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(01/28/02 5:05am)
Mike Davis tries to stay calm when his team is doing well, but it was a little harder than usual Saturday with a raucous crowd at Assembly Hall.\n"I was excited, and I always try to keep my composure. The fans were unbelievable," Davis said.\nIt might not be the most punctual group in the country, but when the crowd at Assembly Hall does arrive, its presence is felt. And the noise created Saturday in IU's 88-57 victory over No. 9 Illinois was well appreciated. \nAfter thunderous dunks by Jeff Newton and Jared Jeffries, the crowd seemed to gain more steam. And with the rain of three-pointers continuously pouring down on the Illini, the fans grew louder.\n"I can't say enough about our crowd and our fans," Davis said. "This is what Indiana Basketball is all about -- guys coming out defensively giving it everything they have, offensively executing and getting open shots and a crowd like this today. Our fans deserve the game ball today.\n"If you couldn't come out and give everything that you have in you and play with a lot of pride and passion for Indiana today, you don't deserve to be on this basketball team."\nThe crowd moved from cheering the Hoosiers to jeering the Illini early in the second half. With IU up by 17 and three minutes into the second half, the fans began to chant 'overrated,' in reference to Illinois' national rankings.\nMidway through the half and with the Hoosiers up by 23, the crowd managed to keep entertained by performing the wave during a television timeout.\nThe Hoosiers have played 19 games this season, and only five of them have been played at Assembly Hall; IU will play only 10 of its 28 regular-season games at home. All-time, IU is 367-51 at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers will play five more times in front of the home crowd, and if the fans are as involved as they were Saturday, Jared Jeffries doesn't see why they can't win all five games.\n"When the crowd comes out and gets into it like that, I feel like we could beat anybody in Assembly Hall," Jeffries said. "There's no arena in the country that gets as loud as Assembly Hall, especially the way we were shooting the ball and playing defense."\nCRASHING THE BOARDS\nThe Hoosiers shot the ball well and defended well Saturday. They put forth such a complete effort that they even rebounded the ball well. IU out-rebounded the more physical Illini 42-34.\n"If they wouldn't have hit threes, they would have kicked our butt on the glass. It was just a total domination by Indiana," Illinois coach Bill Self said.\nThe Hoosiers did have 14 turnovers, but only five of those came in the second half. For the game, IU had 23 assists to Illinois' eight. Those numbers are indicative of how the Hoosiers thoroughly outplayed the Illini, something Self wasn't afraid to admit.\n"We could have brought our best game over here and Indiana, the way they played today, it would have been a monumental task to beat them today," Self said.\nThe two teams will meet again Feb. 26 at Illinois.\nDEFINING MOMENT\nAlthough the game was a blowout, Self said there was one play that seemed to demoralize his team early, and the Illini were never able to mentally or physically regain their focus.\nWith 7:06 left in the first half and the Hoosiers up 28-25, Cory Bradford sprang free at the top of the key and knocked down a three-pointer that would have tied the game. But Damir Krupalija was called for an offensive foul while screening Dane Fife to get Bradford open. Fife hit the free throws, and the Hoosiers went on a 14-4 run to grab a 44-29 lead.\n"That play did not have anything to do with the outcome, but we were not effective from that point forward," Self said. "That was not a defining moment in who won the game, but that was a defining moment in our performance today."\nPRO TALK\nWith his recent play, there has been more speculation of Jared Jeffries going to the NBA draft this summer. ESPN analyst Dick Vitale has gone so far as to call Jeffries the best second-year player in the country.\nJeffries is more interested in enjoying his team's recent success.\n"It's been wonderful, the way my team's playing, the way I'm playing. This is the way I wanted to play all season," Jeffries said. "People are going to say 'He's not ready,' and I'm not ever sure I'm ready.\n"But as long as I keep playing like this, I give myself an option at the end of the season to do what I want to do."\nBIG TEN UPDATE\nWith Ohio State falling at Minnesota Saturday night, the Hoosiers find themselves in a tie for first place in the Big Ten with the Buckeyes. Both teams are 6-1 in the conference and are the only teams that don't have at least three conference losses.\nOhio State will host Illinois Tuesday and Northwestern Saturday, while the Hoosiers will play Purdue at home Thursday before going to Minnesota Saturday to play the Gophers.\nThis past weekend, the Boilermakers gave Iowa, a pre-season conference favorite, its fifth league loss. The Hawkeyes are now 3-5 in the conference.
(01/25/02 5:28am)
The Hoosiers have been looking forward to this one. And the anticipation began long before today.\nTheir eagerness showed when Mike Davis spoke earlier this week about not looking past Penn State. To win a third conference road game before coming home for five of it's next six games would be big for IU.\nAt the same time, Davis admitted his team was looking forward to Saturday's 1 p.m. showdown with No. 9 Illinois at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers look at this as their chance to prove themselves.\n"We're not going to look ahead to Illinois, (but) in the back of our minds, we're thinking about Illinois," Davis said early this week. "If we can win on Wednesday and come in 5-1, (Saturday) will be a statement game."\nNow that the Hoosiers (12-6, 5-1 Big Ten) have taken care of business with an easy 85-51 victory over the Nittany Lions Wednesday night, their focus is on Illinois (15-4, 4-2). That focus on the defending conference co-champions began long ago for IU.\nBefore the season began, Illinois and Iowa were supposed to battle for the conference title this season -- and maybe even Michigan State. But while Michigan State and Iowa have struggled and the Illini lost two of their first three league games, the Hoosiers have positioned themselves for a shot at the conference crown.\nSaturday will be the biggest test yet for the Hoosiers. A victory would likely show any doubters that IU's hot start to the conference schedule is no fluke. And it would give the Hoosiers a two-game lead over Illinois, something they covet.\n"We knew coming into the season Illinois was the team to beat," Davis said.\nThe two teams will meet again at the end of February in Champaign, which makes Saturday's home-court game an almost must-win for IU if it wants to win a league crown. \nA victory for the Hoosiers will allow room for error later in the season without the threat of the Illini catching them. Illinois already has two conference losses and a third this early in league play would be devastating.\n"Its a big game for us and them, but its at our home, so we have to come ready to play," Jared Jeffries said.\nLast season, the two teams met twice. In the first meeting in Bloomington, Illinois muscled its way to a 67-61 victory. The Illini bench outscored the Hoosiers' bench 30-5 and outrebounded it 20-2.\nIU got its revenge in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament last March with a 58-56 victory against Illinois.\nIllini coach Bill Self will have his full arsenal for the first time this season, with forwards Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija both having returned from injuries in Wednesday's 80-48 route of Wisconsin. \nThe Hoosiers had success shutting down Illini guard Frank Williams in the second half of the IU victory in the Big Ten Tournament. But Self said although Williams is Illinois' star, the Illini will try to use a balanced attack.\n"I think if we play to our strengths as opposed to being one of five, we'll look much better," Self said. "Every good team, regardless of who scores the points or grabs the rebounds, has to have balance."\nWilliams does lead Illinois with more than 17 points per game, but Brian Cook, Cory Bradford and Robert Archibald all average at least 11 points per game. Archibald and Cook should give IU's forwards, who have been playing well, a significant test Saturday.\nAs has been documented, the Hoosiers have not started the conference season with five victories in their first six games since the 1992-1993 season, when they ran off 13 straight before losing at Ohio State, which is where they lost last Saturday for their only Big Ten loss this year.\nSaturday, for only the fifth time this season, the Hoosiers won't have to worry about being on the road.\n"You can bet that (Assembly Hall) will be packed and loud, because this is how Indiana basketball is supposed to be played," Dane Fife said.\nDavis continues to talk about a Big Ten title, and so far his team has been stepping to the plate. With IU finally at home for most of the next three weeks, the Hoosiers are ready to take advantage of Assembly Hall.\nAnd what better way to start than against a team they know they must beat to get what they want.\n"They're going to come out ready and as a focused team," Jeffries said. "So are we. We're going to come out ready to play them"
