in the game despite making only five second half field goals.\nWith all that working against them, IU hit 25 of 29 free throws in the second half to comeback to steal a 61-54 win at Assembly Hall Jan. 5. With so much going against them, Mike Davis can't help but feel fortunate for the Hoosiers' win.\n"We shouldn't have won that game," he said. \nThe Hoosiers did win and took enough momentum out of the ugly win that they ripped Michigan State and Iowa before falling to Ohio State Saturday. Now the Hoosiers are looking to tonight's game at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa., as their chance to get back on track.\nTonight's game will be the finale of a three-game road trip for the Hoosiers (11-6, 4-1). After winning at Iowa and losing against the Buckeyes in Columbus, IU is 1-1 so far. With Illinois set to be in Assembly Hall Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers know it is important to win tonight.\n"If we can get two out of these three road games, that's going to be our key," Jarrad Odle said. "We have to win our home games, and if we can keep picking up wins on the road here and there, we'll be OK. We have to win two out of these three road games."\nAfter tonight, IU will play five of the next six games at Assembly Hall. To open the conference season with five wins in six games and have three of those wins come on the road would put the Hoosiers in a good position. A win tonight puts IU alone in second place in the conference standings.\n"That game is a big game. Really big game," Davis said. "To have (three) road wins out of your first six, (four) on the road (is big). The Wednesday game is so important for us because if you can go up and get 2 out of three on the road, that will really help your chances to compete for a Big Ten championship."\nThree weeks ago the Nittany Lions (5-11, 1-4) romped on the Hoosiers behind the shooting of guards Brandon Watkins and Sharif Chambliss. Penn State led by as many as 14 in the first half while IU struggled to find the basket.\n"We put the ball in the basket. When you're doing that you have a chance to win games," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said.\nSince the Hoosiers couldn't put the ball in the hoop from the field, they found their way to the free throw line and hit 32 of 38 free throws for the game. But since that game, IU has shot the ball reasonably well, especially against Michigan State.\nEven though Saturday's loss dropped the Hoosiers from the conference's top spot, they are more concerned with the two games coming up this week.\n"We're still playing well," Jared Jeffries said after Saturday's loss. "We lost this game, but it's not like we didn't play well."\nThe Nittany Lions are a half-game up over last place Purdue in the conference standings. The Hoosiers have already beaten Penn State once, but IU has had trouble winning in State College. \nLast season, the Hoosiers had to go into overtime before pulling out an 85-78 win. IU won by the same score two years ago at the Bryce Jordan Center and three years ago the teams went into double overtime before the Hoosiers won, 98-95.\nOverall, IU has beaten Penn State nine consecutive times.\nWith No. 9 Illinois coming to Bloomington Saturday for a nationally televised game, Davis wants his team to go into the contest with only one conference loss. Looking past the Nittany Lions isn't an option, especially if the Hoosiers play as poorly as they did earlier this month.\n"If we can win on Wednesday and come in 5-1, it will be a statement game," Davis said. "We knew coming into the season Illinois was the team to beat. We're not going to look ahead to Illinois"
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STATE COLLEGE, PA. -- The game plan for IU was obvious as soon as the game started Wednesday night at Penn State. \nOn its first possession, IU went to Jared Jeffries. The Hoosiers did the same on their second possession. And the third. And on six of their next seven trips down the floor.\nBy the time that stretch was over, IU had a three-point lead, with Jeffries scoring all nine of the Hoosiers' points as Penn State left one defender on him. Jeffries finished the half with 15 points and the game with 22 points in 27 minutes as the Hoosiers coasted to an 85-51 blowout victory in front of 8,674 at the Bryce Jordan Center.\nThe 34-point IU victory tied the margin for Penn State's worst home loss in 106 years.\nIt also solidified the Hoosiers' hold on second place in the Big Ten with five of their next six games at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers have beaten Penn State 11 consecutive times. \nOnce Jeffries started rolling, the Nittany Lions adjusted by double-teaming the sophomore forward. IU responded. \nJunior guard Tom Coverdale finished with 13 points, 10 of which came in the second half, as the Hoosiers (12-6, 5-1 Big Ten) outscored the Nittany Lions 24-8 to open the half and build a 65-39 lead with 11 minutes left. Senior guard Dane Fife added 10.