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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Mike Brey has gone seven games and hasn't needed to call a 30-second timeout yet. \nNo momentum swings for the opponents. No scoring runs that have put Notre Dame in danger of losing. No games closer than 13 points. \nBrey, the second-year Fighting Irish coach, is confident but fears that all might change tonight when Notre Dame meets IU at 7 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall. It will be the home opener for IU (4-2) and the first true road test for the Irish (7-0). In its only other road game, Notre Dame wiped out DePaul 82-55.\n"I'm counting on our experience to help us in that atmosphere and set the tone," Brey said. "Our experience can keep us pretty steady."\nThat approach has worked so far. \nNotre Dame has won six of its seven games by more than 26 points and is outscoring its opponents by an average of more than 32 points per game. Five Irish seniors have led the way, but a freshman has spawned the biggest splash. \nChris Thomas, a 6-foot-1 point guard and Indianapolis native, has started at the point in all seven Irish wins, averaged a team-leading 32 minutes per game and scored 14.6 points per game while handing out 7.9 assists and piling up 22 steals.\nThomas, who led Indianapolis Pike to two state titles, became the first Indiana Mr. Basketball to attend Notre Dame and helped Brey nail down a solid recruiting class that includes 6-foot-9 freshman Cincinnati native Jordan Cornette and 6-foot-8 senior transfer Dan Miller, who left Maryland last spring.\nMr. Basketballs are supposed to play in Bloomington or West Lafayette. Thomas, a McDonald's and Parade All-American, bucked the norm and is making his mark.\n"(Thomas) has given us more credibility, when Mr. Basketball says he wants to come to Notre Dame to play," Brey said. "He was a national recruit."\nAnd one that IU and coach Mike Davis didn't direct their search toward. Thomas took unofficial visits to IU during his high school career at Indianapolis Pike, but decided on the Irish. \nIn the meantime, Thomas is bringing what Brey calls a "more cohesive" Irish team to Bloomington. Thomas, who hits 42 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, has the attention of the Hoosiers. \n"He can shoot it," IU coach Mike Davis said. \nIU sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, who played for Bloomington North and against Thomas in high school, agrees. \n"He's a quick guard and a good shooter," Jeffries said. "Having a guard like him is really going to help them out. They're probably a better team than last year."\nPoint guard Martin Ingelsby and two-time All-American Troy Murphy are gone from a season ago, but the Irish have four players scoring in double figures this season, and seven different players have started. \nLast season, Notre Dame was adjusting to its third coach in three seasons. Still, the Irish finished with a 20-10 record, won the Big East West Division title and put together an eight-game winning streak during the middle of the league schedule. \nBut, the streak that has attracted the most attention in South Bend has been Notre Dame's six-game skid against IU. The Irish have won only one of the last 12 meetings between the in-state rivals and haven't won in Assembly Hall since 1973 (12 games). Last season, IU upset the No. 10 Irish 86-78 in South Bend. \n"We haven't had any success down there," Brey said. "I certainly mentioned (the losing streak). In the state, IU is the measuring stick. Forget the coaching change. I'm worried we'll be too aggressive, but that's a good problem to have. It would be a heck of a win for us"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
With 6 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in IU's home opener against Notre Dame Tuesday, Jared Jeffries picked up his fourth foul. \nIU led by five, and it appeared Jeffries would retreat to the Hoosier bench. \nHe didn't. He knew he wouldn't. And it's a good thing. \nJeffries' career-high 28 points, including five during a two-minute stretch, helped IU (5-2) fend off the Fighting Irish (7-1) for a 76-75 victory that jump-started the hearts of an Assembly Hall sellout crowd of 17,456.\n"I knew coach wasn't going to take me out," Jeffries said. "I know he has confidence in me and how smart I am out on the court."\nJeffries was just that, with IU holding a 63-58 edge. \nNotre Dame had just drawn within three points -- the closest the Irish had been since trailing 6-4 in the first half -- when Jeffries, who scored 15 first-half points including three three-pointers -- went to work. \nThe 6-foot-9 sophomore hit one of two free throws after an offensive rebound, scored a field goal the next time down the floor and finished his binge with a 15-foot jumper that pushed IU's lead to 68-60 with just more than five minutes remaining. \nFrom there until just 2.1 seconds remained in the game, Jeffries let his counterparts do the scoring. But with IU leading 76-75 with 2.1 ticks on the clocks and IU inbounding under the Irish bucket, Jeffries nearly spoiled his career night. \nHe tried to thread the needle to freshman teammate Donald Perry on a full-court outlet pass. But the ball slipped. Perry and Notre Dame freshman Chris Thomas battled for the ball and Thomas was called for the foul. \nPerry missed the free throw, but IU escaped. \n"I was trying to be (Atlanta Falcons quarterback) Michael Vick," Jeffries joked. "It slipped. But it was an incomplete pass."\nNotre Dame coach Mike Brey said he wanted to force Jeffries to throw the long pass and almost got just what he wanted. \n"It was like a wide receiver and a defensive back on a bump-and-run play," Brey said. "You have to force them to make that play. They made it."\nOther than the near blunder, the rest of Jeffries' night went as planned -- and better than the rest of the season for the All-America candidate. Jeffries entered Tuesday's game averaging 14.2 points and shooting just 39 percent from the floor. But the former Mr. Basketball drained the luck from the Irish by hitting 10 of 18 shots including three of four three-pointers. Jeffries also grabbed six rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. \n"Jared Jeffries had his best game of the season," coach Mike Davis said. \nJeffries scored 10 of IU's first 21 points before going relatively quiet for the remainder of the first half. Jeffries, who battled the dominant Irish inside attack on the defensive end all night, scored six of IU's first 10 second-half points before picking up his third and fourth fouls. \nThe game-long eruption from Jeffries allowed guards Tom Coverdale, Dane Fife and Kyle Hornsby to stretch the Irish defense and help shoulder the scoring load. \n"If we can get that production from him, it's going to open up our production from the outside," said Coverdale, a junior who was the only other Hoosier in double figures with 11 points. "We're just that much better when he plays like that."\nJeffries, who battled and jawed with Thomas, a fellow Mr. Basketball and brother to Jeffries' girlfriend, eclipsed his previous career high, a 26-point effort against Michigan last February. The three three-pointers were his second-highest career total, and Jeffries is now 11 of 20 from three-point range on the season. IU is 3-0 when Jeffries scores 20-plus points. \nJeffries credited his scoring to a new offensive approach and his effort to tweak his game and pick up the scoring production. \nThat given, the decision to keep Jeffries in the game was a no-brainer for Davis. \n"We needed him offensively," Davis said. "He was the only guy scoring for us. Sometimes, you just have to roll the dice."\nWhatever Davis rolled, it worked.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
It's no wonder Notre Dame entered Tuesday's game against IU shooting 52 percent from the floor. \nIf the Irish don't shoot from three-point range, they shoot from three feet.\nInside, inside, inside was the approach in the second half of IU's 76-75 victory, and the results didn't leave coach Mike Davis happy. \nNotre Dame repeatedly used the post duo of seniors Ryan Humphrey and Harold Swanagan. That tandem scored 25 or Notre Dame's 45 second-half points and nearly spelled the end of the Hoosiers. \nBut Davis has a plan to fix the problem. Kind of. \n"I have to go to church Sunday," Davis joked. "We're not going to get bigger and stronger. We're tougher than that."\nIU countered the Irish inside attack and foul trouble by letting sophomore Jared Jeffries play and mixing senior Jarrad Odle and junior Jeff Newton into the lineup. \nNewton, who fouled out with 2:47 remaining, scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds. Odle, who didn't play in the first half, scored two points, snatched a pair of rebounds and helped keep alive several loose balls late in the game. \nGoing Deep\nIU used nine players Tuesday, while Notre Dame used seven, one of which played only five minutes. All nine Hoosiers saw at least nine minutes of action, and IU's bench outscored the Irish bench 22-3. Junior Tom Coverdale led the bench attack with 11 points. \n"I was really afraid that we would be fatigued in this game tonight," Davis said. "And maybe our guys got tired because we (had cheap fouls)."\nFour of the five Irish starters played more than 35 minutes, and only five of the Irish scored. Eight Hoosiers cracked the scoring column.\nThe only Notre Dame starter who played less than 35 minutes was forward David Graves, who collected his fourth foul with 18:30 remaining in the game and eventually fouled out with 6:29 left. \nStarting guard Matt Carroll entered the game averaging 12.9 points per game, but did not score. \nRedshirt update\nDavis said Monday he would decide Dec. 15 whether to redshirt sophomore Mike Roberts, who chipped a bone in his right leg Oct. 31. IU meets Miami (Fla.) that day in the Orange Bowl Classic in Miami. \nRoberts, who was improving from a season ago when he played in 10 games and scored 1.7 points per game, was expected to be a solid contributor to IU's front line before the injury. The 6-foot-9 forward has not practiced since suffering the injury, but is no longer using a walking cast. \nFreshman Sean Kline, who dressed but did not play in all of IU's first six games, was in street clothes Tuesday, an indication that the 6-foot-8 forward is likely to redshirt.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