(01/16/02 5:25am)
Michigan State is used to expectations. That's what four consecutive Big Ten regular season titles and three consecutive Final Four appearances will do to a program. Throw in a National Championship in 2000, and the Spartans are supposed to be on top of the Big Ten.\nBefore this season began, they were picked to finish near the top of the conference again. And they expected to be there as well.\n"I think there's a lot less pressure on us this year," sophomore guard Marcus Taylor said in October. "When you're ranked at the top, any mistake you make, people are going to say you aren't as good as they said you are. This year we're kind of in the middle of the Big Ten ranks. We have to go out there and prove ourselves."\nBut while No. 25 IU and Ohio State have ascended to the top of the conference, the Spartans (9-7, 0-3) find themselves winless in three league games going into tonight's contest against Purdue (9-9, 1-3), another team that has underachieved thus far.\nTom Izzo said he was sure that his team, which has yet to win a road game in six tries, shouldn't be expected to win the conference. His words have proven prophetic.\n"We're off to a rough start," Izzo said this week. "This isn't the situation we wanted to be in. We're trying to understand why we're 0-3. The one thing we're doing is finding more ways to lose than win. \n"Young teams do that."\nThe Spartans lost Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson, who were seniors last year, and Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph, both of whom were first-round draft picks last summer after leaving school early.\nThose four players accounted for 51 points and 25 rebounds per game last season, as the Spartans finished 28-5 after losing to Arizona in the national semifinals. \nIzzo makes sure to point out that this year's team is not like last year's or the ones that starred Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson. Those teams won by overpowering opponents and playing tough basketball. Izzo hasn't seen that this year.\n"Right now, when people tell me we're this rough, tough football team, I kind of giggle and laugh because they must be talking about last year's team," Izzo said. "I thought we were definitely overrated (this preseason). We got rated on past performances, not present performance."\nTaylor, Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger are the only returning Spartans with significant experience. Taylor missed a loss at Minnesota with back spasms, and Ballinger missed four games with a severely sprained right ankle. The Spartans lost three of those games.\nThose injuries have led to more playing time for freshmen Alan Anderson, Kelvin Torbert and Chris Hill. Izzo said all three got "educated" in the Spartans' 83-65 loss to the Hoosiers last week and that his team as a whole needs to become more physical.\n"I'm disappointed that I don't think we're playing as hard or tough as teams in the past," Izzo said.\nThe Spartans still lead the conference in rebounding and grab nine more rebounds than their opponents, but that margin was at 15 a year ago. Also, they have seen their offensive production slip six points while allowing four more per game this season.\nAlong with No. 11 Illinois and No. 17 Iowa, the Spartans are indicative of the shakeup in the conference standings. Michigan State and Purdue have had at least a share of seven of the last eight conference crowns. So far it looks like things will end differently, and nobody in the conference is too surprised.\n"Shocked wouldn't be a correct term. Surprise would really sum it up," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "I expect the unexpected for the rest of the season."\nMuch like the Illini, the Hawkeyes and the Boilermakers, Izzo and the Spartans will try to get back on track tonight and Saturday. Tonight, Michigan State will be playing in the Breslin Center for the first time since its 53-game home winning streak was snapped by Wisconsin last Saturday.\nFor Izzo, losing is not an option either tonight or Saturday at Penn State.\n"Right now, we're lacking a little mental and physical toughness that we've got to regain and regain it quick or watch this season kind of disappear," he said. "To say it's imperative that we come out with two wins is an understatement"
(01/14/02 5:54am)
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- With not even two minutes gone by in the second half Sunday, the Hoosiers found themselves in a situation similar to the one they were in the last time they visited Iowa.\nA double-digit halftime lead had been cut to five, 42-37. And former Hoosier and Iowa senior guard Luke Recker was warming up after a cold first half. For a minute, IU coach Mike Davis thought he was about to relive last year's nightmare.\n"I thought, 'Here we go. (We'll) end up losing by three or four points late in the game,'" Davis said. "I know Luke Recker. But our guys kept their composure."\nAnd by keeping their composure, the Hoosiers (11-5, 4-0 Big Ten) were able to fight through a number of Iowa runs, a tough full-court press and hang on for a 77-66 win against the No. 13 Hawkeyes in front of 15,500 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. \nIn the process the Hoosiers extended their season-long winning streak to four and ended a string of six straight losses at Iowa. The Hoosiers are now 4-0 in the conference for the first time since they opened the 1992-93 Big Ten season with 13 straight wins en route to their last conference crown.\nIU beat Iowa with the same combination of offense and defense that led to the blowout of Michigan State at home last Tuesday. Sophomore guard Jared Jeffries led the Hoosiers with 26 points. Junior guard Tom Coverdale had 15 and senior guard Dane Fife and junior forward Kyle Hornsby each added 11.\nRecker finished with 12 points, 10 of which came after the break. Reggie Evans was held to just seven points, 11 below his season average. Ryan Hogan led the Hawkeyes with 15 points off the bench.\n"We didn't have the scoring punch that we usually get and the defense that we usually get in a couple of areas," Iowa coach Steve Alford said.\nWith their lead cut to five in the second half, the Hoosiers responded with a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to push their lead back to 13 with 15:19 left. Several spurts by Iowa (13-5, 2-2) the rest of the way would get the Hawkeyes no closer than eight points.\nJeffries said IU has learned from its past failings, especially the 71-66 loss at Iowa Jan. 27 last year that saw the Hoosiers squander a 17-point halftime lead.\n"We're a more mature team," he said. "We're starting to come together as a team."\nDavis also pointed to both last year and the non-conference schedule as reasons why IU held on Sunday. He said his team has learned from playing teams like Kentucky, Southern Illinois and Miami.\n"I thought there were a couple of stretches where, if this would have been the same team last year, we would have lost our composure completely," Davis said. "I think our pre-conference schedule prepared us for this. We played some pretty good basketball teams."\nAlford said Recker didn't practice all week because of a hip flexor injury and Evans missed most of practice with a head and chest cold. While Evans played 37 minutes and Recker played 35 minutes, Alford took nothing away from the Hoosiers.\n"We got out-toughed on the perimeter and we got out-toughed in the inside by Jeffries," Alford said. "They were the tougher basketball team tonight. I think they showed that in their performance tonight."\nThe Hoosiers were out-rebounded 35-32, but the Hawkeyes usually grab seven more rebounds than their opponents. Alford specifically mentioned the defense on Evans. Jeffries, senior forward Jarrad Odle and junior forward Jeff Newton helped contain Evans.\n"They played real good on me," Evans said. "Some things just weren't really falling. I just couldn't finish."\nJeffries said the plan was to get Odle on him early. Odle did well, but also picked up four fouls by the end of the game. IU was able to hold Evans to just two offensive rebounds.\n"The most important thing on him is once he shoots one shot, don't give him a second chance," Jeffries said.\nThe Hoosiers were able to build their lead midway through the first half. After Hogan gave the Hawkeyes their last lead at 22-21 with a pair of free throws with 7:03 left in the half, IU embarked on a 13-0 run to grab a 34-22 lead with 3:34 left on a lay-up by Newton.\nIn the first half the Hoosiers hit eight of 13 three-point attempts and shot almost 54 percent from the floor. Hornsby had nine of his 11 points in the first half. Alford said the combination of outside shooting and Jeffries inside was too much.\n"We wanted to try to take their three-game away but we weren't able to do that," Alford said. "We weren't able to control Jeffries in the post and that affected how we guarded the perimeter."\nThe Hawkeyes closed the lead to nine but would go to halftime down by 11, 40-29. Davis said that his team was able to hold on in such a tough environment is a credit to their toughness.\n"Our guys are playing so well right now," he said. "I don't have anything to do with how we're playing. It's the players. We're playing well"