\nTyler Smith led Penn State (5-12, 1-5) with 12 points.\nMike Davis hoped to win one of the past three games. Now the Hoosiers go into their showdown with No. 9 Illinois playing well and with three conference road wins in their back pocket.\n"We're playing well right now," Davis said. "This was a big win."\nEven as the second half began with the Hoosiers leading 41-31, IU went straight to its top scorer. Jeffries scored five more quick points, including an alley-oop from Coverdale, to give the Hoosiers a 16-point lead and force Penn State coach Jerry Dunn to burn a timeout four minutes into the half.\nIU put the game away over the next four minutes behind three three pointers from Coverdale and one from guard Kyle Hornsby. \nThe last time these teams met, Jeffries scored 17 points, with 11 of those coming from the free-throw line. The Hoosiers struggled to a 61-54 victory Jan. 5 at Assembly Hall, but they didn't need free throws Wednesday night, as they shot 51.6 percent from the field.\nJeffries and Davis were surprised Penn State played Jeffries one-on-one throughout the game, letting him dominate the lane.\n"I was surprised. We had worked all week on them doubling and switching off and having two guys on me," Jeffries said. "We got a lot of layups."\nJeffries did miss his first shot, but Davis thinks it was because Jeffries was as surprised as anybody.\n"They didn't double him early. He caught the ball the first couple of times," Davis said. "The next couple of trips, he came down and he made shots."\nDunn said he didn't double team Jeffries because he was afraid of the Hoosier guards heating up.\n"Indiana had a great game plan, and they executed it extremely well," Dunn said. "When we did double, they knocked down threes."\nEven if the Nittany Lions had focused their defense on Jeffries, Fife doubts they would have slowed him down.\n"It might have been easy for (Jeffries) tonight because he just out-athleted every one of their guys," Fife said.\nComing into the game, the Nittany Lions were eighth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just more than 70 points per game. The Hoosiers are 8-0 this season when they score 70 points and easily eclipsed that mark last night.\nAfter sputtering through the first four minutes, the Hoosiers got rolling behind Jeffries and his 15 first-half points. Behind 6-5, the Hoosiers ran off 10 consecutive points to open a 15-6 lead on a Jeffries layup eight minutes into the game.\nIU's biggest lead of the half came at 31-16 on a Donald Perry jumper with less than seven minutes left before the break. Penn State would get no closer than five the rest of the half and the game.\nNow that the road trip is over, the Hoosiers are ready for Illinois and a chance to really get in position to achieve their big goal for the season.\n"I keep talking about the Big Ten championship," Davis said. "Because that's our goal. If we can win that game, that would be great"
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By halftime Saturday, the Hoosiers had managed to grab a 46-35 lead over No. 9 Illinois. Three-point shooting had staked IU to that 11-point lead, but the Hoosiers knew defense would be the key to maintaining that margin.\n"We came in the locker room at halftime and told each other defense is what's going to win it for us," Jarrad Odle said. "If you come out and play defense, you don't have to rely on your offense. Once we kept doing that, we knew we were getting control of the game."\nThe offense was there if needed, but IU shut down the Illini early in the second half while the Hoosiers set records on the offensive end. During the first 11 minutes of the second half, IU out-scored Illinois 26-6 and were on their way to an 88-57 win.\nThe loss was the worst for the Illini since an 89-55 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 19, 1991.\nAs much as the school-record 17 three-pointers put Illinois in a hole, Illinois coach Bill Self pointed to the Hoosier defense for slowing down any Illini comeback.\n"I thought IU's defense, to be honest with you, is pretty good. I thought in the second half they did a nice job," Self said. "I think we contributed to them playing good defense by not playing very smart offensively."\nWhile the Hoosiers (13-6, 6-1) hit six three-pointers in the first 11 minutes of the second half, the Illini struggled on nearly every offensive possession. In the second half Illinois hit only 9-of-30 field goals. The Illini did not have a three-point field goal until the final minutes of the game.