It was the same offense IU had run all season. \nA carbon copy, Mike Davis said. \nJust this time around, Tom Coverdale couldn't miss. Dane Fife couldn't either. \nKyle Hornsby was on. So was Jared Jeffries. \nThe result was IU's overpowering 83-65 win over Michigan State in front of 17,456 in Assembly Hall Tuesday night behind 22 points from Coverdale, 21 from Jeffries and 14 from Fife.\nAloysius Anagonye and Marcus Taylor, who played through back spasms after sitting out the MSU loss at Minnesota, scored 17 each to lead the Spartans.\nThe victory kept IU (10-5, 3-0 Big Ten) in the league's top spot, sent the No. 25 Spartans (9-6, 0-2) to their third consecutive loss and marked the first time since the 1993-1994 season the Hoosiers have kicked off conference play with three straight wins. \n"That was a really good basketball team that we played tonight," Davis said, adding that the Hoosiers haven't been aggressive enough on the offensive end. "The difference was we hit shots."\nBoy oh boy, did they -- early, often and again later. \nIU hit 14 three-pointers -- two short of the school record set earlier this season against Alaska-Anchorage -- and shot 57 percent from the field, while holding the Spartans to 44 percent and just 26 first-half points. \nBy that time, IU had done its damage. \nAfter Michigan State missed its first five shots -- thanks to a pair of blocked shots from Jeffries and tight IU defense -- Fife jump-started the three-point celebration with 16:35 to play.\nThen Coverdale drained his first try. Then Fife. Then Coverdale -- twice more. \nAfter a Jarrad Odle two-point bucket, Jeffries worked his magic, flinging up a three-pointer just before the shot clock expired. Jeffries' shot bounced high off the rim, clearing the backboard and dropped straight into the bucket, giving IU a 24-9 lead and increasing a lead that reached as many as 24 in the first half.\nCoverdale finished off IU's shooting bonanza with three consecutive threes in the first half's final 2:23. His final shot came from several feet beyond the three-point line and hit nothing but net. \n"Give a lot of credit to IU," Spartan's Head coach Tom Izzo said. "They played awfully hard and shot the ball incredibly well. Once they start making some shots it was like an ambush. When Jeffries hit that one that bounced around, and Coverdale hit that one from somewhere in the gym, I was somewhat concerned."\nCoverdale was perfect in the first half, hitting all six of his three-point tries. His 20 points carried IU to a commanding 48-26 lead. \nAnd the junior point guard said he didn't even feel good before the game. \n"We just showed how good our offense can be," said Coverdale, who scored a game-high 22 points. "After I hit a couple, I knew I was feeling pretty good. I shot the ball pretty well in the warm-ups, but I didn't think I was into it until the game actually started. Hopefully, I feel that way before every game if I can shoot like I did tonight."\nMichigan State, playing without starting forward Adam Ballinger who averages 10.6 points per game, had a handful of chances to draw within striking distance of IU in the second half, but never trimmed the lead to less than 14. \nMichigan State had three possessions to cut the IU lead closer to single digits, but squandered each opportunity. \nA 15-4 Spartan run made the score 60-46 with 9:50 to play, but back-to-back three-pointers from Jeffries, who scored 21 points, pulled down eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and blocked six shots, and Hornsby sidetracked the Spartans for good. \nIU opened up its biggest lead of the game when a Fife three-pointer made it 81-56 with 2:27 to play. Fife finished with 14 points and helped IU to its first three-game winning streak of the season.\n"You can look at every game we played," Davis said. "Tonight the basketball went in."\nIn nearly every manner and from nearly everywhere.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Gene Keady wasn't happy, and he wasn't shy about telling everyone about it. \nHis scowl was worse. His Purdue squad wasn't playing up to his standards and was off to an 0-2 start in Big Ten play. \nBut Wednesday's 84-75 upset of No. 9 Illinois in West Lafayette kept the Boilermakers from their first 0-3 league start in 38 years and might have cheered up Keady. \nBefore that loss, he didn't have much to cheer about. The Boilermakers (9-8, 1-2 Big Ten) are allowing a league-high 73.7 points per game, are letting foes shoot a league-high 46.8 percent from the floor and are last in the league in rebounding margin. \nThe result?\n"All you have to do is look at the league stats and see what our problems are," Keady said Monday. "We can't stop anybody, and it's really frustrating. We thought we had a tough enough non-conference schedule to prepare us for that, but we were wrong, because we still can't guard anybody. Radford should have beat us."\nPurdue struggled in its non-conference schedule, losing to Butler, Dayton and Texas A&M and eeking out victories over Radford, Southwest Missouri State and Illinois-Chicago. But the Boilers also played decent games against Arizona and Stanford. \nKeady said missing guard Kenny Lowe has hurt the Boiler defense, but he also put some of the blame on his senior class. One of those seniors, Rodney Smith, scored 17 in the victory against Illinois. \nNow, Purdue has a chance to bounce back and even its league record Saturday against Minnesota (9-5, 2-1) in Mackey Arena. \n"We're off to a horrible start, but I've seen teams in this league come back," Keady said. "Right now, we have some real defensive problems I'm not sure we can get corrected."
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The scene looked ominous for the Hoosiers and perfect for Iowa. \nSenior guard Dane Fife stood outside IU's team huddle, head slumped and eyes toward the parque floor in Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday. \nThe 6-foot-4 Hoosier guard had just picked up two fouls in 13 seconds and was relegated to the bench with 16:17 remaining in the first half. \nLast season, Fife picked up two early fouls, and his defensive assignment, Hawkeye guard Luke Recker, went nuts, scoring 27 points and erasing a 17-point halftime deficit that carried Iowa to a 71-66 victory. \nThings were different Sunday. \nAnd IU coach Mike Davis -- and Fife -- have Kyle Hornsby to thank. The 6-5 guard matched up against the 6-6 Recker and held him to 5-of-13 shooting and 12 points, six below his season average. \nThe result was a 77-66 IU victory that silenced a rowdy crowd of 15,500 in Iowa City. After Fife left the game, Recker was all Hornsby's. All afternoon. \nAnd instead of letting Recker confuse him, Hornsby reversed the roles. \n"The key to guarding (Recker) is to not guard him one way all the time," Hornsby said. "One time really get into him and body him. The next time play off of him and chase him. Play on the high side one time, play on the low side one time. Figure out where he wants to go and get in his way."\nHornsby did that, and Recker never got hot. He scored only two points in the first half and hit only two of his six three pointers on the afternoon. \nEarly in the second half, Recker began to warm up when he poured in two three pointers in the first two minutes. Recker's buckets helped No. 13 Iowa (13-5, 2-2 Big Ten) surge to within five points, but Hornsby went right back to work, holding Recker to just two field goals the rest of the way and zero points in the last five minutes.\nRecker never attempted a free throw in 35 minutes, and there wasn't any hesitation by IU (11-5, 4-0) to keep Hornsby on Recker, despite Fife's re-entry into the game following halftime. \n"(Recker) is going to make some big baskets," Fife said. "We never let him get into a rhythm, other than those two straight threes. At halftime, we were like 'We're going to keep Hornsby on him.'" \nHornsby's help defense wasn't bad, either. \nIU suffocated Iowa inside and out and kept 6-8 forward Reggie Evans from settling into the flow. Evans, who spent most of the afternoon fighting the defense of forwards Jarrad Odle and Jeff Newton, finished with seven points and nine rebounds. He averages 18.3 points and nearly 12 rebounds. \nIowa shot 47 percent from the floor, but Davis ignored that and focused on his squad's sticky defense.\n"Hornsby was great," Davis said. "I'm proud of our guys and the effort defensively."\nRecker and Evans -- Iowa's only double-digit scorers and the Big Ten's top two scorers -- sat out most of the practices preceding Sunday's game, and Iowa coach Steve Alford shouldered some of the blame for the lackluster play of his dynamic duo. \nBut Recker's hip flexor and Evans' head and chest cold didn't serve as excuses. Instead, frustration bogged down Iowa and credit streamed IU's way. \n"I played (Evans) too much," Alford said. "I played Luke 35 minutes, and that's my mistake. When you get in foul trouble (like IU did), you have to have people step up. We didn't have the scoring punch that we usually get."\nThe seven points were a season low for Evans, whose only other single-digit scoring game came against then-No. 1 Duke. Evans also didn't get his signature double-double; he has 33 career double-doubles and 11 this season. \nThe 12 points for Recker was his third-lowest output of the season and the second time in three games the Auburn, Ind., native has been held to 12 or fewer. \n"If we keep Evans and Recker under wraps, under control, those other guys, I don't think can beat you," Hornsby said.\nSunday, they didn't.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- At times in Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday, Iowa's full-court press rattled IU. \nEarly in the second half, the Hawkeyes broke down IU's offense and charged to within five points after trailing by 11 at the break. With less than six minutes remaining in the game, Iowa's press helped the Hawkeyes trim a 16-point IU lead to nine in just more than a minute. \nIronically, though, it might have been Iowa's shaky press that cost the Hawkeyes the game, as IU evaded the pressure in the final three minutes to maintain the lead and win 77-66. \nOn three consecutive possessions, IU (11-5, 4-0 Big Ten) sent a man past the mid-court stripe and behind the Iowa (13-5, 2-2) defense. All three times, it worked. \nIowa scored. Jared Jeffries put in a layup on an offensive rebound. Iowa scored. Kyle Hornsby streaked for a wide open layup. Iowa scored. Jarrad Odle took a long pass straight to the bucket before he was fouled and hit both free throws. \n"We knew they would press us because that won the game for them last year," IU coach Mike Davis said. "We've been working on it."\nIowa didn't press at all in the first half, but its second-half approach worked early. That is, until IU solved the press and gave Iowa coach Steve Alford fits. \nAlford, who preaches playing in four-minute spurts -- from one officials' timeout to the next -- was intent on chopping the IU lead early in the second half. Iowa did cut it to five, but by the time the first television timeout rolled around, the Hoosiers ballooned the lead back to 13. \n"It was the same press that enabled them to a layup and two threes to get it back from five points back up to 11," Alford said. "That first four-minute game ended up being 12-10."\nFree throws\nIU sputtered from the free-throw line early, hitting just five of its first 12 and 13 of the first 24. \nNot until the 8:20 mark did IU connect on both ends of a two-foul-shot situation. \nBut beginning with back-to-back makes from Jeffries, IU hit 16 of its last 20 and its final eight in a row to secure the victory. \nSixteen of IU's final 22 points came via free throws.