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(03/01/05 4:24am)
Buffalo wings are a staple of some college students' diets. And usually, college-town restaurants try to meet and market themselves toward students' dietary needs.\nNewly opened Buffalo Wild Wings in Bloomington does just that. But owners Tom and Deb Renfro are marketing their restaurant differently by targeting local Bloomington residents. Student customers are just "icing on the cake," Tom Renfro said.\nWhen he was doing research to open a Buffalo Wild Wings location, he said he did not include the students in his demographic projections for the target market.\n"Obviously, we want to get the younger and older people, but we tried to make it more of a family-oriented type restaurant now than where it used to be more in the old days, targeted toward younger kids," Renfro said.\nRenfro said that does not mean he doesn't want students as customers -- he just planned for local residents.\n"We wanted to really figure out what we could do without (students) rather than what we could do with them," Renfro said. "Because then you really start counting on them. We'll get them anyway -- we wanted to know where we would be at without them."\nBuffalo Wild Wings, 1350 W. Bloomfield Rd., had its first official day of business Sunday. Judging by the restaurant's atmosphere, one might think it was targeting the college student. For instance, the restaurant features 50 televisions -- including eight jumbo projection-screen TVs.\nWhen it comes to food, Buffalo Wild Wings offers 12 different sauces on its wings, ranging from mild to hot. BWW also serves cheeseburgers, wraps and chicken tenders.\n"It's really sports-oriented too, and I think people will like it once they get here," Renfro said.\nThe restaurant also features NTN Trivia, an electronic trivia system customers can play while dining at their tables through a portable game playing box. Each contestant competes with other contestants in the restaurant, as well as with others across the country. The trivia games vary from sports to movie questions.\nOne student who took it all in during the restaurant's invitation-only party Saturday was senior P.J. Malm. Malm said he played trivia while chowing down on some boneless wings. He also took advantage of the restaurant's wide range of alcoholic drink offerings.\n"I came here expecting to get good food and drinks," Malm said. "But I was surprised at how addicting the trivia was."\nMalm said he doesn't think the Renfros' decision to market to Bloomington residents will keep students away.\n"I think it could hurt them in the beginning, but I think the students will come anyway," Malm said. \nBWW is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday.\nThe Renfros, originally from LaPorte, Ind., said this is the only business they own in Bloomington. The pair also own a restaurant, floral store and an antique shop in LaPorte.\nDeb Renfro said she and her husband are ready for the stress of owning a chicken wing restaurant in town. \n"We're really excited, and everybody in Bloomington has been wonderful," Renfro said.\n Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/28/05 6:19am)
One man, one day -- an 18-year-old's dream came true.\nFreshman D.J. White's 17 points -- including a game-tying basket at regulation's end and two buckets in overtime -- helped IU gut out a 78-74 win versus No. 10 Michigan State Sunday.\nHis day wasn't over though. After the win, the Assembly Hall crowd rushed the floor. In the middle of it all, White stood, victorious, leading the cheering crowd of students circled around him.\n"That's been my dream since high school," White said of having fans rush the floor after a victory.\nLiving your dream while helping your team get back into the thick of the NCAA Tournament hunt -- not a bad day's work for the freshman who just turned 18 this August.\nIt didn't look like a memorable day for White at the beginning. Saddled with foul trouble, the freshman only played six minutes in the first half.\nIn the second half though, the Hoosiers came out determined to pound the ball inside to the freshman. White responded with four points early.\nBut with IU possessing the ball, trailing by two with just 42.1 seconds remaining, White's memorable day began.\nAfter an IU timeout, the Hoosiers swung the ball around the perimeter. With junior Bracey Wright covered, freshman Robert Vaden fed White inside. After catching the pass just outside the paint, the freshman gathered himself, turned to the middle and scored on a jump hook to tie the game at 64 with 17 seconds left as the Assembly Hall crowd roared.\n"I was feeling it down the stretch," White said. "It's just that I came off and I was open."\nWhite and Michigan State center Paul Davis battled each other all afternoon. But with 3:24 remaining in overtime, White got the upper hand when Davis fouled out after hand-checking White.