\nIllinois (15-5, 4-3) mixed 2-3 and 3-2 zones in with mostly man-to-man defense in hopes of slowing the Hoosiers, but IU just kept guarding the Illini. "We knew they would come back in the second half and try to establish themselves inside," Davis said. "I just told our big guys to really guard them and defend them hard, don't give them any open looks, don't foul them and make them make baskets over them."\nThe 57 points were a season low for Illinois, who was averaging 78 points per game for the season. All-American guard Frank Williams was held to just 11 points, six below his season average. Also, all of Williams' points came in the first half.\nEven though Williams is the best player on the team, Self said the Illini tends to do better when other people are taking shots. Williams took a game-high 13 shots from the field, hitting just four of them. No other Illinois player took more than eight shots.\n"We're not at our best whenever Frank's taking most of the shots," Self said. "Whenever Frank takes the majority of the shots, our team doesn't do as well. I think their defense had a lot to do with it."\nDavis, who has always stressed defense first, didn't have anything new for Illinois.\n"Defensively, our motto is to go out and make this the hardest defense the opposing team has ever seen before," Davis said. "We're limited in so many areas, but we do play hard. That's the key for us -- play hard and try to contest every attempt."\nWith the Illini unable to start anything through Williams, the Hoosiers were able to pack their defense inside. Robert Archibald had seven points and Brian Cook had six.\nCory Bradford had just four points, connecting on only one of seven shots from the field. For the game, the Illini shot 36.5 percent from the field compared to the Hoosiers' 51.6 percent.\n"(Jared Jeffries) did an outstanding job, limited Cook's shots and (Coverdale) just had Frank frustrated," Dane Fife said. "We limited Bradford's shots pretty well. That was the key. Coach Davis stressed all week, defense first."\nBradford, who set an NCAA record last season by hitting a three-pointer in 88 consecutive games, was held without one for the fourth time this season. He said the Illini were embarrassed by the loss and their inability to make shots.\n"They just played hard-nosed. We had shots and we just didn't make them," Bradford said. "We weren't aggressive as far as putting the ball in the hole."\nThe 17 three-pointers Saturday gave the Hoosiers enough offense to run out to a big lead and the defense was strong enough to protect the margin. IU might not need as much offense in the future, but it will need the same tough defense.\n"That's what is going to win us games and a Big Ten championship," Tom Coverdale said. "If we can play the kind of defense we did today, we think we have just as good of a shot as anyone else"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
This season has been rough for Gene Keady and his Purdue Boilermakers. Trying to fight through the Big Ten without much defense, Keady has been left feeling a little under the weather.\n"These games lately, my chest has been hurting," Keady said. "January and February can get long. Thank goodness the weather's been nice." \nSun began to shine for the Boilermakers (11-11, 3-5 Big Ten) last week when they had two victories, beating Northwestern and Iowa.\nThe wins took Purdue back toward the middle of the Big Ten standings after opening the conference season with five losses in six games.\nBut after knocking off the Wildcats and the Hawkeyes at home, Purdue starts a three-game road trip tonight against the second-place Hoosiers at Assembly Hall.\nKeady was comfortable playing at home, but now that the Boilermakers have three away from Mackey Arena, he isn't so sure things will go as well.\n"We kind of got back on track. We feel like were getting a grip on it," said Keady, whose Boilermakers take on IU at 7 p.m. "Right now, we go on a three-game road trip, so the grip could get loose again. We need to win a road game."\nA victory tonight would entail stopping the Hoosiers' (13-6, 6-1) suddenly explosive offense that has scored at least 80 points in its last two games. That is a problem for Purdue considering the Boilermakers are dead last in the conference in scoring defense, yielding 73.3 points per game. \nThe porous defense is something that is new to Keady. He has always had teams that are aggressive on the defensive end. But at times this season, Keady has lost his patience with a team that seems much more content to launch three pointers than play defense.