\nNo Boyd\nIowa guard Brody Boyd, who scored 22 points against IU in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, played only six minutes Sunday -- one in the second half -- and did not score. He took a mere two shots. \nBoyd, from Dugger, Ind., led Iowa to the league tournament crown by replacing the injured Luke Recker and Ryan Hogan. His eight field goals in that game are still his career high. Boyd scored three points in Iowa's 71-66 regular season win against the Hoosiers in Iowa City last season. \nFan support\nIowa's Hawk's Nest fans had their share of fun Sunday, ribbing Davis and IU guards Dane Fife and Tom Coverdale.\nDavis spent much of the afternoon discussing calls with officials Ed Hightower, Donnee Gray and Mike Sanzere. It was Sanzere who whistled Davis for a technical in the final minutes of the loss to Butler and prompted Davis' criticism of the officiating after the game. \nMidway through the second half, an arguing Davis was instructed to "sit down" by the Iowa students. \nAs the game closed, an upset Iowa student screamed "we're over-rated" to a silent Carver-Hawkeye Arena.\nSurprise, surprise\nAlready in the Big Ten season, No. 13 Iowa and No. 9 Illinois each have two losses. No. 25 Michigan State, which lost to Wisconsin Saturday, has three. All three schools were thought to be frontrunners for the Big Ten title. \nAfter Tuesday, when Iowa and Illinois meet in Champaign, Ill., either the Hawkeyes or Fighting Illini will have a third loss. \nIU and Ohio State, which beat Northwestern Saturday, lead the league and both are unbeaten in conference play. IU and OSU meet Saturday in Columbus. \nBoth are also getting plenty of praise, and Alford is putting the Hoosiers in league of their own.\n"Illinois is as good as anybody in this league, other than maybe Indiana," Alford said Sunday.\nThe Hoosier players are pleased with the 4-0 start, as well.\n"Right now, we're in a great position," Odle said. "If we win every game at home and maybe drop a couple on the road, we'll still be right there"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With four minutes left Saturday and IU trailing Ohio State 62-59, Mike Davis told his defense it needed to make only four more defensive stops. \nThat was the mission. If it was accomplished, IU would walk out of Value City Arena still unblemished in the Big Ten and with sole possession of first place. \nThe mission went awry. \nOhio State (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) hit the offensive glass, played tight defense and out-scored the No. 25 Hoosiers (11-6, 4-1) 11-8 during that stretch, allowing the Buckeyes to win 73-67 in front of 19,200 and grab the league's top slot. \n"We gave up too many easy buckets," said Davis, IU's second-year coach. "I told our guys with four minutes to go on the clock, if we make four stops, it's our game. We didn't make stops."\nInstead, Brian Brown, who entered the game with 26 career points in four games against IU, burned the IU defense for a career-high 26 to lead OSU. Brent Darby and Terrence Dials chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Brown and Dials scored 18 of the Buckeyes' last 19 points.\nJared Jeffries led IU with 22 points, Jarrad Odle scored 16 and Tom Coverdale had 12. \nBrown, who averages just more than 14 points per game, scored 17 of his 26 in the second half and hit 10 of 13 from the field for the afternoon. His dribble penetration and ability to squash IU rallies bothered the Hoosiers throughout the second half. \n"Their strength is our weakness," Davis said. "They are a very good basketball team off the dribble, and we're not very good off the dribble defensively."\nThings could've been better for IU had senior Dane Fife not been saddled with foul trouble for the second consecutive game. Fife picked up his second foul with 3:59 left in the first half, then got whistled for his fourth with 17 minutes left in the game. Fife played only 11 minutes in the second half. \n"Brian was not going to be denied today," OSU coach Jim O'Brien said. "In a game like this, for him to get his career high, he stepped up big-time in a big game."\nIU and OSU traded buckets through much of the second half until a Jeffries' three pointer with 10:08 remaining gave IU its first lead since 13-12. \nThen Brown and Dials took over. Brown put in a pair of buckets that gave OSU a lead and extended it to three.\nKyle Hornsby's three-pointer gave IU a 59-58 lead, but Dials responded. The freshman scored 10 consecutive points, exploiting IU's interior defense and keeping the Buckeyes on top. \nIn the final two minutes, Jeff Newton and Jeffries both missed shots that would have given IU the lead or sliced the OSU lead to one.\nBrown's two free throws with 24.2 seconds left stretched the Ohio State lead to five, and when Coverdale took the inbounds pass and stepped on the sideline, OSU had the victory secured. \n"(Ohio State doesn't) have a player that you're going to see on an All-American list," Jeffries said. "But you're going to see a team that wins, and that's what they're doing right now. It was lapses late in the game that could've affected the outcome of this game."\nThe same problems that plagued IU late hurt it early. \nOSU out-rebounded the Hoosiers 34-24 and had 14 offensive rebounds; it collected nine of those by halftime.\nThe teams exchanged the lead through the first half, before OSU grabbed an eight-point lead -- the biggest of the game by either team. IU chipped it to two and later one, but OSU closed the half on a 9-5 run and used a last-second basket from Brown to take a 35-30 lead to the break. \nIU allowed the Buckeyes to shoot only 41.9 percent in the first half, but OSU exploded in the second half, shooting 57.7 percent. The Buckeyes are the Big Ten's top shooting team, at just more than 50 percent. \nIU had a hard time hitting its free throws. The Hoosiers, for the second consecutive game, struggled early. IU was just six of 12 at halftime and missed their first two of the second half before finishing 13 of 22 from the stripe.\n"You look at our free throws," Odle said. "If we hit those, we win. You're not going to win games on the road shooting free throws like that."\nDespite the first league loss, the Hoosiers remained upbeat regarding their position in the league race. Only IU and OSU have less than two losses, and the Hoosiers finish the season with four of their last six conference games in Bloomington. \nHeading to Penn State Wednesday trailing the first-place Buckeyes by a game and on the third leg of a three-game road swing, Davis isn't discouraged. \n"It's tough to win on the road," Davis said. "We figured we wouldn't go undefeated in the Big Ten. I'm not happy we lost, but I'm proud of my team. We're playing really good basketball right now. It was a situation late in the game where all we had to do was make a couple stops. We were unable to do that"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
STATE COLLEGE, PA -- Mike Davis had one wish. \nBefore IU set out on its three-game road swing that ended Wednesday in Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, IU's coach wanted two road wins. \nHe got his wish, and the Hoosiers return Saturday to Assembly Hall, where they will play five of their next six, including four of their next five Big Ten games. \nIU (12-6, 5-1 Big Ten) pounded Penn State (5-12, 1-5) 85-51, marking the first time since the 1992-1993 season the Hoosiers have recorded three Big Ten road victories before February. \n"Ideally, we wanted to come out of this road trip (winning) one of three, and we get two of three," Davis said. "Now we have three road wins in the Big Ten, which is good."\nThe victory keeps IU one game behind Big Ten leader Ohio State, which welcomes Michigan to Columbus tonight. OSU handed IU its only league loss Saturday in Value City Arena. \nDavis has long lamented over IU's stingy non-conference schedule, which featured only two games in Bloomington. But the same schedule that led IU into the Big Ten season with a mediocre 7-5 record has helped it storm to its best league start since 1992-1993, when the Hoosiers finished 17-1. \nThe quick start is just what sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, who led IU Wednesday night with 22 points, wanted. \n"It's huge for us," Jeffries said. "We showed maturity on this road trip and showed we've grown as a team since last year."\n\nDane gets defensive\nSenior guard Dane Fife remembered Sharif Chambliss' shooting clinic at Assembly Hall during the first meeting between these two teams this season. IU won 61-54, but Chambliss hit seven of eight shots and scored a game-high 20 points. \nFife returned the favor Wednesday. \nChambliss scored 11 to keep his string of double-figure games alive at 16, but he hit just three of nine from the field and one of six from the three-point line. \n"Fife did a good job on me," Chambliss said. "They were all over me. They denied and took the ball away."\nFife did that so well that Davis spent some of the post-game press conference touting his senior as the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year. He even broke in on Fife's interview with a handful of media, saying he had an announcement regarding Fife's play. \n"He's the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, mark my word," Davis joked. \nFife said he had plenty of help Wednesday. \n"(Chambliss) got a few open shots, because I wasn't with him," said Fife, who chipped in with 10 points. "Any time he came off an open screen, we had a guy right in his face."\n\nReversing roles\nIn the first game between IU and Penn State, IU shot just 28 percent from the field but managed 32 free throws for the victory. \nThe Hoosiers torched the Nittany Lion defense Wednesday, shooting 51.6 percent for the game and 54.8 percent in the first half. \nPenn State shot 38 percent in the first contest but hit just 33.3 percent Wednesday, including four of 14 from the three-point line. \nIU hit five three pointers but shot a mere 12, the lowest amount it's put up all season. IU shot 14 against Penn State Jan. 5 and 15 against Miami (Fla). In both games, IU hit just one three pointer.\nThe Hoosiers have attempted 20 or more threes seven times this season. \nOnce IU did drop in some long-range bombs, it sent Penn State reeling. \n"I told our team at halftime, 'A good team would come out and build on the 10-point lead,'" Davis said. \nIU did after Penn State cut the lead to seven, and that's as close at the Nittany Lions got the rest of the way. \n\nNot much roaring\nIt wasn't quite the same rowdy, Big Ten-like crowd in State College. Only 8,647 fans showed up, and many jetted for the exits after a Tom Coverdale three-pointer gave IU a 59-39 lead with 11:58 remaining. \nBack-to-back three pointers from Coverdale and fellow guard Kyle Hornsby sent another wave of Nittany Lion fans to the parking lot. \nPenn State is averaging only 7,474 fans per home game this season, with its biggest crowd, just more than 12,000, coming in Saturday loss to Michigan State.