(01/11/02 6:03am)
How could the Iowa Hawkeyes forget last season's games against IU?\nIn the regular season, Iowa used one of its biggest comebacks to rally from being down 43-26 at halftime to beat IU 71-66 last Jan. 27 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.\nOf course, that same day, former IU guard Luke Recker, who transferred to Arizona and then Iowa, led the comeback with 27 points before fracturing his kneecap. The injury knocked Recker out for the rest of the season, and the Hawkeyes lost seven of their next nine to fall out of postseason contention.\nBut Iowa, without Recker, managed to fight its way into the Big Ten Tournament title game against the Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes won, 63-61, to advance to the NCAA Tournament, where they won more games than IU.\nNow, No. 13 Iowa (13-4, 2-1), with a healthy Recker, looks at a season of limitless possibilities. But with those possibilities come expectations, and at times, Iowa has struggled to deal with them.\nSunday, the Hawkeyes have another shot against the Hoosiers at Carver-Hawkeye. Iowa coach Steve Alford would like another victory, but doesn't want to lose his best player -- again.\n"We just hope -- and it's his prayer and my prayer -- that he can go through a year without distractions," Alford said. "A year without distractions for Luke Recker, you're looking at not just numbers but you're looking at a year where he will start getting the national recognition that I think he is very much deserving."\nSo far, so good. In his senior season, Recker is leading the Hawkeyes with 18.8 points per game, just ahead of senior forward Reggie Evans' 18.3 average. \nOffense hasn't been a problem for the Hawkeyes. At times, they have exploded, as they did when they whipped then-No. 3 Missouri, 83-65, at Missouri Dec. 15. Naturally, Recker led the way with 31 points.\nIowa's scoring offense ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 78.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes are fifth in scoring defense, but Alford knows his team has to improve without the ball.\n"I think we do have a lot of offensive weapons, but right now it's finding the right mix defensively," Alford said. "We have to keep getting better everyday."\nThe Hoosiers will be prepared for Recker and Evans. Senior guard Dane Fife will get Recker and Jarrad Odle will likely match-up against Evans. A key for the Hawkeyes Sunday will be sophomores Glen Worley and Jared Reiner, both of whom have struggled recently.\n"Worley is having some growing pains," Alford said. "I won't label him in a slump. Obviously, he has to play better. Once (Reiner) and Worley become more confident and get more touches, we could be really hard to play against."\nThe Hawkeyes are 10-0 at home this season. With the rash of upsets in the opening week of the Big Ten, the Hoosiers aren't pointing to this game for revenge. Instead, if IU can win Sunday, it will see Iowa and Illinois, the preseason favorites to win the league, saddled with two conference losses, while the Hoosiers won't have any.\n"We know this is going to be one of the toughest games of the year," guard Tom Coverdale said. "If we can go in there and somehow pull out a win, and it's a tough place to play, it's going to give us a step above everybody in the Big Ten early in the season."\nWhile everyone is healthy right now, Iowa's biggest problem this year has been handling the high expectations. Alford said his team couldn't handle being ranked No. 9, and that is why the Hawkeyes lost at Ohio State, 72-62, last Saturday. Iowa also lost at Northern Iowa in early December. \nRecker and Evans aside, Iowa is inexperienced, with nine first- or second-year players on its roster. With the Hoosiers gunning for them this weekend, Alford knows his players need to be ready for IU's best shot.\n"Just the experience of dealing with being the (13th) ranked team in the country and knowing everyone wants to beat us is going to take time to adjust to," Alford said. "We are hoping the experience of having the target on our back will help us"
(01/07/02 5:41am)
Three nights after they managed just two missed free throw attempts at Northwestern, the Hoosiers found their way to the foul stripe 38 times Saturday night against Penn State.\nAnd by converting 32 of those free throws, IU found a way to climb out of a 22-8 hole early in the first half and scratch out a 61-54 victory against the Nittany Lions in front of 14,453 at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers (9-5, 2-0 Big Ten) were ineffective shooting the ball from the field all night, making only 14 field goals the entire game on their way to 28 percent shooting. They also hit just one of 14 three-point attempts.\nSaturday, the Hoosiers responded to their ineffective shooting from the floor by attacking the basket and working the ball through forwards Jared Jeffries, Jarrad Odle and Jeff Newton. In the second half, IU hit 25 of 29 free throws.\n"Our shots weren't falling from the field, and I think we kind of counteracted that by drawing fouls and hitting free throws," Jeffries said.\nJeffries led the Hoosiers with 17 points, 11 of which came through free throws. Guard Tom Coverdale had 12, and Odle had 11 points and nine rebounds.\nJunior guard Brandon Watkins' three-pointer with 1:50 remaining narrowed IU's lead to 53-52, but the Hoosiers hit eight of their 10 free throws the rest of the way to secure the victory.\n"We shot the basketball poorly, but to win a game like this at home and shoot 20 percent in the second half, hey, I'm happy," Mike Davis said. "It tells you that our defense was pretty good."\nBefore all of those free throws, the Hoosiers fell behind Penn State (4-9, 0-2) by 14 on a three-point play by sophomore guard Sharif Chambliss with 11:22 left in the first half.\nChambliss scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the first nine minutes of the game. He got free from guard Dane Fife for open shots throughout the first half, hitting seven of eight from the field for the game.\nThe Hoosiers crawled back into the game with their defense and a 12-0 run, trimming the gap to 22-20 with 5:03 left in the first half. Chambliss hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the score 30-26 at halftime.\nDavis said his team was sluggish to open the game and said he wasn't surprised by the way Penn State was able to play in the first half. He warned his team of a possible upset.\n"Every night, this is what the Big Ten is going to be like," Davis said. "In the first five minutes of the game, they scored 16 points. And the first five minutes it was just our defense. We were giving guys open shots."\nThose open shots disappeared for the Nittany Lions in the second half. The Hoosiers held them to 7-of-22 from the floor in the second half. After the break, Chambliss only had six points and two shots.\n"All he needs is an inch," Davis said. "I thought (Dane Fife) came back in the second half. We never left him. We stayed into him."\nMore than their poor shooting, the Hoosiers blamed their even worse defense for their lackluster performance early in the game.\n"If we would have played that type of defense the whole game, it wouldn't have been nearly as close," Jeffries said. "In the last five minutes, we really turned our defense up and got some steals."\nWhether the victory comes with free throws or long range shooting, the Hoosiers will take it. And with the way the Big Ten season has opened, any victory is a good one.\n"We came out tonight, and we didn't play real well," Odle said. "But we got the win, and in the Big Ten, that's the most important thing. We're 2-0 (in the Big Ten), and we're looking pretty good right now"
(12/10/01 4:20am)
Coach Mike Davis isn't kidding when he says he has options when it comes to whom he can play. And he isn't afraid to use that bench. All eight Hoosiers who got into the game Saturday played at least 15 minutes.\nThat balance in playing time has led to more contributions from different players. While sophomore Jared Jeffries led the way Saturday with 22 points and junior guard Tom Coverdale had 19, every player had at least three.\nCoverdale might have benefited the most from the Hoosiers' new depth this season. Davis challenged Coverdale during the last two games by giving freshman guard Donald Perry starting assignments at point guard against Notre Dame and the Cardinals.\nCoverdale has responded with his two best performances of the season. \nDavis joked Saturday that he should have started Perry in the first game of the year in order to motivate Coverdale.\nBall State coach Tim Buckley said he was impressed Saturday with Coverdale, who at one point scored 10 straight points for the Hoosiers to give them a 24-16 lead midway through the first half.\n"His toughness is everything. He can finish and score," Buckley said. "You have to have a strong, quick guy on him."