\nAgainst Minnesota earlier this month, Purdue blew an 11-point lead late in the first half and eventually lost 87-81 at home. In the days following the loss, Keady said his defense "can't guard anybody."\nWith that in mind, Keady isn't looking forward to trying to stop Jared Jeffries in the paint and containing the Hoosier guards who are shooting well of late.\nKeady catches IU after the Hoosiers knocked down 17 three pointers -- a Big Ten Record -- against Illinois Saturday. IU coach Mike Davis knows his team will be ready for Purdue, but he doesn't expect another offensive explosion like the one Saturday.\n "We may have a letdown as far as hitting 17 three-point shots," Davis said. "It won't be a letdown from a standpoint of being ready to play."\n Meanwhile, Keady has seen his offense transform from a physical one to a shooting team that scores points in bunches. Purdue has attempted more three pointers (443) than any other team in the conference but is only fifth in the accuracy department at 36.3 percent.\nGuard Willie Deane is second to Jeffries in conference scoring with 19.5 points per game. Maynard Lewis is averaging just under 11 points, and Darmetreis Kilgore is putting in 10.5 points per game. \nThe shooting is good enough to keep the Boilermakers in games, but then the defense fails them.\n"Defensively, each first half, we've played much better," Keady said. "Then, we have trouble holding a lead. We've got little brush fires we keep putting out."\nThe improved play by Purdue over that past week is reason enough for the Hoosiers to be cautious. Senior forward Jarrad Odle said the Boilermakers have improved steadily and their athleticism will be something IU will have to deal with.\n"(Purdue's) a team that was kind of struggling early, but I think they've got things back going a little better," Odle said. "They're so athletic and have so much firepower you never know what they're going to bring in here"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
This game was probably more to the liking of Coach Mike Davis than last Saturday's blowout win against No. 12 Illinois. More defense and less talk about shooting.\nA smothering defense and a balanced offense led by Jared Jeffries was the story for the Hoosiers as they coasted to a 66-52 win against in-state rival Purdue before 17,456 fans at Assembly Hall.\nJeffries finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Tom Coverdale had nine and Kyle Hornsby and A.J. Moye each had six.\nAfter having to watch offense dominate Saturday, and three-point shooting at that, Davis saw his team hold the Boilermakers to 15 first-half points, two shy of a Purdue record for first half futility set in February 1982 against Minnesota.\nWillie Deane, who came into the game leading the Boilermakers in scoring with 19.5 points per game, was held to four points, tying a season-low he set against William and Mary. John Allison led Purdue with 12 points.\nThe defense was showcased during a 14-0 run midway through the first half as the Hoosiers (14-6, 7-1) grabbed a 26-10 lead with 5:07 left before halftime. In all, IU would hold Purdue (11-12, 3-6) scoreless for nearly 10 minutes in the first half. During that stretch the Boilermakers missed 12 straight shots and committed four turnovers.\n"It's shocking to coaches that those things happen," Purdue Coach Gene Keady said.\nAlthough the offense goes through Jeffries, he did not score during the run. Five different players scored the seven baskets for IU. Davis couldn't have been happier with the Hoosiers going to the locker room with a 34-15 lead.\n"I thought tonight, defensively, was the best we've played in the first half," Davis said. "In the second half I thought our guys relaxed a little bit. That's my fault. Going into halftime I really didn't know what to say to them."\nThe run in the first half turned out to be decisive as the Boilermakers would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way. \nA big part of that run was defense. The Hoosiers finished with nine blocked shots, three each for Jeffries, George Leach and Jeff Newton.\n"We just started communicating," Newton said. "Once everybody started communicating it was hard for them to score."\nDuring that 10-minute stretch in the first half that put the game out of reach, Leach had two blocks and Newton and Jeffries each had one.\n"It definitely changed the momentum," Davis said of the blocked shots. "Anytime you have a presence in the paint it helps. It stopped the guards from penetrating and driving. We're not very good off the dribble."\nAfter Allison, who at 6-foot-10 is the tallest player on the floor for Purdue, were Brett Buscher and Matt Carroll, each at 6-foot-8. Keady said his team had prepared for the taller Hoosiers in the paint, but couldn't get the job done Thursday night.