\n"When (Davis) went out, I was like 'Just come to me every time,'" White said.\nThe Hoosiers quickly did just that as White scored on back-to-back possessions to put the Hoosiers up three. Junior Marshall Strickland found White on both his baskets -- the second a thunderous dunk putting the Hoosiers up three.\n"I think D.J. kind of struggled in the beginning," Strickland said. "I knew if I could get him some good looks he would get going."\nWhite's day was suddenly looking a lot better.\nBoth of White's baskets came with Michigan State's Alan Anderson -- who stands at just 6-foot-6 -- guarding the 6-foot-9 White. Anderson shifted over to guard White after Davis fouled out.\nMichigan State coach Tom Izzo defended his decision to put the undersized Anderson on White instead of another Spartan big man.\n"We had no one that was really covering him anyway," Izzo said. \nWhite had it all covered Sunday. He helped make one of his dreams come true and helped get his team one game closer to earning its dream -- an NCAA Tournament berth.\nIU coach Mike Davis probably dreamt of clutch performances like this when he recruited White to Bloomington. And Davis' dreams have perhaps started to come true.\n"Tonight, I thought he was fantastic," Davis said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/25/05 6:26am)
Throughout the Big Ten season, the IU men's basketball team has relied on Assembly Hall. While the Hoosiers have struggled on the road, IU's bastion of hope is a home-court advantage that has afforded them a 6-0 home record in the conference. \nThe Hoosiers will rely on Branch McCracken Court again Sunday when No. 10 Michigan State invades Assembly Hall. If IU remains unbeaten in the Big Ten at home by beating the Spartans, the Hoosiers will give something back to the hallowed facility by earning their 400th all-time victory there as well as inching closer to an NCAA Tournament berth.\nNo. 1 Illinois is the only other Big Ten team undefeated in conference play at home. Fortunately for IU, the team doesn't play Illinois at home this season.\n"Our goal this year is not to lose a conference home game," IU coach Mike Davis said. "Last year, we lost so many home games. If we can take care of home, everything will take care of itself. If we lose a home game, our backs are against the wall again."\nTo keep the Hoosiers' goal in sight in hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, IU will contend with a Michigan State team (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) loaded with talent and balanced scoring. Heading into Thursday's game versus Wisconsin, the Spartans boast five players averaging double-digits -- senior Kelvin Torbert just missing the mark with 9.7 points per game.\nJunior Maurice Ager leads the Spartans with an average of 13.7 points per game as of Thursday. Senior forward Alan Anderson and guard Chris Hill along with junior center Paul Davis and sophomore guard Shannon Brown all get into the double-figure scoring act.\nThe six contribute to an offense averaging 78.6 points per game as of Thursday -- the most ever during Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's head coaching tenure in East Lansing.\nDavis knows the Spartans -- who boast three seniors in Anderson, Hill and Torbert among their top six players -- will bring experience and intensity Sunday. Fortunately for IU, Davis said his team's intensity is higher than ever after Tuesday's win versus Purdue.\n"From an intensity standpoint, our intensity and effort are better than ever over the past four or five games," Davis said. "If you can play like that, no matter where you play or who you play, you give yourself a chance to win."\nMichigan State's Hill is an Indianapolis native who will make his last trip to Assembly Hall Sunday. Hill is currently 4-2 against his home state Hoosiers with the last IU win coming on March 8, 2002 in the Big Ten tournament -- coincidentally in Indianapolis.\nHill prepped at Lawrence North High School. Current IU freshman A.J. Ratliff was a freshman at North Central High School in Indianapolis at the time of Hill's senior year.\n"It's going to be kind of weird at first," Ratliff said. "You're just going to take it like he's another player. He's going to come at me and I'm going to come at him.\n"We're going to talk a lot of smack."\nThe Hoosiers had perhaps their best game of the season in the win against Purdue Tuesday. The 79 points scored is the most IU has put up all season. The Hoosiers will most likely stick with sophomore Roderick Wilmont starting and Ratliff coming off the bench -- a change that's resulted in two back-to-back wins. In both games, Ratliff has scored in double-figures as a reserve.\nIU will also look to junior Bracey Wright for consecutive big games. Wright poured in 27 points against Purdue in his second game back after spraining his ankle. Wright has a history of high-scoring against the Spartans. In the Hoosiers' last game against MSU, an 84-72 loss last season, Wright had 29.\nWith three regular-season games left, IU knows time is running low. No matter where the points come from, though, the Hoosiers want to achieve their goal.\n"Sunday, we need to protect our house," Ratliff said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/23/05 6:56am)