(12/07/01 6:09am)
During Thanksgiving, people were talking about Ball State. And it wasn\'t because David Letterman attended the university. \nBy the end of the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Nov. 21, the Cardinals had squeaked past then-No.3 Kansas and blown out No.4 UCLA before losing to No.1 Duke in the tournament\'s championship game.\nAll of this in the first three games of their season.\nBut Ball State coach Tim Buckley expected his team to be successful from day one. So did his players.\n"They expected to play well and played with confidence," Buckley said. "We're developing great confidence in each other. I don't think the way we played surprised us. Maybe the end results did to a degree."\nNow, the No. 15 Cardinals come to Bloomington tomorrow for a 2 p.m. matinee against the Hoosiers (5-2) at Assembly Hall.\nThe way the Cardinals played in late November grabbed the attention of everyone who watched basketball. The Hoosiers were watching, too.\n"They're not going to creep up on anybody anymore like they did in Maui," junior guard Tom Coverdale said. "They\'re a good basketball team and definitely deserving of their top 20 ranking."\nThe Cardinals are a good team mainly because of their backcourt, led by senior Patrick Jackson and junior Chris Williams. Jackson leads the team with 20.8 points per game. Williams is second on the team, averaging 18 points.\nJackson and Williams both had big games in Maui. Jackson had 23 points in the wins against Kansas and UCLA. Williams had 24 points to help the Cardinals beat the Jayhawks, 93-91.\nBall State's main frontcourt presence is junior forward Theron Smith, who is averaging 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.\nLast year, the Hoosiers beat the Cardinals 65-50 to win the 26th Ameritech Indiana Classic. Jackson had only five points on 1-of-9 shooting. The loss extended IU's win streak against Ball State to 11.\nThings are different this year, though.\nBuckley is in his second season with the Cardinals, after leading them to an 18-12 record last year. He helped Wisconsin return to the NCAA tournament during the 1993-1994 season as an assistant coach before going to Ball State and serving as an assistant for five years.\nHe also spent the 1999-2000 season on Tom Crean\'s staff at Marquette. Wherever Buckley has gone, the one thing that's always happened is winning. \nNow, the winning is starting to happen more often at Ball State, and people are starting to pay attention to the Cardinals outside of the Mid-American Conference. Ball State's coming-out party on national television in November only helped matters.\n"Any time you get national exposure, that always helps," Buckley said. "Certainly it doesn't hurt. It gets the university in front of a lot of people, and it can help in lot of different areas.\n"I experienced similar things at Wisconsin, so I have experiences to look back on. When you have good players and a good staff, success follows."\nCoverdale and the Hoosiers had their hands full Tuesday against Notre Dame. After IU led by as many as 14, the Hoosiers held on for a 76-75 win. \nIU coach Mike Davis said he was looking forward to this game because his team had a chance to rest while staying at home all week. But Davis and Coverdale both expect a tough game tomorrow.\n"It's going to be a tough game, maybe even tougher than (Notre Dame)," Coverdale said. "We hope we can continue to improve."\nEven though it took the Cardinals traveling to Hawaii, Buckley said the university and Muncie as a whole has taken notice of his team. Now, Buckley said, there should be no more surprising wins, just expected ones.\n"It's been a great experience for the university and Muncie," he said. "We expected to get better and improve. The results shouldn't surprise you"
(12/04/01 5:42am)
Things probably couldn't have gone much worse for the Hoosiers Saturday in their 72-60 loss at Southern Illinois. The 72 points they allowed was a season-high and the 60 points they scored was their second-lowest point total of the season.\nBut the showing wasn't unexpected. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries said IU's performance Saturday had been five games in the making.\n"It was a culmination of what we've been doing wrong over the last five games," he said. "All of our bad habits kind of came out in that game."\nThe Hoosiers (4-2) look to rebound when they host Notre Dame at 7 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall. It will be the Hoosiers' first home game this season.\nMike Davis said the Hoosiers are ready for a home game, but would prefer to have a longer break after the loss to the Salukis.\n"I wish we were playing this game on Thursday instead of (tonight) because I don't think we've recovered from the trip," he said. "We couldn't practice on Sunday because everybody was so tired. To play (tonight) is a little quick."\nNotre Dame coach Mike Brey said that the Hoosiers will be making their home debut will negate the effects of extensive traveling. Brey expects a tough game, as the Fighting Irish (7-0) haven't won against the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall since 1973.\n"They set a schedule based on veteran group they've had back," Brey said. "They'll be excited to play. Were going to get a heck of a punch out of them."\nDavis plans to juggle his lineup for tonight's game. He listed his top six players as forwards Jeff Newton and Jared Jeffries, center George Leach and guards Donald Perry, Dane Fife and Kyle Hornsby.\nThe Hoosiers were unable to get much offense in the lane Saturday. They spent time practicing in the lane yesterday, but Davis said he didn't install any new offense sets. Even though he doesn't think IU is relying too much on the three-point shot, Davis does want to get more from his post players.\n"I think our post guys aren't posting strong enough and staying inside and going inside out," he said. "I haven't had time to put in anything new because our guys, it takes them a long time to understand one thing."\nJeffries said he agrees with Davis.\n"Me and (Davis) have been communicating about that for a while, about the different things I need to do, that I feel the team needs to do to help all the post guys out," Jeffries said.\nDavis didn't include junior guard Tom Coverdale and sophomore guard A.J. Moye in his top six of the rotation because of their poor defensive efforts Saturday. Davis added he would like to see them in the lineup and that IU needs them to be successful.\nKeeping Coverdale out of the starting lineup would be fine with Brey, who still remembers Coverdale's 30-point performance in the Hoosiers' 86-78 win at No. 10 Notre Dame last season.\n"We certainly remember Coverdale," Brey said. "I don't think we were very good man-to-man a year ago. He certainly took advantage. He's one of the key guys you have to slow down a little bit."\nThe Fighting Irish are led by senior center Ryan Humphrey, who is averaging more than 23 points and eight rebounds per game. Notre Dame has not played a very difficult schedule this season, with their toughest game coming at DePaul, which they won handily Saturday, 82-55.\nIn last year's win against the Irish, IU hit 7-of-11 from three-point land. Even though the Hoosiers shot an anemic 22 percent from three-point land Saturday, Brey said he still worries about the Hoosiers shooting from long range.\n"You have to really be aware of taking away the three-point shot," he said. "They're all confident shooters right now. Our big guys will be on their own guarding their guys."\nWherever the production comes from doesn't matter to Davis. He acknowledged that it would be good for the Hoosiers to be at home tonight and for the Saturday afternoon game against No. 15 Ball State.\nNow that they are at home, Davis hopes the effort that was lacking Saturday will pickup.\n"It's up to us," Davis said. "Everything is on us right now"
(12/03/01 6:00am)