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A box score would more than do justice to Saturday's battle between IU and Illinois. \nIU splattered the board with mind-boggling numbers: Like a school- and Big Ten-record 17 three-pointers. There were 46 first-half points and 42 more in the second half. There were five players in double figures. And there were three players with three or more three-pointers. \nBut, in reality, all you need to sum up IU's 88-57 pounding of the No. 9 Illini in front of 17,456 wound-up fans in Assembly Hall is vocal evidence from the Illini themselves. \nLucas Johnson: "We weren't even in the same league as them today."\nDamir Krupalija: "It just kept raining and raining. It was a long, rainy day for us."\nCory Bradford: "They were making wide open shots, tough shots. They were hitting on all cylinders."\nTo say the least. \nIU hit nine three-pointers in the first half, eight more in the second half and used a stifling defense to stretch an 11-point halftime lead to 25 just seven minutes into the half and 35 some 10 minutes later.\nThe victory, combined with Ohio State's 89-71 loss at Minnesota, moved the Hoosiers (13-6, 6-1 Big Ten) into a first-place tie with the Buckeyes and slid IU two games ahead of defending conference champion Illinois (15-5, 4-3). \nDane Fife's 20 points lead the way for IU. Tom Coverdale scored 16, Kyle Hornsby 15, Jared Jeffries 13 and A.J. Moye 11. \nFrank Williams led Illinois with 11 but did not score in the second half and was just four of 13 from the field. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year is now 11 of 40 from the field in the last three games against IU. \n"Today was our day," IU coach Mike Davis said. "The ball went in today. Sometimes it goes in; sometimes it doesn't. We were fortunate to have our guards step up."\nFife hit six of seven three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds. All of Hornsby's 15 came on three-pointers, and he added five rebounds and five assists. Coverdale hit four of seven three-pointers and collected five assists. \nAll told, IU's three-guard starting lineup hit 15 of 22 three-pointers, piled up 51 points, tallied 13 assists and yanked down 13 rebounds. \nIllinois' backcourt shot five of 21 from the floor and missed all four of its three-pointers. In fact, while IU bombed away from the arc, Illinois missed its first 10 three-pointers before finishing the game with back-to-back, long-range buckets. \nBut by then it was far, far too late. \nIU held Illinois to eight second-half points over the first 13 minutes of the half, using a 31-8 run to extend an 11-point halftime lead to 77-43. \nDuring that span, the Hoosiers drained seven three-pointers, solving the Illini's man-to-man defense, its zone defense and its full-court press. Back-to-back-to-back threes from Fife, Jeffries and Hornsby gave IU an 18-point lead just four minutes into the second half. \nThen Jeffries, who ended his streak of four consecutive games with at least 20 points, put the Illini away. The sophomore forward followed up a missed layup by Hornsby with a one-handed jam, then stole the ball on Illinois' next possession, raced to the bucket and twisted for a reverse slam. \nHornsby capped the spurt with a three-point shot, pushing the lead to 64-39 and extinguishing the Illini chance at a comeback. \n"I thought it sucked, but they also made shots," Illinois coach Bill Self said of his team's perimeter defense. "For whatever reason, we allowed them to operate in their comfort zone early, and they made shots, and the next thing you know their confidence is sky high. They made some hard shots. They were awesome."\nSelf said his game plan wasn't to double-team Jeffries, but it sure appeared that way. IU's three-guard system worked to near perfection, feeding off a defense drawn toward Jeffries. \nIU's nine first-half three-pointers were more than they had in 14 different games this season. The Hoosiers finished 17 of 27 (63 percent) from the arc. They hit 15 two-point buckets in 35 tries (42.8 percent).\nOver the first 15 minutes of the second half, IU hit eight three-pointers and five two point shots. \n"At a certain point it was like 'Keep passing the ball to Coverdale, Hornsby and Fife' because the way they were hitting, I figured they'd all go for 30 (points)," Jeffries said.\nJeffries, the Big Ten's leading scorer, scored his final points -- the reverse dunk -- at the 13:40 mark, but it didn't matter. Five of IU's next seven buckets were three-pointers, and Fife's sixth three of the game put the finishing touches on the blowout. The shot bounced from the back of the rim to the front and rolled in, giving the Hoosiers the league and school record for three-pointers in a game. IU has hit 10 or more thee-pointers in six games this season. \n"This is our home floor, and we better be able to hit on these rims or we're in trouble," Fife said. "Every shot it seemed we put up it seemed was going in. We were unconscious."\nThe result was a stunned Illini bunch handed its worst loss since a 36-point loss at Temple in 1991. The 31-point spread was the Illini's biggest margin of defeat to IU since a 109-74 loss during the 1990-1991 season. IU's biggest lead Saturday was 35 points, but it took the Hoosiers a while to get there. \nThe Illini used balance to stick with IU over the first 13 minutes, but IU either hit a three-pointer or had a chance at a three-point play on every score over the game's first nine minutes. \nThe decisive run began at the nine-minute mark, when Illinois' Damir Krupalija was whistled for a moving screen before Cory Bradford hit a three-pointer. The bucket, which was waved off because of the foul, would have tied the game. \nInstead, Fife hit two free throws, and IU closed the first half with three more three-point shots and an 18-10 run to take a 46-35 halftime lead. \nThe 46 points was the second-most the Hoosiers have scored in the first half this season. They poured in 48 against Michigan State, when they hit 10 first-half threes. \nDespite the offensive explosion, many of the Hoosiers credited the blowout win to the defense, which held the Illini to 30 percent, helped out-rebound the Illini 42-34 and forced nine turnovers in the second half.\n"That's the best we've played all year," Coverdale said. "It all started with our defense. We got out on the break well and got some easy threes, which really got us going in the first half."\nThe Hoosiers must travel to Champaign to play the Illini in February and said they still have much respect for Self and company. Their approach after the victory was one of business as usual. They're in the hunt for their own respect and likely took care of that Saturday. \n"We're getting no respect when it comes to polls," senior forward Jarrad Odle said. "We think we're a good team. (Today) is a big step for us, and it's really going to show people that we're on the map and we're doing some things this year"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kerwin Fleming and Kevin Burleson had one guy to look for: the red-headed guy in the red jersey with No. 3 pasted on his back. \nMinnesota's two-guard defensive tandem watched Tom Coverdale knock down three three pointers in three consecutive IU possessions in the first half of the Hoosier-Golden Gopher matchup at Williams Arena Saturday. \nThen, Coverdale -- second in the Big Ten in three point percentage -- hit another long-range jumper. \nThe sharp shooting helped IU to a 48-37 halftime lead and led Minnesota to a revitalized defensive scheme in the second half. \n"Coverdale was a big discussion at halftime," said Burleson, a junior guard. "Kerwin did a great job on him, and I did pretty good staying with him. When the offense is stagnant, (Coverdale) picks it up."\nHe couldn't get free to do so Saturday, and the Gophers (13-7, 6-3 Big Ten) cruised to an 88-74 victory. \nCoverdale hit 1-of-5 second-half three pointers and wasn't able to maneuver inside the paint. With Minnesota's 1-2-2 zone, Fleming and Burleson didn't allow Coverdale to perform his patented back-to-the-bucket drive down the lane. \nHis only field goal of the second half came with just more than two minutes remaining and cut the Gopher lead to eight. IU's second-leading scorer didn't shoot a field goal inside the three-point line in the second half, and the frustration became apparent when he misfired on a free throw and softly kicked the ball back toward the official with 5:20 left in the game and IU down 78-66.\nCoverdale entered the game shooting 87.9 percent from the free-throw line but hit just 2 of 5 Saturday. \nKeeping him off track was the focus on the Gopher defense throughout the second half. \n"The problem is you don't go in at halftime and say 'He's going to cool off,'" Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. "He missed a couple, and we challenged a couple."\nTwo in three\nSaturday's game was IU's second contest in three days, something IU hadn't done since playing back-to-back days in the Hoosier Classic Dec. 28 and 29. \nIU (14-7, 7-2 Big Ten) also played three games in four days from Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 in the Great Alaska Shootout. \nIU fell to then-No. 23 Butler in the second game of the Hoosier Classic and lost to Marquette Nov. 23, two days after beating Alaska-Anchorage and one day before beating Texas. \nDavis admitted sophomore Jared Jeffries looked fatigued but said IU did nothing in practice Friday to cause any fatigue. \n"You have to play basketball," Davis said. "We knew that we were going to play Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday. There was no secret about it."\nIU returns to Assembly Hall Tuesday to meet Iowa for its third game in six days. IU then has three days off before facing Louisville Saturday and doesn't play another Big Ten game until a Feb. 13 matchup with Wisconsin. \nIU will play two games in three days again when it travels to Michigan State Feb. 24 and to Illinois Feb. 26. \nBlessing in disguise\nMinnesota's schedule didn't look all that favorable early in the season, but the Gophers couldn't be happier now that they've beaten the top two teams in the Big Ten -- Ohio State and IU.\nThe Gophers took advantage of meeting both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers on one-day's rest and beat both by similar scores. Minnesota used a late rally to bounce the Buckeyes 89-71 Jan. 26 and did the same to IU Saturday, 88-74. \nNow, the Gophers have the tiebreaker over both the Hoosiers and Buckeyes and don't have to travel to Bloomington or Columbus, but they're not holding out the possibility of seeing them in the Big Ten Tournament. \n"I'm glad," Burleson said. "The scheduling was great to us this year. (IU) is going to be a good team. We'll probably see them again."\nThe other two teams Minnesota plays only once are Purdue and Iowa. The Gophers beat Purdue 87-71 in West Lafayette Jan. 12 and travel to Iowa City to meet the Hawkeyes Feb. 9.\nBig Ten update\nMinnesota's victory slips it into third place in the Big Ten, two games behind Ohio State, which squeaked out a 58-57 win over Northwestern Saturday. The Wildcats had a potential game-winning shot rim out in the final seconds. \nIU is sandwiched between the Gophers and Buckeyes in second place. \nIowa upended Penn State 81-64 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win ties the Hawkeyes with Michigan for sixth in the league. Both teams are 4-5. \nWisconsin continues to tumble from the league's top tier and fell at Michigan 64-53 Saturday. The Badgers are 5-5 in the league, one-half game ahead of Iowa and Michigan for fifth place. Wisconsin could do IU a favor Wednesday when it welcomes Ohio State to Madison.