With Purdue coach Gene Keady's last game in Assembly Hall overshadowing the contest, the Hoosiers buckled down, focused and broke open a close game at halftime with a 20-0 run to start the second half for the victory.\nLeading by just four at the break, IU's turnover forcing, pesky defense sparked the Hoosiers' offense. \nDuring the 20-0 run, IU hit four straight three-pointers -- three coming from junior guard Bracey Wright. The defense aided IU's efforts by forcing six turnovers during the run -- 18 for the game.\n"We always talk about having good starts in the second half," Wright said. "Sometimes we start off flat, sometimes we don't. This is one of the nights we came out and had a really good start to the second half -- more than we've ever had before."\nThe 79-62 win moves IU to 13-11, but more importantly 8-5 in the Big Ten with three conference games remaining as the Hoosiers look to sneak into the back door of the NCAA Tournament.\nIn Wright's second game back from injury, the junior continued his hot Assembly Hall shooting with 27 points. Sunday at Michigan, Wright scored just seven in his first game back, but eclipsed that total with 11 during the run Tuesday. \n"I felt good," Wright said. "It was all clicking for me tonight."\nThe Hoosiers' run was a team effort as five players scored. It started with Robert Vaden, who usually plays power forward, playing point guard, which brought the Boilermakers' 6-foot-7 forward Carl Landry away from the basket and relieved the pressure on junior Marshall Strickland. \nIU coach Mike Davis credited assistant coach Kerry Rupp for the decision.\n"That was probably the best adjustment all night that we made," Davis said. "It took pressure off of us. It started the offense. That's why he didn't put up a lot of points tonight because he brought the ball up and started the offense."\nVaden scored three points during the run but just nine for the game while handling the point duties.\nHoosier guards Roderick Wilmont and A.J. Ratliff got into the run's act as well with Wilmont's three giving the Hoosiers' a 12-point lead and Ratliff's hot shooting capping the run.\nWhen the Hoosiers looked up at the scoreboard eight minutes into the second half, they saw themselves leading 56-32. The crowd was roaring and everything was happy-go-lucky in Hoosier land. It was mop-up time from that point on as the closest the Boilermakers came was 15 points.\nIU trailed for the first 12 minutes of the first half before a Ratliff three earned the Hoosiers their first advantage, 21-19. IU never lost the lead for the rest of the game despite the Boilermakers' shooting 55 percent in the first half. \nA record fell in the first half as D.J. White eclipsed the Big Ten freshman mark for blocked shots in a season. White's first block of the game, his 51st, broke the record. In just the first half he had four blocks. White had 14 points for the game. \nHe said the announcement of his record-breaking first block -- which came with 18:32 in the first half -- caught him by surprise. \n"I'm listening to coach and I was like, 'What, for real?'" White said. "I kind of stopped them from coming so deep into the hole. That's what I want to create. I want teams to fear coming inside knowing that I'm there with my shot blocking presence."\nThe win sets the stage for a critical game Sunday when Michigan State comes calling to Bloomington. \n"We have an unbelievable, tough game on Sunday," Davis said. "They just play at a different level than everyone else. I'm happy now that our level of intensity has gone up."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/22/05 6:14am)
IU freshmen basketball players Robert Vaden and D.J. White plan to withdraw from today's IU Student Association elections. \nBut according to IUSA's Election Code, the deadline for removing a name from the ballot is seven days prior to the election, making this year's deadline Feb. 15. Elections begin today and end Wednesday, and Vaden and White's names both will be on the ballot as a result of failure to withdraw in time, IUSA Elections Compliance Director Chris Maher said. \nIf elected, Vaden and White most likely would decline the two congressional seats their running for in the University Division under the Kirkwood ticket. With their names remaining on the ballot, though, votes may be taken away from candidates who still plan on serving.\nAfter the pair met with IU coach Mike Davis, they decided the additional time commitment wasn't in the players' best interests.