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Before the season began, Mike Davis said if the Hoosiers could end their stretch of six road games to start the season with a 4-2 record, he would be happy. \nAfter Saturday's 72-60 loss at Southern Illinois, IU is 4-2, but Davis isn't happy.\n"I'm disappointed tonight, because we were 4-1 and I just feel like (SIU) bullied our guys," Davis said after the game. "Just flat out, street fight, took their hearts.\n"We're not tough. People in Indiana get upset when I say that. You saw the game. They took balls from us."\nDavis said the chaotic, circus-like atmosphere at SIU Arena had an effect on the Hoosiers and their concentration. The fireworks that accompanied the Salukis' starting lineups and the national anthem likely diminished some of IU's concentration.\n"I knew we were in trouble when they were shooting fireworks," Davis said. "Un-freaking believable. I thought we were playing the Lakers or somebody. \n"I look at our guys and they're standing around like, 'what's going on?'"\nThe introductions under dimmed lights and fireworks were out of the ordinary. But Davis said the Hoosiers should be used to playing on the road and in a hostile environment after five games away from Assembly Hall.\nIU was able to come back from a 12-point deficit in the season-opener at Charlotte to win, 65-61. The Hoosiers also won last Wednesday at North Carolina. But Davis said IU didn't have the intensity it had against the Tar Heels.\n"We played like the first time we played in front of a crowd, and we've had nothing but road games," he said. "I'm not making any excuses about the pre-game ceremonies. If I'm a basketball player and I see that, I'm really ready to play."\nThe players agreed about Davis' grades on the Hoosiers' performance. \n"This was our worst game of the year," junior guard Tom Coverdale said. "We have been playing well, but we just didn't show up tonight."\nThe biggest disappointment for Davis was the defense. After holding the Salukis to 26 points in the first half, Southern Illinois came out and shot 63 percent from the field in the second half. \nDavis singled out Kent Williams' 17 second half points as inexcusable by the Hoosiers' standards.\n"It was just bad, and our defense is pretty good," Davis said.\nSophomore guard A.J. Moye, who had 17 points to lead the Hoosiers in scoring for the second straight game, agreed. Even though he scored in bunches to keep the Hoosiers close, Moye was disappointed with the IU defense and the Hoosiers inability to deal with the crowd.\n"You got to kind of channel that out. You just got to be ready to play, and we weren't ready to play," Moye said. "(Davis) doesn't care about points or whatever. All he cares about is effort. None of us really set the tone. We weren't ourselves."\nThe Salukis were more aggressive than the Hoosiers, outrebounding IU 45-38 and forcing 14 Hoosier turnovers. \nWilliams said Southern Illinois was primed to win Saturday, especially after the Salukis' three-point loss to No. 2 Illinois on Nov. 24.\n"We had to beat somebody real big, and this was the game for us," he said. "It's huge for this program. Beating a Big Ten team, that means something."\nWhile the Salukis were up for what was their first home sellout since 1990, the Hoosiers were not. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries summed up the effort Saturday.\n"We played in spurts and were really weak," he said. "We played like crap."\nIn the end, Davis said the Hoosiers are going to have to get better on the road, especially in the Big Ten.\n"I told our guys this," Davis said. "If we can't beat this team here, than how are we going to beat Illinois, Michigan State and those people on the road? It's going to be impossible"
(11/19/01 5:15am)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Men's basketball coach Mike Davis said he heard everything from the raucous crowd at Halton Arena last night, especially from the student fans near the Hoosiers' bench.\nBut Davis kept smiling back at those fans, letting both the crowd and his players know he wasn't flustered by Charlotte's early offensive outburst. In the end, the 65-61 win by the Hoosiers was something Davis expected.\n"That's my game," Davis said of talking with the crowd. "If the guys see me calm and relaxed, then they're going to be relaxed. I thought we had the better team."\nIU would eventually vindicate Davis' confidence, and it would do so by going back to what it does best and that's play defense.\nAfter watching the 49ers jump out to an early lead that would eventually balloon to 12 with just over 16 minutes left in the game, the Hoosier defense responded. Charlotte had nailed seven three-pointers on their first 11 attempts of the game, but they would only make two of their last 12 finishing nine of 23.\nSenior guard Dane Fife gave credit to Davis and the coaches, who gave credit to the IU defense at the end of the first half even though the No. 22 Hoosiers were in a 31-26 hole. \n"Even though we only had 25 points, they only had 31 points in the first half, so Coach was happy about that," Fife said. \nA big reason Davis wasn't too upset at the break was IU (1-0) had been relatively successful containing Charlotte guards Jobey Thomas and Demon Brown. Thomas had opened the game with five quick points, but both he and Brown would end the half with eight points each. \nJunior guard Tom Coverdale and Fife combined to hold Thomas to just three-of-11 from three-point land as he finished with 13 points. Freshman guard Donald Perry met Brown at midcourt each time down the floor, pushing the 49ers' offense further from the basket. Brown would finish with 11 points.\nDavis said he learned from last year's game, where the Hoosiers rallied from as many as 17 points in the second half to win 76-72 at Assembly Hall last December.\n"I watched tape of last year's game, and in the first half they got a lot of easy shots," Davis said. "The way we got back in the game was on the defensive end. We had to get into them because they can really shoot the basketball."\nAs they began to come to life on the offensive end, the Hoosiers big men began to help the guards on defense. The 49ers ran Thomas through double screens on the wing and through two screens on the baseline throughout the game. \nBy having the big men pop out, Davis took some of the pressure off his guards.\n"He made some good adjustments at half and told our big guys to step out and help on the three-point shooters coming off of screens," Fife said.\nA big contributor to that effort was sophomore center George Leach. Davis said Leach played the best game of his career and included in that was four blocks. His defense had a huge impact on the game.\n"Their big guys would not take shots," Davis said of the end of the game. "George has a great presence."\nLeach, who in the past would be off the floor with any pump fake, said he had been trying to stay in position.\n"I've been working all week on my timing," Leach said. "I just figured I would carry over what I worked on."\nAlong with the team's six blocks, the Hoosiers also forced 14 turnovers and had five steals.\nCharlotte (1-1) coach Bobby Lutz said he was impressed by the Hoosiers' execution on the defensive end. After shooting just under 41 percent from the field in the first half, the 49ers hit only nine of 32 shots in the second half. For the game, they shot just over 34 percent from the field.\n"We were trying to get the best shots we could," Lutz said. "They did a great job. That's the difference. Right now they're a better team than we are."\nA big reason why Davis had confidence that his defense would come through is condition. The Hoosiers had said throughout the preseason they were in the best shape of their lives. They proved it Sunday night, allowing Davis to throw his arms into the air in front of those same fans that were heckling him.\n"That was what got us over the top in this game," Fife said. "Down the stretch, (Davis) says we're going to out-condition these guys. We're in better shape, we worked too hard and it showed"