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Tom Coverdale kicked the ball, and Dane Fife finished the game with two tackles. \nYou won't find those statistics on any sheet of paper, but they do justice to IU's matchup with Minnesota at Williams Arena Saturday.\nFife got physical, pulling down and jumping on top of Minnesota players. Coverdale got emotional, stabbing at the ball with his foot following a missed free throw. And IU got frustrated, ending a three-game winning streak and falling to second place in the Big Ten after Ohio State's slim 58-57 win over Northwestern. \nMinnesota used a 16-1 run midway through the second half to upend the Hoosiers 88-74 in front of a season-high 14,492 fans in Williams Arena.\nAfter IU (14-7, 7-2 Big Ten) closed the first half with an 11-point lead, Minnesota (13-7, 6-3) changed its approach and its mind-set. The scoreboard followed suit. \nFreshman Rick Rickert led the Gophers with a game-high 27 points -- he scored 26 in Minnesota's win over Penn State Wednesday -- and senior Dusty Rychart added 14 as the Gophers put four players in double figures. \nCoverdale, a junior, led IU with 19. Fife, a senior, scored 11 and junior Kyle Hornsby added 10. \n"This is a tough place to win," IU coach Mike Davis said. "They played a great second half. We contested shots. They made big shots. Offensively, they took us out of our flow and rhythm and that's the first time that's happened all season."\nIU shot just 31.9 percent in the second half and hit only 4 of 13 three pointers. Minnesota shot 63 percent and knocked down five of eight threes en route to their third consecutive victory, which pulls them into sole possession of third place in the Big Ten. \nThe Gophers out-scored IU 51-26 in the second half and forced IU to play beyond the three-point line. That area had been a comfort zone for IU, which managed 10 threes, but the Gophers forced 17 turnovers and IU sputtered out of the break, missing on 12 of its first 16 shots. \nBy that time, Minnesota grabbed a 66-60 lead via a scoring binge that featured points from seven different players. Jerry Holman's bucket with 9:57 remaining gave Minnesota a 58-57 lead, its first since the 13:05 mark of the first half. Travarus Bennett's steal and dunk on IU's next possession sent the Gopher fans into a frenzy and seemed to zap out all the spark from the Hoosiers. \n"(We had) defensive intensity," Rickert said of what ignited the Gopher run. "We were much more focused. We knew we couldn't play the way we played in the first half and win."\nA free throw from IU junior Jeff Newton was the only point the Hoosiers scored during the four-minute stretch. Newton scored a bucket to end the run with 7:40 remaining, but when the officials whistled Jeffries for his fourth foul on the Gophers' next possession, Davis erupted. Referee Sam Lickliter stuck Davis with a technical, and Rickert hit four straight free throws to stretch the lead to 10. IU got back-to-back three-point possessions from senior Jarrad Odle and Hornsby, but drew no closer than six the rest of the way. \n"It hurt us," Davis said of the technical. "But I thought it would motivate us."\nMinnesota coach Dan Monson used more conventional motivational techniques. His halftime speech stressed getting back to the basics, and it worked. \n"If I have to throw water coolers and rant and rave in a game of this magnitude, then you've got no chance," Monson said. "They knew they didn't play well enough in the first half. I didn't tell them anything revolutionary. I didn't give them any Knute Rockne deal."\nIU was the crisper team in the first half and out-rebounded Minnesota 25-10 in the half. IU had as many offensive rebounds as the Gophers had total, and second-chance bucket from sophomore George Leach as time expired extended IU's lead to 48-37 at halftime. \nIU took the lead it held until the halfway mark of the second half on a three pointer from Coverdale. The IU point guard hit three consecutive threes to pull IU ahead by five, and IU later pushed the lead to 13 on two free throws by Hornsby. \nIn the half, Jeffries didn't hit his first field goal until just more than four minutes remained. He scored six points in the half, but missed all three of his shots in the second stanza. He finished one of eight from the field and ended his streak of four consecutive double-doubles. His lone second-half point came from the free throw line, and his seven total points tied a season-low he set against Miami (Fla.). \nThe Gophers used a variety of defenses to stop IU's inside-out attack. The plan slowed down an IU offense that entered the game shooting 44.7 percent from the field. \n"I probably screwed up not giving Jared Jeffries more shots," Davis said. "I should have called more plays to go to him. I played defense on Jared tonight."\nThe loss is IU's fifth consecutive at Williams Arena, where the Gophers are 12-1 this season. Minnesota erased a 13-point IU lead in the final three minutes last season, but the Hoosiers couldn't return the favor this time. \n"It was the same situation as last year, except I'm glad it wasn't the last three minutes when they came back and beat us (Saturday)," Davis said. "If we're at home tonight, we win by 20. They were home. When we missed shots, they made shots"
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Even Dane Fife would have booed Luke Recker.\nAnd he didn't feel sorry for his former teammate. \nFife didn't have to boo. \nHe played defense, and just about every one of the 17,456 fans in Assembly Hall Tuesday night took care of the jeering for him -- loudly, critically and without mercy. \nRecker's misses were cheered -- during warm-ups. Every time the he touched the ball, fans booed. Every time he looked into the stands, he saw signs with the phrases "Traitor," "Luke Who?" and "Luke Sucks." Every time he looked toward the scoreboard, his Iowa Hawkeyes fell further and further behind the Hoosiers until IU finished a 79-51 winner.\nIt was Recker's first game in Assembly Hall since helping IU beat Iowa Feb. 27, 1999. It was about as bad a homecoming as Recker could have ever dreamed. \n"How could you not hear 17,000 people yelling your name?" Recker said. "You try not to hear it and you try not to listen to it. I think I let it get to me. I'm glad it's over…I couldn't have wrote a worse script."\nIU (15-7, 8-2 Big Ten) wrote a pretty bad one for him. \nRecker, who nearly single-handedly beat IU in his first game against his former team in Iowa City last season, fizzled in two attempts this time around. Tuesday, he finished with eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes. Recker finished the regular season 8-of-23 from the field against IU and scored only 20 points in the two games, both IU victories.\nInstead of impacting Tuesday's game down the stretch, he sat four seats down from coach Steve Alford. Recker played only 1:34 of the final 11:59 of Tuesday's Big Ten contest. \nIn fact, Iowa (15-9, 4-6) made its only second-half run with Recker and fellow senior Reggie Evans, the Hawkeyes two top scorers, on the bench. \nRecker checked out with 11:40 remaining and Iowa trailing 54-33. Four minutes later, he watched a parade of Hawkeyes walk to the scorers' bench and enter the game. Still, he sat and listened to fans chant, "We want Recker."\nNot until the 6:24 mark did he re-enter, but by that time, IU had extended the lead to 64-41. \nLess than 1:30 later, Recker was back on the bench and IU was up 71-43.\nAlford didn't single out Recker, but placed blame on his entire senior class.\n"I don't think our seniors stepped up like they had to," Alford said. "Their toughness showed. We're very immature."\nRecker showed signs of that early, and he admitted it. He scored the game's first basket on a lay-in, but he didn't score again until hitting a free throw with 3:05 left in the first half. \nIn the meantime, he missed four shots, then missed a three pointer with less than a minutes left in the half. \n"They rushed me into some bad shots," Recker said. "I got a good look early and from there on I forced it."\nThe second half wasn't much better. Recker hit two of his first four shots, but then took -- and missed -- only two more shots the rest of the way. \nFife, who got in early foul trouble in the first two games against Iowa, stayed away from that problem last night. Junior Kyle Hornsby, who guarded Recker at Iowa earlier this season, picked up two early fouls, and Fife went to work. \nWherever Recker went, Fife followed. \n"He got a few good looks and missed them," Fife said. "His other good looks were pinned against the backboard by (Jared) Jeffries and (Jeff) Newton."\nRecker played up IU's defense and took the fan reaction in stride. He put his own perspective and spin on things, drawing on emotion from a car crash that injured him and left his ex-girlfriend paralyzed. He said he received a warm reception from a number of administrators and former fans. \nMost people weren't, and haven't been, so gracious.\n"I received letters when I first got in the accident saying 'I wish you would have died,'" Recker said. "But, ninety-nine percent of Indiana fans are good people. They booed me and rightfully so. I haven't been here for three years, so it was weird. I have a lot of great memories from here. This obviously won't be one of the great memories."\nFife, who said he hears nearly the same "welcome" when he plays at Michigan, where he grew up and where his brother played, is one of those Hoosiers that still speaks to Recker. About an hour before tip-off, Fife warned Recker the game would be an adventure. \nHe couldn't have been more right.\n"They're angry," Fife said of IU fans. "Would I boo if I was a fan, probably. Any time people transfer, it makes people angry. I don't think it got under his skin, but it sure helped us out. You couldn't help but hear it. It was comical tonight."\nDepends on who you talk to. For Recker, it was a homecoming he can't forget and won't want to remember.