\nThe trio was likely unaware of the seven-day restriction the code listed, said IU Associate Media Relations Director Aaron Jordan.\n"We talked with coach Davis and realized it would be a little too hard to keep up with my studies, basketball and the IUSA," Vaden said. "We just talked after practice one day, and we decided it wouldn't be a good thing to add another activity on my plate right now."\nCongressional time commitments include meeting two times per month as well as attending various committee meetings.\nIf Vaden and White decline the positions, the elected IUSA administration would accept applications for the open positions. If the applicant's credentials matched the open spots' required qualifications, the administration would submit those applications to the congressional membership committee. The committee then would submit candidates, who would have to be approved by the IUSA Congress in a vote.\nSix candidates are elected within each division of the Congress. If Vaden and White are two of the six elected and decline their positions, the other University Division candidates who weren't elected would have had their chances significantly reduced because of the pair's lame-duck campaign, Vote for Pedro Presidential Candidate Alexander Shortle said.\n"I feel bad for (Vote for Pedro congressional candidates) that they might be beat by two guys because of their names that aren't going to do it," Shortle said. "We'll find a spot for (those candidates) in Congress if we win."\nShortle said Kirkwood's seeking White and Vaden to run reduces the legitimacy of IUSA.\nIf Vaden and White had withdrawn before the deadline, their names wouldn't have appeared on the ballot, which would have reduced the competition for the other candidates.\nDavis said if the pair were elected, it would be a great learning experience -- but it would be a little too much with basketball and school.\n"With those two being not only freshmen in college but student-athletes as well means they already have a great deal of responsibility, and adding something like the IUSA could be a little overwhelming," Davis said.\nVaden and White decided to run after IU freshman Maggie Daniels, Gov. Mitch Daniels' daughter, persuaded the pair. Daniels is also running for IUSA Congress in the University Division under Kirkwood. \nThe Kirkwood tickets said they were notified of Vaden and White's wishes and applaud their efforts to get involved in student government.\n"We understand their time commitment needs, and we support them," Kirkwood Presidential Candidate Brian Strawbridge said. "If elected to their seats, Kirkwood will work to make sure that we find qualified students that can meet their requirements."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/22/05 5:24am)
After losing its leading scorer for three games, junior Bracey Wright returned to action Sunday, starting against Michigan and scoring seven points.\nAlthough Wright's production was far below his average prior to his Feb. 2 injury, IU coach Mike Davis said Monday it was great having him back.\n"He played about like I expected him to play," Davis said. "Just having Bracey back on the court was really good for our team."\nDavis said he didn't think Wright experienced too much pain from playing on his sprained left ankle, which was heavily taped to go along with his usual ankle brace.\n"He didn't really show any grimace. I think it was just fatigue," Davis said.\nWhile Wright has been hampered by an ankle sprain, the young Hoosiers have grown, Davis said, and the fifth-year coach hopes the growth continues tonight against Purdue.\n"I think with having him out, our other guys have stepped up," Davis said. \nTwo players who have elevated their games recently are freshman Robert Vaden and junior Marshall Strickland. Vaden scored a career-high 18 points Sunday, whereas Strickland scored 14. Vaden is averaging 14.5 points per game in the four contests since Wright was hurt -- up from 9.9 before the injury.\nVaden has had to get over playing increased minutes. He played 39 minutes against Michigan and 38 minutes versus Ohio State Feb. 15. Davis said after the Ohio State game that he should have rested Vaden more.\n"I'm used to it," Vaden said. "The first time that I played 40 minutes, I was very tired. I just started passing the ball and not being aggressive. (Against Michigan), I went to the hole and got to the free-throw line. I just try to be smart when playing a lot of minutes."\nAlthough Strickland's 14 points against Michigan was an increase in his scoring column, the junior's main improvement of late revolves around his point guard duties. In the last 70 minutes Strickland has played, he has had nine assists and two turnovers, compared with three assists and nine turnovers in the 75 previous minutes. \n"Marshall has struggled scoring the ball this year a little," Davis said. "Right now he's finding his way to being the player we want him to be."