(11/16/01 4:38am)
Yes, this is a new season for men's basketball coach Mike Davis and his Hoosiers. IU no longer feels like they are playing for Davis' job now that he is their coach without the interim label.\nBut Davis said he will feel the same as last year when he opens his second season directing the Hoosiers as IU travels to Charlotte to take on the 49ers 7:30 p.m. Sunday night.\n"It's not different," Davis said of his anticipation. "I'm still nervous."\nWith two preseason wins behind them, the Hoosiers will play for real Sunday, taking on the 49ers in Charlotte for the first time ever. The 49ers lost three starters from last year's 22-11 team, but their guards will still be a problem for IU.\nCharlotte's backcourt features senior Jobey Thomas and sophomore Demon Brown. The Hoosiers will likely spend most of the game by countering with three guards on the floor. Still, Davis said the 49ers guards will be dangerous.\n"They have two guards back who can score," Davis said. "We can't let them get 15 to 20 points each. They have good guards."\nIU Guards junior Tom Coverdale, senior Dane Fife and junior Kyle Hornsby have shown they have the ability to score from the perimeter. Davis noted this is a change from last year, when most of the offense didn't come from the outside.\nAlso, Davis said he has confidence in freshman point guard Donald Perry and attributes the improved play of Coverdale and the other guards to Perry's presence.\n"We have three guards now that will be a threat," he said. "I trust Donald Perry."\nBut defense is another matter and the IU backcourt will face a tough test in guarding a player like Thomas, who can hit from long range. Davis said he is worried that he might not have enough on the defensive side of the ball to slow down the 49ers.\n"We have one guy on the perimeter who can defend, and that's Dane Fife," Davis said.\nCharlotte coach Bobby Lutz disagreed, saying that both Fife and Coverdale gave the 49ers a difficult time in the Hoosiers' 76-72 win last December at Assembly Hall.\n"Coverdale is one tough son of a gun," Lutz said. "Fife does a great job and is a great defensive player. They just make game-winning plays."\nPerry said the 49ers play a fast paced game and the Hoosiers will have to try to keep up with them.\n"They shoot a lot of three-pointers and play up-tempo," Perry said. "They're guard-oriented and take a lot of jump shots."\nA big difference between last season's game and this year's matchup is the absence of Kirk Haston for IU and Rodney White for the 49ers.\nWhite left school after his freshman year and was taken with the ninth pick of the NBA draft last summer by the Detroit Pistons. His departure leaves Lutz with a problem as he tries to figure out how to guard sophomore forward Jared Jeffries.\n"We'll use two and three (defenders) at a time," Lutz said. "If they'll let us use six, we'll double team him. He's a lot like Rodney White, but he's bigger and really creates match-up problems.\n"We'll throw different people at him."\nHaving seen IU last year and now preparing for them again, Lutz said he sees a much more offensive team that can put points up in bunches. Lutz also said the same of the tough defense that wore down the 49ers late in last season's game.\n"They look more comfortable with their set offense," he said. "They play tough defense, but we have a little better feel for them. We played well for 20-some minutes last year and then fell apart."\nCharlotte opens its season tonight as it plays host to Davidson at Halton Arena. But for Davis and the Hoosiers, Sunday will be the first game that counts. While Davis might be nervous, Perry can't help but be enthusiastic.\n"We're getting ready to go," he said. "I'm excited"
(11/15/01 5:36am)
Throughout Wednesday night\'s game, men's basketball coach Mike Davis was smiling, then glaring, then laughing and finally showing exasperation by slouching back in his chair.\nDavis' reactions might be misleading. The Hoosiers won their second and final preseason game last night, beating Nike Elite, 98-76, in front of 11,238 fans at Assembly Hall. \nJunior guard Tom Coverdale led the Hoosiers with 18 points and eight assists. Senior guard Dane Fife had 15 and junior forward Jeff Newton added 14. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries pitched in 13 points and nine rebounds.\nBut Davis managed to find some flaws in his team's effort, pointing to the start of each half in particular and the Hoosiers' defense.\n"I thought tonight was sluggish," he said. "I wanted to try some different lineups tonight and the way some guys played tonight, I cannot play them Sunday."\nThe Hoosiers' numbers weren't as good as they were in their first exhibition game, which resulted in a 105-59 dominating win against Athletes in Action. Still, they didn't look too bad.\nOnce again, offense wasn't the problem. IU shot 54 percent from the floor overall and 59 percent from three-point territory. The Hoosiers adjusted to a 2-3 zone in the middle of the first half by knocking down a pair of three-pointers.\nThe Hoosiers also out-rebounded Nike Elite 44-29.\nBut in what was a physical game, Davis pointed to the defensive effort, especially during the middle of the second half, as something he didn't like. \nIn the first four minutes of the second half, IU was looking to put Nike (3-6) away after a 13-3 spurt gave the Hoosiers a 67-37 lead. But Nike Elite would use a 15-2 run to close the lead to 75-59 on an Antwon Hall three-pointer with a little over eight minutes left. \n"I was very disappointed with our defense," Davis said. "You can't relax against guys like that. We gave up too many open shots."\nThose guys included former Florida guard Ted Dupay, who led Nike Elite with 23 points, including five three-pointers. Several of Dupay's triples were from a few steps behind the arc.\nNike Elite shot just under 44 percent from the floor, but Davis said he wanted something closer to 34 or 35 percent.\n"Defensively we slipped a little bit," sophomore forward A.J. Moye said. "(Davis) wants us to communicate more. We had big leads and we didn't have that sense of urgency."\nThe Hoosiers did pick it up after their lead was cut to 16 and that would be as close as Nike Elite would get the rest of the way. IU rebuilt its lead to as much as 25 with just over four minutes left to put the game far out of reach.\nAs was the case with most of the Hoosiers, Fife shot the ball well, connecting on 5-of-7 from the floor and on 3-of-5 from three-point range. Davis said he sent a message to Fife early in the week by putting him on the second team in practice in an effort to motivate him.\n"I got his attention," Davis said. "We're shooting the basketball well from the three-point line."\nJunior guard Kyle Hornsby had another effective game, pouring in 12 points, 11 of which came in the first half. He also had four assists, but Davis is content to have Hornsby just shoot the ball throughout the game.\n"It's very important for him to put two halves together," Davis said. "He's capable of doing that."\nSimilar to their first half against Athletes in Action 11 days ago, the Hoosiers grabbed a big halftime lead, this time a 54-34 cushion. In their first nine games, Nike had never been down by more than five points at the break.\nThroughout the first half, IU continued to stretch is lead. The Hoosiers led 15-8 just over five minutes into the game and would lead 32-18 with under 11 minutes left in the half. Their biggest lead came at the 3:17 mark, when freshman guard Donald Perry's second three-pointer gave the Hoosiers a 50-29 lead.\nIn the end, Davis would have liked a little more from his players going into their season opener Sunday at Charlotte. Either way, Davis admitted Sunday will be a test.\n"It's going to be a difficult game for us," he said.