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IU has the Big Ten Player of the Week routine figured out. \nFor the fifth consecutive week, the Player of the Week has been either a Hoosier or someone from a team that played IU (16-7, 8-2 Big Ten) during the week for which he was awarded. \nThis time, senior forward Jarrad Odle gobbled up the honors, after posting back-to-back double-doubles in No. 22 IU's victories over Iowa and Louisville. \nAgainst Iowa Feb. 5, Odle shut down Hawkeye forward Reggie Evans for the second time this season, holding the 6-foot-8 Evans to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Meanwhile, Odle scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. \nIn Saturday's win over Louisville, Odle poured in a career-high 25 points and ripped down 11 rebounds, marking his third career double-double. He also took some of the scoring burden off hobbled sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, who suffered a bruised thigh and left the game for six minutes in the first half.\nFor the week, Odle hit 15 of 19 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. \nOdle is averaging 9.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in IU's 10 Big Ten games after scoring just two points per game in 30 career Big Ten games prior to this season.\nThrough it all, he said his confidence hasn't wavered. And he isn't surprised by his scoring success. \n"I've always been pretty sure of myself," Odle said. "It doesn't amaze me at all. I know I can put the ball in the hoop. It just so happens the last few years here, that isn't the style of game the coaches needed from me."\nThe award was Odle's first career Player of the Week honor. Jeffries has won the award three times this season, and senior guard Dane Fife has captured it once. \nIllini ill\nNo. 18 Illinois (17-7, 6-5) endured a slow Big Ten start to move into fifth place in the conference, but things on the injury front haven't gotten any better. \nLess than two weeks after getting senior forwards Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija back from injuries, Krupalija re-injured his foot in a loss to Michigan State Feb. 3. Krupalija had surgery Feb. 6 to place a small plate on the area affected by the stress fracture and the Illini hope to have him back in time for the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 7 in Indianapolis. \n Krupalija has missed seven games this season because of the injured foot, and Johnson missed the first 18 games of the season with an inured knee. \n Senior guard Cory Bradford has struggled with his shooting, and reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Frank Williams has been the victim of opposing defenses and harsh criticism. \n Illinois coach Bill Self said he is sure his guards will explode sooner or later, but said the high expectations set for the Illini might have been unfair. \n"We still haven't been whole as a team," Self said. "You need to have the full complement of players. Frank hasn't had the type of year he had last year. When Frank starts playing to his capabilities, you'll see us playing better."\nTime for Knight\nIowa coach Steve Alford said he needed to mature, get on the phone and call former coach Bob Knight. \nAlford, whose Hawkeyes (15-10, 4-7) have imploded and are ninth in the Big Ten, said he needed some advice, so he called on Knight, who coached Alford at IU from 1983 to 1987, when Alford finished his college career a national champion and Big Ten Player of the Year. \nAlford said he didn't want the meeting publicized, but said he plans to make another visit to Lubbock, Texas, where Knight has coached his Texas Tech squad inside the top 25 this season. \n"I hope to spend more time with him this spring, just learning more about coaching this game," Alford said. "I've needed to mature as a person and a coach. I needed to make that step and pick up the phone and call him. Hopefully, our relationship will get better. There aren't too many people who I respect more than coach Knight."\nTournament talk\nThe Big Ten has been anything but predictable this season, and the NCAA Tournament selection might follow the same trend. \nSeven Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament last season, but the pickings look to be slimmer this season. Only IU and No. 23 Ohio State (17-5, 8-3) seem to be locks for the tournament, with pre-season favorites Illinois and Iowa sitting in middle and end of the Big Ten pack, respectively.\nUpstarts Minnesota (14-7, 7-3) and Wisconsin (14-11, 7-5) are making a case, as is perennial power Michigan State (14-9, 5-5). Tradition and three consecutive Final Four appearances could help the Spartans enter the field, but most Big Ten teams are hoping four or five league teams can slip into the tournament. \n"If Minnesota finished fifth or sixth, there's no way," Minnesota Coach Dan Monson said. "We have to finish in the top of this league if we want to realize one of our goals."\nAs for predictions that the league should get only two or three teams into the field of 64? That has coaches defending the Big Ten. \n"I still think we have a good shot to have six teams in," Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said. "It's not our fault we have more parity than any other league. Some teams had incredibly tough non-conference schedules. We'll see if that all factors in. It still depends on if we beat each other up too much"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Wednesday was a big goof -- a black mark on IU's Big Ten slate. \nBut Mike Davis' message was simple, and he said it even before IU lost to Wisconsin in Assembly Hall Wednesday: Win or lose, the Hoosiers are still on top of the Big Ten. \nBarely. \nNo. 22 IU (16-8, 8-3 Big Ten) owned sole possession of first place for less than a week, and the 64-63 loss to the Badgers slipped the Hoosiers into a tie with Ohio State, which plays at Iowa Saturday. IU has a chance to stay on top when it travels to Michigan for a 1 p.m. tipoff Sunday in Crisler Arena.\n"We're still in first place," said Davis, IU's second-year head coach. "We have to regroup. It's another big game. Hopefully, we can go to Michigan and play better than we did (Wednesday)."\nThe Hoosiers are hoping for the return of Jared Jeffries, who sat out the Wisconsin game after spraining an ankle against Louisville Feb. 9. Jeffries is listed as probable for Sunday. Wednesday's game was the first the 6-foot-10 sophomore has missed in his IU career and broke a string of 57 consecutive starts. \nJeffries leads the Big Ten in scoring but struggled through his last two games -- IU victories over Iowa and Louisville -- scoring a combined 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year played both of those games on a bruised thigh, and the decision to sit him Wednesday was easy for Davis.\nThe repercussions dented IU's shot at its first Big Ten title since 1993 and wrecked its best league start since the same season. Davis said Wednesday he planned to go home and pray that Jeffries' ankle would quickly heal. Sunday will reveal if the power of prayer worked. Regardless of the return of Jeffries, the Hoosiers said they should be able to go with or without him. \n"We just have to play tougher. We're still in position for the championship," freshman guard Donald Perry said. "We can't worry about who's injured; we just have to play together and go all out, especially on defense, because that's what killed us (Wednesday)."\nDavis exuded frustration over IU's lackadaisical defense Wednesday and said his team plays hard at times and lapses at others. The practice plan includes defensive work today before leaving for Ann Arbor.\nSunday will be another test. Michigan has a balanced attack similar to the Wisconsin one that caught IU off guard. \nJunior forward Lavell Blanchard leads the Wolverines (10-13, 5-7) with 14.7 points per game. Sophomore Bernard Robinson Jr., scores 11.9 per game, and senior center Chris Young is the final Wolverine in double figures at 10.6 per game.\nMichigan's backcourt is more of a conventional group of set shooters, something that could help IU. Dribble penetration by Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin led to all three of the Hoosiers' Big Ten losses. \nMichigan struggled mightily from the field Wednesday at Purdue, shooting 14 of 58 (24 percent) on its way to a 79-43 loss. Jones and fellow guards Gavin Groninger and Dommanic Ingerson combined to go 1 of 25 from the field, and Michigan shot 6 of 32 from three-point land.\nThe loss was the Wolverines' second in three days. They fell in overtime at Colorado State Monday, making Sunday's game their third in six days. IU endured a similar stretch early this month, winning two of three. \n"We have a very grueling stretch," first-year Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "They'd rather play than practice. We're looking forward to a very tough challenge."\nSo is IU, which is the only Big Ten team with at least three road wins. No. 4 would put IU on the path for a collision course with fellow front-runner Ohio State Feb. 20 in Assembly Hall. Davis was confident Wednesday's close call will help IU down the road and in road games such as Sunday in an unfriendly Crisler Arena, where IU lost 70-64 last season. IU has lost three of its last four and six of its last eight trips to Ann Arbor. \n"Now our backs are against the wall as far as winning the championship," IU senior guard Dane Fife said. "We have to come out Sunday and get back on track"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Not many people -- experts, coaches, players -- thought a late-February battle between Ohio State and IU could settle the Big Ten title. \nA lot of those people -- those who picked Illinois and Iowa to win the conference -- were wrong. \nBut when the dust settles tonight at Assembly Hall, either the No. 19 Buckeyes or the No. 23 Hoosiers will be in sole possession of first place and prime position to claim the Big Ten title. \nThe first-place clash, set for 7 p.m., is the second meeting of the season between the two teams, which were tied for first place Jan. 19 when Ohio State won 73-67 in Columbus. \nSince then, both teams have maintained consistency, endured a handful of speed bumps and set themselves up for tonight. IU (17-8, 9-3 Big Ten) fought back from losses at Minnesota and at home to Wisconsin to beat Michigan Sunday. Ohio State (18-5, 9-3) edged Iowa Saturday after losing back-to-back road games at Wisconsin and Michigan State. Tonight's game is the fourth consecutive road game for OSU, which is 6-0 in Columbus. \n"Had we lost at Iowa, maybe we'd be going into Bloomington with our tails between our legs," Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said. "If you don't win games, confidence becomes an issue. Winning at Iowa stopped the bleeding."