(02/21/05 5:50am)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Desperate times call for desperate measures.\nTo save its dwindling NCAA Tournament hopes, IU turned to the three-point shot as its savior and a walk-on, Errek Suhr, to get them there.\nThe Hoosiers hit 14 of 23 from three-point range -- more than 60 percent for the game -- as the sophomore Suhr came off the bench to hit three of four three's to contribute to IU's 70-63 victory.\nSuhr's first three-pointer four minutes into the game sparked a string of seven straight three-point baskets for the Hoosiers. Suhr entered the game after junior Marshall Strickland cut his eye. \n"I think we were really sharing the basketball tonight," Suhr said. "That's what contagious is sharing the ball. If we're doing that, we're hitting shots."\nThe unusual suspect Suhr sparked the Hoosiers' usual three-point culprits. Freshman Robert Vaden led the way -- hitting four of five -- and Strickland hit four of six. The only long-range bomber missing from the act was junior Bracey Wright -- who only hit one of four from long-distance after returning from his left ankle sprain.\nJoining Suhr in the act was freshman A.J. Ratliff. Ratliff, who usually starts, came off the bench and hit two of three three-pointers as well.\nSuhr led the way though and got the Hoosiers' started. Suhr's unsuspected emergence can be explained in the numbers. Suhr hadn't played in a game since playing four minutes against Northwestern Jan. 5. The only game he'd scored in this season was Dec. 28 against Ball State when he chipped in eight points. Suhr hadn't scored in any Big Ten game until Sunday.\nMichigan coach Tommy Amaker illustrated Suhr's unexpected production by saying other Hoosiers "certainly" were ahead of the Bloomington native on the scouting report.\n"I think that kid played tremendous basketball," Amaker said. "He made some shots and showed some toughness guarding Dion (Harris) and doing some really good things for their team."\nWhen Suhr wasn't knocking down three's or helping lead the Hoosier offense, he was guarding Michigan's leading scorer Dion Harris.\nDespite Harris being a half-foot taller than him, Suhr used his quickness to check Harris close. Harris only had three turnovers, but Suhr caused one of them in the first half after annoying Harris into a traveling violation when he tried to penetrate the lane.\nIU coach Mike Davis said the Hoosiers usually don't pester a player as close as Suhr bothered Harris.\n"He's a guy who's willing to do that so it becomes natural to him," Davis said. "A coach sometimes can make a mistake by not playing a guy more than what you play him. Errek certainly proved me wrong today."\nAfter proving two coaches wrong, guarding the opponents' leading scorer and keying a Hoosier win that breathes life into their NCAA Tournament hopes, Suhr remained humble.\n"It's not like I was doing anything special."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/16/05 5:54am)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When the IU basketball team leaves the state of Indiana, they can't win a game.\nComing into Tuesday's game at Ohio State, the Hoosiers hadn't won outside of the state in more than a year. That stretch continued as IU dropped a 57-44 contest in Columbus' Value City Arena as the Buckeyes capitalized on an 18-4 second half run for the victory. The defeat was IU's 10th consecutive outside of Indiana -- the last win at Penn State on Feb. 11, 2004. \nThe loss drops IU to 11-11 overall, 6-5 in the Big Ten, and adds even more pressure for Sunday's game at Michigan as the Hoosiers' NCAA Tournament hopes waver.\nIU coach Mike Davis said he was proud of the Hoosiers' defensive effort -- holding the Buckeyes to 38 percent from the field. \n"That's what you want to do on the road in an opposing gym," Davis said. "It gives yourself a chance to win. (But) we only shot three free throws the whole game. We've got to start drawing more fouls."\nWith the win, Ohio State improved to 18-8 overall, 7-5 Big Ten. The Buckeyes only committed eight personal fouls compared to the Hoosiers' 15. Neither team scored a fast-break point.\nAfter IU recovered from a five-point second half deficit to gain a three-point lead, 36-33, with 10 minutes left, Ohio State went on an 18-4 run for the going-away victory. \nDuring the run, Ohio State's J.J. Sullinger scored 10 points and Terence Dials had seven. The Buckeye run countered an IU 14-4 stretch that started the second half and earned the Hoosiers a three-point lead. \nDavis said fatigue played a factor in the final eight minutes of the game when the Buckeyes mounted their run. Freshman Robert Vaden, freshman D.J. White and junior Marshall Strickland each played more than 35 minutes.