(11/13/01 5:58am)
At times, Ben McDonald looks like he hasn't lost anything from his game in the 15 years since he first started playing in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a recent practice, McDonald drained about a dozen three-pointers in a row.\nNot bad for an assistant coach.\nMcDonald joined the Hoosiers' staff over the summer, coming from the Nike All-America Basketball Camp staff. He played college basketball at the University of California-Irvine.\nMcDonald played in 114 games for the Anteaters and was elected to the school's hall of fame. Cleveland took him with the 50th pick of the 1984 NBA draft.\nHis focus at IU will be working with frontcourt players.\n"My biggest role is getting guys ready for practices before we start playing," McDonald said. "And working on the little things and keeping guys sharp."\nHaving only spent a few months with the Hoosiers, McDonald hesitates to make predictions about this season.\n"I don't know about the talent level in the Big Ten, but if we prepare and do the things we need to do, we'll be competitive," he said.\nMcDonald has been working with sophomore forward Jared Jeffries in the post, trying to create more options for Jeffries. Since more teams will double Jeffries this season, McDonald said Jeffries has worked to polish his game.\n"Opponents will double team him a lot. We'll have to find ways to keep him moving and get him shots," McDonald said.\nJeffries said after the Hoosiers' pre-season win against Athletes in Action Nov. 4 that McDonald has helped prepare IU to replace the rebounds they lost when Kirk Haston left for the NBA.\n"Coach McDonald's done a great job of working with us on rebounding with two hands and getting in position," Jeffries said.\nAlong with McDonald, Jim Thomas also joined head coach Mike Davis' staff this summer as an assistant coach. \nBut Thomas is not new to Bloomington. \nHe was the sixth man on the 1981 national championship team and earned NCAA All-Tournament Honors.\nThomas was selected by the Pacers in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft and spent time with the Clippers and the Timberwolves and played for four teams in the CBA from 1988-1992.\nThomas said he will share the experiences he had as a Hoosier and in the NBA and CBA, but will work extensively with backcourt players.\n"I'll be working with the guards and with recruiting," Thomas said. "Just doing the things (Davis) would need me to do as far as working with the players. Mainly I'm working with the guards."\nTen years ago, Thomas said he made an attempt to get back to IU as an assistant coach but things didn't work out. He still had a desire to join the Hoosiers' coaching staff eventually, but didn't know if he would get his wish. Eventually, he would.\n"I was able to play ball and get back into (coaching) with Toronto," Thomas said. "From that standpoint I didn't think I would be coming back. \n"It just so happened that the opportunity came about. Coach Davis and I talked and I thought it would be a good time to try it"
(11/07/01 4:54am)
Mike Roberts might have a more serious injury to his right leg than first thought.\nA sophomore forward, Roberts hurt himself Oct. 31 in practice with what was originally called a sprained ankle. But now Roberts might have a chipped bone in his right leg. For the past several days, he has worn a black walking cast that stretches from his foot to his knee.\nRoberts saw 40 minutes of action as a freshman last year, but he has been a big surprise in practice this season, coaches and teammates say. They said they have been impressed with his off-season strides and his attitude in practice. \nCoach Mike Davis said he feels bad for his athlete.\n"Mike worked so hard, and he was playing well, and he was pushing guys for playing time," Davis said. "I'm disappointed for him, because he had gotten to the point where I was going to play him."\nWith more room in the frontcourt this season, Roberts might have been a factor. But now he is likely to fall behind.\n"He won't be able to move for two weeks, and that will definitely put him out of shape," senior guard Dane Fife said.\nDavis said he had not considered sitting Roberts out this season as a redshirt. IU basketball trainer Tim Garl will reevaluate Roberts later this week to see when he can return. Depending on the results, Davis will make a decision about what to do.\n"I never thought about that," Davis said of redshirting Roberts. "But if he's out four weeks, we might have to redshirt him."\nNew Hoosier visits campus\nDaryl Pegram, who verbally committed to IU late last month, made an official visit to Bloomington last weekend. He was in attendance for the Hoosiers' 105-59 win against Athletes in Action Sunday at Assembly Hall.\nAfter Sunday's game, Pegram said he was more confident about his decision to play for IU.\n"I had a great weekend, with the hospitality from all the guys, the coaches and even the surrounding fans," he said. "The players explained to me how classes work and all the things that I need to do.\n"My choice has been solidified greatly."\nPegram is a 6-foot-8, 185-pound senior forward at Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass. Assistant coach Jim Thomas scouted Pegram at the adidas camp in Las Vegas this summer and said Pegram is a versatile player.\n"He's a multi-faceted player," Thomas said. "He can shoot on the outside and has the ability to score around the basket. He's a very good defender and has a good awareness about the game."\nNational signing day for high school players who have yet to sign officially is Nov. 14.\nThe redshirt situation\nDavis has yet to reach a decision as to whether he will redshirt freshman forward Sean Kline. Sunday, Kline was held out, giving Davis more time to make his choice. Kline said he doesn't know which way Davis is leaning.\n"I haven't talked to the coaching staff about it yet," Kline said.\nKline did say his pectoral muscle is fine and the brace on his right knee is to protect his kneecap, which has been bothering him since before practice started. He said if he were to be redshirted, it would be because the coaches felt he needed to develop more and not because of an injury.\nDavis said freshman guard Scott May Jr. will be redshirted this season.
(10/29/01 5:47am)
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- About a year ago to the day, men's basketball coach Mike Davis sat at a table similar to the one he was at Sunday morning. Of course, then he was the Hoosiers' interim men's basketball coach.\nSitting in a large ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel-O'Hare Rosemont just outside of Chicago Sunday for the 2001 Big Ten Basketball Media Day, Davis reflected on how things have changed. Now, he is the Hoosiers coach, without the interim.\n"Last year, everybody was at my table. It's like they don't love me anymore," Davis joked with reporters.\nInstead of answering questions from the national media about his job status, Davis tried to talk more about his basketball team and what is in store for the Hoosiers this season. At the same time, the questions kept coming up about how much things have changed for him in a year.\n"I think a lot of offices had pools that were betting how long I would last," Davis said. "I was afraid last year and uncertain last year about a lot of things because I had never run a basketball practice. \n"There were a lot more things I hadn't done before."\nThings have changed just as much for the players. On the court, Kirk Haston is playing in the NBA. IU has a couple of new freshmen in guard Donald Perry and forward Sean Kline. Defense is still a main component of the team, but the Hoosiers have more sets in their offense that will be expanded compared to last year.\nBut maybe the biggest difference is the players know who their coach will be next season.\n"Last year we had a lot of pressure to win and have a good season so (Davis) would stay," junior guard Tom Coverdale said. "Now that pressure is off."\nSenior Jarrad Odle, who was also in Chicago yesterday along with sophomore Jared Jeffries, said the team feels better about where they stand now than last year at this time, much like their coach does.\n"I think it's definitely a new start," Odle said. "Last year was a new situation, but this year feels like a new start into the season. Things have fallen into place to get ready for the season.\nAlso on Sunday, the Big Ten announced the picks for how the conference will play out this season. Illinois, coming off an Elite Eight appearance last March, was picked unanimously by the coaches and the media to win the conference.\nThe coaches and the media also agreed in picking Iowa to finish second and IU third. Jeffries was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team, joining Luke Recker, a former Hoosier, and Reggie Evans from Iowa, Frank Williams from Illinois and LaVell Blanchard of Michigan.\nWilliams was also selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. He was the 2001 Conference Player of the Year.
(10/26/01 5:56am)
The decision to cancel the men's basketball game in December of 2002 against former coach Bob Knight and Texas Tech at Assembly Hall was initiated by Texas Tech and was agreed upon by IU administrators, said Jeff Fanter, IU Athletics media relations director. \nThe cancellation was originally announced through a press release Oct. 13.\nFanter said Texas Tech did not specify why it wanted to cancel the game and IU did not ask for a reason. Whenever a school looks to alter a schedule, Fanter said the matter is handled quickly.\n"We're going to accommodate people with scheduling problems," Fanter said. "It's hard (to change a schedule)."\nKnight's first visit back to Assembly Hall, where he won three national championships with the Hoosiers in 29 seasons, would have come in his second season with the Red Raiders. Instead, the contract between the two schools will be scrapped with no future plans to create a new series as of now. \nThe Hoosiers opened Texas Tech's United Spirit Arena in 1999 with a season-opening 68-60 win in Lubbock, Texas.\nFanter said the contract between the two schools was one page long and called for Texas Tech to receive a $30,000 payout if the game were to have been played in 2002. The contract was agreed upon by Red Raiders athletics director Gerald Myers and former IU Athletics Director Clarence Doninger.\n"Our policy in the past has always been to accommodate scheduling matters and under (IU Athletics Director) Michael McNeely our policy is the same," Fanter said.\nAlthough this was an athletic matter, Fanter said the decision to accommodate the wishes of Texas Tech didn't get to that point. The choice to comply to Texas Tech's wishes was made by school officials outside of the athletics department.\n"This was a deal done by the administrators of both schools," he said.\nEarlier this week, IU athletes who have played for Knight expressed both disappointment and relief about not facing their former coach.\n"I was a little sad that we're not going to play, because I would have liked the opportunity to play against him," junior guard Kyle Hornsby said. "On the other hand, I would not have liked to lose and I know he would not have liked to lose either, so it's a little bit of a relief."\nFanter said that scheduling conflicts are not out of the ordinary. Louisville had called about possibly rescheduling the Feb. 9 game at Assembly Hall. As of now, that game is still unaltered.\nSeveral messages left with the Texas Tech media relations department were unreturned Thursday.