\n"We had really emphasized this week that we knew that Newton and Leach and Jeffries were good shot blockers," Keady said. "You've got to be physical. This is the Big Ten."\nThe Hoosiers are leading the conference in blocked shots with 5.3 blocks per game in conference games. The blocks Thursday were particularly important in trying to slow down an explosive Boilermaker team that likes to shoot from outside. \n"The blocks we had early really gave the guards an advantage because they could play tight; they could play close to their man and not have to worry about them driving to the hole," Jeffries said. "Taking that three-point shot away from them really limited their offensive ability."\nFor the game, Purdue shot just under 38 percent from the field and 4 of 14 from three-point land. The Hoosiers shot nearly 51 percent from the field for another solid offensive performance. Offense is something most teams have, but IU looks to its defense to make the difference. \n"We know that we're limited talent-wise but if you dig in and work harder (on defense) that really gives you an advantage," Jeffries said.\nDespite a letdown in the second half that let Purdue get within 13 on several occasions, Davis was happy with the performance.\n"We have tough, hard-nosed guys," Davis said. "Overall I thought we played a great game"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Only 13 points for Jared Jeffries is usually reason to panic. Just look at what happened at Minnesota when he managed only seven points and one made field goal.\nBut while the Hawkeyes failed to produce a double-digit scorer Tuesday night, the Hoosiers had five players score 10 or more points, led by Kyle Hornsby's 15 points.\nJeffries and Jarrad Odle each had 13 and Tom Coverdale and Dane Fife each had 11 to lead a balanced attack. A.J. Moye had eight points.\nThroughout the first half Jeffries struggled to get the ball in his hands and when he did, he hit only two of his six field goal attempts. But Jeffries was able to exploit double teams and find open shots for his teammates.\n"He did a great job of finding open guys. When we play basketball like that we're very good," Mike Davis said.\nJeffries was wearing a bandage on his upper right leg throughout the game because of an injury sustained in practice and had to be helped off the floor with 3:20 left in the game.\nWith more people stepping up more often, the Hoosiers' offense seems to be more balanced and more efficient.\n"I think that's what we got away from at Minnesota and it hurt us," Coverdale said.\nThe Hoosiers shot over 46 percent from the field and had another good game from behind the arc, hitting 11-of-23 three-point field goal attempts.\nOne of those triples came from Jeff Newton with 2:46 left as the shot clock wound down and Newton was about 25 feet from the basket.\n"You can't teach that," Odle said jokingly. "We hit a lot of shots tonight."\nThe other Indiana native\nSteve Alford had his big return to Assembly Hall two years ago, when the Hawkeyes fell to the Hoosiers, 74-71. That score would have been preferred to the shellacking Iowa had to endure during Luke Recker's return Tuesday night.\nThe Hawkeyes are playing poorly and are now 0-5 on the road in conference play this season. A preseason favorite to contend for the league title, Alford left Assembly Hall extremely disappointed in his team and in himself.\n"We didn't do anything. I've done a very poor job with this team," Alford said. "It's very embarrassing. I do know how hard we work. It's very frustrating. \n"Poor coaching is about the only answer I've got. We got it handed to us in all five positions."\nBlocks and more blocks\nEntering this week in the Big Ten, George Leach, Newton and Jeffries were ranked second, third and fourth respectively in the conference in blocked shots per game overall. While Leach didn't see much action Tuesday night, Newton and Jeffries did some more damage.\nJeffries had five rejections, including one on Luke Recker that sent the crowd into a frenzy, and Newton added three more. In Big Ten games, Jeffries is leading the league with 2.8 blocks per game. Newton is now second with 1.7 blocks per game. \nRebound\nThe Hoosiers are now 6-1 in games that come after a loss this season. The only time they have lost two in a row was when IU lost at Miami and then to Kentucky in Indianapolis Dec. 22.\nAfter Saturday's debacle in the second half against Minnesota, Davis was looking for a more enthusiastic performance.