\nThe winner of tonight's tangle will have the upper hand in the Big Ten's final 10 days, but after tonight OSU has two home games left -- against Purdue and Michigan State -- and a road trip to Michigan. IU must travel to Michigan State and Illinois before finishing the regular season against Northwestern. \nThe schedule like it is, the Hoosiers are aware that a second home loss and third consecutive loss to OSU in Assembly Hall would leave them struggling for air. \n"We have four games left, and all four are going to be really tough for us," IU coach Mike Davis said. "We control our own destiny. Everything is going to pan out these next couple days."\nIt will, but OSU and IU being there to do the panning has caught people off-guard, including those teams behind both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers in the Big Ten race. \n"Indiana and Ohio State were going to be good no matter what, but they've played at a level that's been a pleasant surprise," Illinois coach Bill Self said.\nThe history-steeped programs with six national championships, 16 Final Four appearances and 32 Big Ten crowns between them have returned to the national spotlight after first-round NCAA Tournament losses last season. \nThis season marks the first since 1992-1993 IU has been in first place in the Big Ten this late in the season. IU hasn't won a Big Ten title since 1993, and Ohio State hit a mid-1990s lull after dominating the league in the early portion of the decade. Since O'Brien's arrival, the Buckeyes have turned the program in the right direction, finishing in the top three in the last three seasons. \nBuckeye senior guards Boban Savovic and Brian Brown, who combined for 32 points in OSU's win over IU in January, have been through a one-win conference season, then helped OSU to the Final Four in 1999. \nIU has experienced similar problems since 1993, finishing better than third only once. IU seniors Jarrad Odle and Dane Fife haven't finished better than third in the Big Ten in their careers. \nAs a result of both resurgences, crowds in Columbus and Bloomington have helped the teams combine to go 11-1 at home in the conference season. IU lost to Wisconsin Feb. 13 and hasn't lost two Big Ten games at home since 1999, when Ohio State and Michigan State both win in Assembly Hall. \nThe possibility of a third consecutive win in Bloomington is something O'Brien and Davis are excited about, but they admit they haven't paid a great deal of attention to the hype surrounding the game. \nDavis said Monday he hadn't been on campus since returning home from Michigan, and O'Brien said he was "holed up" in his home and hadn't seen his players since Saturday's game. \n"I'm thrilled," O'Brien said. "I think this is going to be an unbelievable environment. Two teams with a lot on the line. You couldn't ask for more. We know it isn't going to be easy."\nDavis and the Hoosiers are just as ready. \n"We're fighting for a Big Ten championship," Fife said. "This is a very special season for us"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Jeff Newton's teammates call him weird. They say he's playing like a man. They say they can't say enough about how well he's playing. \nHis coach remembers when he couldn't make contact with the rim on a free throw. \nJudging by his wacky career, they're all right on. \nNewton, who has been troubled by his up-and-down play throughout his career at IU, sparked IU Wednesday night, scoring a team-high 16 points in IU's 63-57 win over visiting No. 19 Ohio State, lifting No. 23 IU (18-8, 10-3 Big Ten) into first place in the Big Ten. \nWednesday, he did just about everything right. Even free throws, his long-time hurdle. \n"I remember when Jeff Newton couldn't draw iron at the free-throw line," IU coach Mike Davis said. "But, he's playing. If he plays this way, we have a chance to beat anyone."\nNewton and fellow forward Jarrad Odle exchanged roles Wednesday. Odle, who has started 12 consecutive games and scored double digits in five straight, played only 13 minutes, scoring 10 points. \nNewton replaced Odle eight minutes in and played 28 of the next 32 minutes. He helped ignite a 13-0 IU run with two free throws and taking a pass from Tom Coverdale, driving the length of the court and throwing down a reverse jam. \nA little more than a minute later, he drove past three OSU defenders along the baseline and slammed again, capping off the run and giving IU a 23-15 lead, equaling its biggest of the first half. \nOne more dunk with 27 seconds left in the half stopped a 9-3 Buckeye run and gave IU a 28-24 halftime lead. \nIn the second half, Newton gave IU a 48-41 lead with -- you guessed it -- another jam, then helped slam the door on OSU (18-6, 9-4) with four more points down the stretch. \nAfter scoring 17 points in a win at Michigan Sunday and leading the Hoosiers into first place Wednesday, Newton is still ho-hum. \n"My teammates are just looking for me," the 6-foot-9 junior from Atlanta said. "I end up open a couple times, and they just find me."\nHis teammates aren't so reserved. \nJared Jeffries: "The last two games, he's recognized we need him to play like a man, and he's been doing that for us."\nDane Fife: "The thing about Newt, is in the past, he's been a roller coaster. Hopefully, he can stay on top of the hill."\nThe teammate passing around the most praise is the one Newton stole minutes from Wednesday. \n"My main goal is to win a championship. Whoever's out on the floor doing that for us, then I'm 100-percent happy for that guy," Odle, a senior, said. "Newton's had two great games back to back. I can't say enough about how well Newton's playing right now."\nOhio State thought it had IU figured out early, double teaming Jeffries and clamping down on IU's inside attack. But Newton emerged with four rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists. He hit 5 of 12 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. \nAll along, he had Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien puzzled. O'Brien was prepared for Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife and Kyle Hornsby. But Newton? \n"So you take the threes away and you take Jeffries out and then they've got Newton," O'Brien said. "The last time they had Odle. This a very good basketball team that is exceptionally hard to defend because they have answers all over the place."\nEven at the free-throw line, where Newton hit just 53 percent for his career before this season. After Wednesday, he's hitting 77 percent from the line, third on the team behind Coverdale and A.J. Moye.\nNewton is as bewildered about the free throws as anyone. The difference is everyone expected him to miss. He expected to hit. \n"I'm growing up, getting old," Newton said. "You ought to start hitting shots when you get old. I was wondering what was going on when I wasn't hitting."\nOn a night when IU hit just 15 of 22 from the free-throw stripe, Coverdale -- shooting 85 percent -- went 1 of 3 and Ohio State's Brent Darby -- an 80 percent shooter -- missed both of his tries, Newton's string of 11 consecutive free throws and back-to-back games leading the Hoosiers in scoring shuffled to the forefront. \n"Newt's a weird guy," Fife said. "Now, when Newt goes up to the line, I have as much confidence in him as I do anybody on our team. He's been outstanding these last couple games"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Wisconsin snapped the Breslin Center curse. Illinois walked all over it. IU is yet to figure it out. \nThe Badgers ended Michigan State's nation-long, 53-game home winning streak in the final seconds Jan. 12. The Spartans won three in a row in East Lansing before the Fighting Illini squeaked out a two-point win Feb. 12. Now, No. 23 IU has the chance to hand Michigan State its third home loss of the season at 1 p.m. Sunday in the often-rugged, never-nice Breslin Center. \nOne problem -- for IU, the curse is still in place. The Hoosiers (18-8, 10-3 Big Ten) haven't won in the Breslin Center since Feb. 28, 1991, a span of eight losses. IU is 2-9 all-time in the Breslin Center since the arena opened in 1989. \n"We know we're going to have to play hard going in there," IU junior forward Jeff Newton said. "We just have to bring our game."\nMichigan State (16-10, 7-6) has battled injuries and a lack of experience this season, leading to the scant home losses to Wisconsin (64-63) and No. 16 Illinois (63-61), but the Spartans pummeled Minnesota last night 74-55 in East Lansing. This win pulls the Spartans into a fourth place tie with Minnesota and Northwestern. \nThe Spartans are battling for an NCAA Tournament berth and a possible top-5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament -- the top five seeds earn first-round byes. \nIU, which sits in sole possession of first place of the Big Ten and has its best crack at a league title since winning it in 1993, has the daunting task of battling both Michigan State and Illinois on their home floors. \nThe Hoosiers are the only Big Ten team with four road wins (tying the school record for road wins since the Big Ten moved to a 16-game schedule in 1997) and haven't won five road games since 1993. IU is 7-3 on the road overall this season, with losses coming at Southern Illinois, No. 19 Ohio State and Minnesota. \nSunday will be the biggest task of the season. Michigan State's famed student section, the "Izzone," leads a rowdy crowd of 14,759 in the Breslin Center. IU has lost its eight games at MSU by an average of 10 points per game and has come within five points only twice. Last season, the Spartans never let IU get too close before winning 66-57. \nSo, what's the secret to winning in East Lansing? \nSeparating fans, players and game plan, Illinois Coach Bill Self said. The evaporation of the winning-streak mystique also doesn't hurt. \n"You have to play well," Self said. "It's a great venue. The atmosphere is terrific."