(10/23/01 4:48am)
For Daryl Pegram, the combination was just too much to say no to. \nThe lure of both the basketball tradition and the strong academics of IU will make Pegram a Hoosier next season after verbally committing to men's basketball coach Mike Davis late Sunday night.\n"(IU) offers a great combination of academics and athletics," Pegram said. "It was hard to pass up. I just wanted the best challenge I could find."\nA native of San Bernadino, Calif., Pegram is about to begin his senior season at Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass. Last year, he averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game.\nPegram is 6-foot-8 and 185 pounds. He played small forward last season and said he will likely do the same this year on a team that features a big frontcourt. Pegram was first scouted by the Hoosiers in Las Vegas this summer by Hoosiers\' first-year assistant coach Jim Thomas.\nTo solidify his choice of IU, Pegram said he and his parents will be in Bloomington Friday, Nov. 2 and spend the weekend here as an official visit to the campus. \nThe Hoosiers open their pre-season schedule two days later against Athletes in Action at Assembly Hall Sunday afternoon.\nThe tradition that comes with five national championship banners is always a draw to any player considering basketball at IU and Pegram is no different. \n"I looked at most of the Ivy League schools and they said that I could go there, but they couldn\'t match the basketball program of IU," Pegram said.\nBut Pegram also listed the Kelley School of Business as another reason why he favors the Hoosiers. He said he wanted the best of both worlds and thinks he can get that at IU.\n"I have heard a lot of good things about the academics (at IU) and the business and I wanted those academics," Pegram said.\nA final factor could have been Davis and his recruiting ability. Pegram said Davis had quite an effect on his mother during the process and Pegram felt he could trust Davis and what he was saying.\n"You want to play with someone you like to play for," Pegram said. "(Davis) wants to win and he seems very sincere in what he says.He was one of the major influences on my decision."\nWith guards Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland ready to be Hoosiers next season, Pegram, who has been rated as a top-100 prospect by some recruiting services, will give IU a new face in the frontcourt. And if Pegram has his way, Sean May would join him.\n"Hopefully (May) will come on and join us," Pegram said. "(IU) has the best of both worlds"
(10/12/01 4:48am)
It has been more than six months since the Hoosiers suffered their first round loss to Kent State in the NCAA Tournament. But Mike Davis has just gotten over the loss.\n"I'm over it now. It took a long time," he said. "We should have won that game. That was probably one of the poorest teams we played all season. \n"The Kent State (loss) was an embarrassment."\nBut now that the memory is in the past, Davis and his Hoosiers are ready to redeem themselves. And with the healing process over, the future begins tomorrow morning at 12:01 a.m. as the Hoosiers officially open practice with Midnight Madness at Assembly Hall.\nMidnight Madness is the first full practice for the Hoosiers. They will also have a slam dunk contest and a three-point shooting contest. The women's basketball team will be involved in the activities as well.\nSeveral things have changed since last season, when the Hoosiers had an interim coach and seemed to be figuring out their new leader as the season went along. \nBut indecision and uncertainty has turned into experience and confidence. In individual workouts yesterday, the players seemed relaxed and sure of themselves.\nAnd even though fun seems to be the goal of Midnight Madness, some players are looking to get things done.\n"We're not that excited, we're just ready to work," sophomore guard A.J. Moye said. "I think the excitement was last year when we were younger. This year's team is more focused. We're ready to work, we're ready to practice and we're ready to get it to the season.\n"We still have fun and have a good time, but when we get on the court, we're about getting better."\nThat serious attitude was cultivated during the summer. Since the end of last season, Davis has wanted his team to get into better physical condition. They have done so through running and a rigorous weightlifting program.\n"I just lifted everyday," a visibly thicker George Leach said. "Last year I got pushed around too much and I don't want to have that happen anymore. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I can run all day."\nJunior Jeff Newton and sophomore Jared Jeffries also have added some bulk, something Davis has been glad to see.\nA year ago, fans, players and even Davis himself didn't know what to expect at Midnight Madness. Players didn't know the entire offense and were getting used to their new coach as Davis was getting to know his players.\nBut time has passed, Davis has settled in as IU's coach -- minus an interim label -- and the attitude of the team has changed.\n"Night and day," Davis said of how things have changed since last year. "We've had more time to prepare. Last year it was a circus everyday for a while. Now guys are really concentrating on basketball."\nLeach has noticed the difference.\n"I think it's been less stressful," Leach said. "This year (Davis) knows he has the team's respect. He's our coach."\nWhile the players have been beefing up and holding individual workouts with assistant coaches, Davis has been on the road, securing commitments for next year from guards Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland and looking at other players.\nNow that the team will begin regular practices that will include two scrimmages a week with officials, Davis will expand the offense.\n"Last year we learned the basics," Davis said. "I had to start from page one but now I can go a little faster."\nAs far as the games tonight are concerned, it's anybody's guess who will win the three-point contest. But some are confident in the slam dunk showdown.\n"I don't see why I wouldn't win," Leach said with a straight face.\nDavis said the mention of the Kent State loss was like a knife in the back when it was brought up for the first few months. But now, the Hoosiers said they are looking forward and are ready to show the fans they are ready for a fresh season.\n"I'm anxious," Jeffries said. "That's what I'm waiting on. I want to get this season going and show what I worked hard on all summer and the kind of player that I am"
(11/20/00 5:10am)
WEST LAFAYETTE -- Believe it or not, the Hoosiers were able to slow down Drew Brees Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Boilermakers' senior quarterback only threw one touchdown, and IU managed to get an interception on the Heisman hopeful.\nAs it turned out, Brees was the least of IU's problems as sophomore running back Montrell Lowe ran the Boilermakers (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) into the Rose Bowl in their 41-13 win. \nBehind an experienced offensive line, Lowe ran for a career-high 208 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries. Brees was limited to 216 yards through the air.\nThe Hoosier defense, which had its secondary exploited throughout the year, did not expect Lowe to become the center of the Purdue offense. \n"I was surprised they ran that much," senior defensive tackle Paul Mandina said. "They normally pass the ball 50 or 60 times in a game."\nThe Hoosiers (3-8, 2-6) weren't the only ones caught off guard by how much the Boilermakers ran the ball. Purdue was also.\n"We ran the football more effectively than I thought we would be able to," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "I thought we would be able to throw more."\nFor the Hoosiers, the plan was to run. Junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries to lead the IU attack. Randle El struggled to find open receivers downfield and was ineffective through the air. \n"Defensively, you have to take control of the line of scrimmage and control (Randle El)," Tiller said. "Our thoughts were to contain him, not to stop him."\nThe Boilermakers intercepted Randle El three times. Freshman strong safety Stuart Schweigert had two of those picks, both of which were deep in Purdue territory.\n"We turned the ball over three time inside the 30," IU coach Cam Cameron said. "We've got to focus on getting better and learn what needs to be improved."\nWith the win, Purdue clinched a share of the Big Ten championship with Northwestern and Michigan. Also, by way of tiebreaker, Purdue secured a birth in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 34 years.\nFor Brees, even though he wasn't the man of the hour, the thrill of playing in the Rose Bowl was the reason why he passed on the NFL last year.\n"It is definitely a dream come true to be the starting quarterback in the Rose Bowl," Brees said. "We stuck together and told each other we were going to win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl someday. Our dreams came true."\nThe Hoosiers end their year with one less win than last season. Cameron, ending his fourth year of a seven-year contract, denied rumors of his departure to be the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. Likewise, Randle El dismissed the idea of leaving IU early for the NFL draft. Instead, both said they are frustrated with the losing and want to get ready for next season.\n"It's difficult from the standpoint that you see another senior class leave and they don't get another opportunity," Cameron said. "From my standpoint, it's a learning process." \nAs Purdue goes to the Rose Bowl, the Hoosiers will be relegated to watching bowl games from Bloomington. Even though IU didn't meet the expectations it had, Randle El is still hopeful the Hoosiers will get things going in the right direction in 2001.\n"It's going to take a lot," Randle El said. "The guys I got now are up to it. We'll see"