\n"We just kind of went through the motions," Davis said of Saturday's loss. "Tonight we really came out and played great basketball"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Rick Pitino was motionless, sitting on the bench by himself with his right hand held to his mouth. Both teams were headed to their locker rooms Saturday afternoon for halftime, but Pitino was still sitting on the bench, trying to figure out what had just happened to his team.\nA little more than five minutes earlier, Louisville had jumped to a 30-28 lead on the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall, where IU had not lost in seven tries. \nBut after a 14-2 spurt by IU, the Cardinals found themselves down 42-32. And Pitino was looking for answers.\nThings only got worse in the second half. The Hoosiers opened with seven straight points to build a 49-32 lead less than two minutes into the second half. From there IU would hang on for a 77-62 win.\nLouisville would get within six with just over five minutes left in the game, but the seven minute stretch before and after halftime that saw IU go on a 19-2 run was too much for the Cardinals to overcome.\n"I think right now we're trying to get away without a point guard and it's difficult sometimes during certain stretches," Pitino said. "Guys are doing their best and struggling their hardest, but it's been a struggle of ours at times throughout most games.\n"It's good defense by them and some of our shortcomings."\nDefense is what the Hoosiers planned to step up after the break. IU had taken a four-point deficit early in the first half and had turned it into a 10-point lead. But the Hoosiers (16-7) knew Louisville would come out firing in the second half.\n"We really picked up our defense. We didn't play that good of defense in the beginning of the first half," Tom Coverdale said. "We stepped it up and we're able to get some easy shots off of our transition game.\n"We knew that the first five minutes were going to be really important. A Pitino team is going to come right back at you."\nA.J. Moye and Coverdale sparked the run at the end of the first half. The Cardinals had grabbed a 30-28 lead on a bucket by Ellis Myles with 5:19 left before the half. Moye and Coverdale each had four points and Jarrad Odle capped off the run with a bucket with six seconds left.\nThe Hoosiers took advantage of being in the double bonus, hitting all eight of their free throws to help build the lead.\nThe second half began with the Hoosiers going straight to Odle, who had a career-high 25 points. Odle had a quick bucket, followed by a three-pointer by Kyle Hornsby and another basket by Odle, which led to Pitino calling a timeout.\nThe Hoosiers learned their lesson from last Saturday's loss at Minnesota, when they saw a 48-37 halftime lead evaporate into an 88-74 loss to the Gophers.\n"I thought this was a great game for us to play out of conference because we showed that for the most part, we learned from our mistakes at Minnesota when they pressured us a little bit," Coverdale said.\nDuring this stretch, Louisville was struggling to get easy shots. The impact of the loss of point guard Carlos Hurt to injury earlier this season showed. A highly regarded freshman, Hurt has not played since a 75-71 loss to Marquette Jan. 9. He is out for the rest of the season after back surgery.\nSaturday Louisville was relegated to trying to play one-on-one off the dribble or taking poor shots.\n"They played us pretty physical and took us out of our offense," Louisville guard Bryant Northern said. "A lot of teams are going to play us physical, especially Reece Gaines. It kind of took Reece out of his offensive game."\nIU was still nervous even after its lead had been bumped up to 17 with most of the second half remaining.\n"We've lost games like that before," Hornsby said. "We didn't quite extend (the lead) like we wanted to, but we ended up winning the game with the same lead."\nMike Davis said he knew that no lead would be safe against Pitino. The Cardinals (13-9) mixed in a 2-3 zone with full court presses and traps to try to change the momentum of the game. \nThe Cardinals did get some easy baskets, but the Hoosiers were able to slow them down, especially after Louisville was within six at 61-55 with 5:27 left.\n"There was no way coach Pitino was going to let them give up," Davis said. "When they cut it to six, we had to make some plays offensively, but we had to make some stops. We did a great job defensively down the stretch."\nIn the end, Pitino has gotten used to his young, inexperienced team going through tough stretches, especially against quality opponents. He knows things like missed free throws and scoreless stretches are going to happen.\n"They made some big shots down the stretch and we did not and that was the difference in the game," Pitino said. "These games are great for us in our building process. We obviously have a long way to go before we're at their level of play"