\nAnd it stems from the students, who sit just inches from the floor and create a circle of white shirts and a symphony of screams. Unlike IU's Assembly Hall, alumni and what Michigan State coach Tom Izzo calls the "money people" aren't close to the court, saying "college is still for the students." \nIzzo credits the MSU administration and the Spartans' string of four consecutive Big Ten titles and three straight trips to the Final Four for the enthusiasm. \n"There's some tough places to play in the Big Ten, and thank God ours has been one of them," Izzo said. "There is no question, when you win you don't do it just with a good team. You have to have the home-court advantage. We have one of the best."\nHushing that crowd with a win would help IU in its push for a Big Ten championship. With an Ohio State loss to Purdue Saturday and an IU win Sunday, the Hoosiers would clinch at least a share of the Big Ten crown. IU hasn't won more than 10 league games since the Big Ten implemented the 16-game schedule. Sunday would be No. 11 and win No. 1 in the Breslin Center since Lyndon Jones was IU's team captain and all-time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney was a freshman. \nIU doesn't appear spooked by the Breslin curse. \n"They've lost two games at home, so we can be the third team," said IU coach Mike Davis, who was named Wednesday as one of the 25 finalists for Naismith College Basketball Coach of the Year. "It will be a dog fight on Sunday. I hope we can come out on top"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Jared Jeffries' ankle is tender. And it's a tender topic. \nIU's sophomore forward began the Big Ten season on a tear, averaging 18.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game prior to injuring the ankle before the Wisconsin loss, which he sat out. \nSince the injury, Jeffries has stumbled, literally and figuratively. He's averaged seven points and five rebounds per game in the four games, of which No. 25 IU (18-10, 10-5 Big Ten) has lost two. \nSince being injured, he hasn't scored more than 11 points (11 of 34 shooting), has reached double-figures in rebounds only once and has played more than 30 minutes only once. \nTuesday, in IU's 70-62 loss at Illinois, Jeffries sputtered again. He scored three points and collected four rebounds. He took only six shots and hit just one in 29 minutes. All that after IU coach Mike Davis said Monday that Illinois didn't have anyone who could match up with the 6-foot-10 Jeffries. \nIllinois 6-10 forward Brian Cook did. \n"They stopped him," Davis said. "Jared Jeffries played well to have a hurt ankle. There's no way I can keep putting him in this situation."\nDavis will have to if IU wants to ensure itself with at least a share of the Big Ten title Saturday when IU meets Northwestern in the regular season finale. And he'll have to play him if IU wants to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 7. Davis has already said IU is a "below average" team without Jeffries. \nAfter Tuesday, he had followers. \n"I heard (Davis), and it gave me a lot of motivation and had me pumped up all week to guard him," Cook said. "It was more fun because I knew if you took him out of (the game), they're a pretty average team."\nDavis said Jeffries still isn't at 100 percent, and the Hoosiers know it. Illinois coach Bill Self agreed, but Illini senior guard Cory Bradford smiled and shook his head in disbelief after hearing the diagnosis. \nIn his absence, Jeffries' supporting cast, which features four players averaging more than seven points per game, hasn't consistently pulled through. \nIt did against Ohio State and Michigan, when junior Jeff Newton averaged 16.5 points per game, but Tuesday, IU committed 17 turnovers and got too far behind to get over the top. \n"When your best player's not full speed, it makes it a little tougher," junior guard Kyle Hornsby said. "Everybody's got to chip in, and it looks like we have to do a little bit better job." \nBig (Ten) mess\nWhat began as a two-team race for the Big Ten crown between IU and Ohio State has ended in a six-team battle in the season's final games. \nIU, Illinois, Ohio State -- the Buckeyes lost at home to Michigan State Tuesday -- and Wisconsin can all clinch at least a share of the crown with wins in their regular-season finales. Wisconsin welcomes Michigan tonight, Ohio State travels to Michigan Saturday, IU plays host to Northwestern Saturday and Illinois travels to Minnesota Sunday. \nShould IU, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinois all lose, and Michigan State and Minnesota win, there would be a six-way tie for the Big Ten title. \nIf IU, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinos all win, IU would share the title but earn just a four seed in the Big Ten Tournament, where they would match up with either Minnesota or Michigan State.\nIf the same scenario unfolds, the tiebreaker leaves Wisconsin with the No. 1 seed.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Nine minutes into the men's basketball game against Northwestern Saturday, IU coach Mike Davis wasn't worried about his Hoosiers starting the game 2 of 10 from the field or a 17-6 deficit staring them in the face. \nHe was worried about hats. \nWith a share of the Big Ten championship on the line -- commemorative hats and T-shirts and the shiny, gold trophy awaiting an IU victory -- the Hoosiers struggled out of the gate. But they rebounded to beat Northwestern 79-67. \nAlready this season, IU had let opportunities to win an outright Big Ten title slip away. Saturday looked eerily similar. Assembly Hall wasn't loud, IU looked shaky and Davis started worrying.\n"I said 'I don't know who's going to buy all these Big Ten (championship) hats and shirts (if we lose),'" Davis said. "We have the trophy here. What would I say at Senior Night if we lose? Everything was going through my mind."\nA 13-2 first-half run pulled IU even and set in motion IU's first Big Ten title since 1993.\nNo. 25 IU (19-10, 11-5 Big Ten) grabbed a 33-32 halftime lead on a put-back from senior forward Jarrad Odle, then out-scored Northwestern (16-12, 7-9) 29-13 over the first 12 minutes of the second half on its way to victory in front of a sold-out Assembly Hall crowd of 17,456. \nWith the win and Illinois' win at Minnesota Sunday, IU secured the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament and will meet Michigan State at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Indianapolis.\nJunior guard Tom Coverdale led IU with 20 points, and Odle scored 16 while grabbing 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, in his most productive game since being hobbled by a sore ankle, dropped in 15 points and nine rebounds. Davis said Friday afternoon there was a 60 percent chance Jeffries would play Saturday, but Davis decided Friday night to let him play.\nTavaras Hardy led the Wildcats with a game-high 24, 18 coming in the second half.\nThe Hoosiers have to share the school's 20th Big Ten championship with Wisconsin, No. 18 Ohio State and No. 15 Illinois, marking the first time since 1926 the league title has been split four ways. But none of that mattered in the aftermath of Saturday's title-winning game. \nJeffries posed with the trophy on the floor after the game, and the trophy later sat front and center in the IU locker room.\n"(Sharing) doesn't mean anything to me," said senior guard Dane Fife, who scored eight points and tallied five assists. "Hopefully, they're going to get us some rings, and we've got a Big Ten championship trophy."\nFife, playing his final game in Assembly Hall, sparked IU's first-half run with two three pointers, both coming after the Hoosiers missed their first five three-point tries. Coverdale took the reigns in the second half, dumping in 10 consecutive points over a three-minute stretch. \nA pull-up three pointer gave IU a 45-37 lead with 16:27 left. Seven minutes later, Coverdale, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half, sank a three pointer during an 8-0 Hoosier spurt that ballooned the lead to 17, the largest of the day. \nNorthwestern, which still has never won in Assembly Hall, put together a 13-2 run during the closing minutes to pull within six. Hardy hit back-to-back dunks and a three pointer to close the gap to 14. \nAfter Fife stole the ball two possessions later and got his layup attempt blocked, he pushed Hardy and was whistled for a technical foul. The foul allowed Northwestern to score six points on one trip down the floor and cut the lead to nine. \nIt was Fife's second altercation in the last two games. He got called for an intentional foul at Illinois Tuesday after yanking Fighting Illini forward Robert Archibald to the floor. \n"The guy blocked my shot, and I got a little embarrassed," Fife said. "It was stupid on my part, but I'm going to plead insanity."\nA three pointer by Long with 1:18 to go shaved IU's lead to six, but IU hit 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch, and the Wildcats missed their final four shots before Odle capped off the win with a one-handed dunk. \nIU shot 53 percent from the field in the second half and scored 46 points, only the fourth time this season the Hoosiers have equaled that mark in a half. IU scored just 59 points in a Big Ten-opening victory at Northwestern Jan. 2. \nThe Hoosiers also hit 20 of 28 free throws after taking -- and missing -- only two in the first meeting between the schools. Ten free throws in the first half kept IU in the game and helped ease nerves that shook the Hoosiers -- physically and mentally -- early.\nSome of the Hoosiers said they were beginning to wonder if they'd get that title.\n"You don't like to admit it, but there were some scary thoughts going through your head," Odle said. "We had to get our jitters out and realize we were playing a game like always and at the end of it, we were going to be champs."\nThey are, and IU now sits one Big Ten title away from tying Purdue for the most conference crowns in Big Ten annals. Of IU's 20 Big Ten championships, nine have been shared with at least one other team. The 11 Big Ten victories this season are the most any IU team has posted since the league moved to a 16-game schedule in 1998.\n"We probably should have won it outright," Davis said. "But I'm not disappointed, because I'd rather share with someone than not have a piece at all. If the Powerball was at 100 million dollars, and 50 people won, all 50 would be happy."\nSaturday, IU struck it rich.