\n"I've got to make a better substitution pattern down the stretch of the game to get guys rest," Davis said. "I played Vaden 20 minutes in the first half, which was probably a mistake. He was just so exhausted."\nVaden scored 10 first-half points but only had four second-half points, and those came on one possession as the freshman hit a three-pointer, got fouled and sunk the free throw for IU's last basket of the game. Vaden said fatigue bothered him a little bit in the second half but more importantly, he said, the team lost its intensity.\n"We didn't fight the last 10 minutes of the game," Vaden said. "I thought it was a winnable game. I felt like we just gave it away the last 10 minutes of the game."\nTrailing 27-22 at half, IU looked inside to White to get the Hoosiers back on top. White did just that as he scored nine points in the first nine minutes of the second half to put IU ahead, 36-33. During that stretch, White also drew Dials third foul.\nThe Buckeyes took the Hoosiers counter punch and hit back. After sitting four minutes, Dials came back in with 10 minutes left and helped the Buckeyes engineer the 18-4 run. \nSullinger scored 14 second half points including 10 during the Buckeyes' decisive run. Sullinger scored 17 for the game -- sharing game-high totals with White's 17.\n"(Sullinger) was making some crazy stuff," Vaden said. "I guess he was just feeling it tonight. Everything he shot went for him."\nThe Buckeyes held the advantage for most of the first half on the strength of their three-point shooting as Ohio State hit five three-pointers for a 27-22 halftime lead.\nJunior Bracey Wright dressed for the game but did not play with a sprained ankle. Davis said he doubts if Wright will play Sunday.\nThat news adds more pressure for the young Hoosiers, who started four freshmen for the third straight game. With an 11-11 record and five regular season games remaining, the Hoosiers know the heat is on for Sunday's game at Michigan if the Hoosiers' want to get into the tournament.\n"We gave this game away," White said. "There's nothing we can do about it now. We've just got to get ready for Michigan. It's a must win game."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/15/05 6:17am)
Two influential IU freshmen are hoping to expand their game from the hardwood to student government.\nFreshmen basketball players Robert Vaden and D.J. White are running for IU Student Association Congress in the University Division for the Kirkwood ticket.\nAdding more intrigue is Maggie Daniels, Gov. Mitch Daniels' daughter and IU freshman, who also is running for University Division representative for Kirkwood. There are six University Division representatives; Vaden, White and Daniels are three of Kirkwood's six candidates.\nVaden said Daniels convinced him to run for IUSA. Daniels and Vaden knew each other when they both attended Indianapolis' Cathedral High School. Vaden later transferred to Pike High School in Indianapolis before attending Bridgton Academy in Maine.\n"My friend, Maggie Daniels, said it would be a good thing to do," Vaden said. "So I decided to do it."\nAs of last week, Vaden said he hadn't asked IU coach Mike Davis yet for approval of his and White's campaigns. \nWhite also came into the IUSA picture because of Daniels. Vaden and White are roommates, and Daniels said she went to their dorm room to speak to Vaden about running. Daniels said White, overhearing the conversation, started asking questions and eventually joined the ticket.\nDaniels said she would have asked White directly if she had known him personally like she did Vaden.\nIf elected, basketball would take priority if a time conflict occurred for Vaden or White, Daniels said.\n"I made it pretty clear that basketball would and always will be their first priority," Daniels said. "We would never ask them to do something to interrupt their basketball activities. That comes first."\nCongressional members' time commitments include congress meetings two times a month, Kirkwood presidential candidate Bryan Strawbridge said. After awhile members are appointed to various committees. Once on the committee, the members are expected to investigate how they can represent their constituents in the best way. Members also vote on resolutions in the meetings. \nThe Connect ticket said they would not question the motives of students wanting to participate in student government. But they did express reservations about students with other time commitments being able to commit fully to their congressional duties.\nConnect cited a current IUSA administration policy stating that if any member of congress misses three congressional meetings, he or she would be subject to a vote for removal. If elected, Connect said they would continue that policy.\nWhite and Vaden's campaign is not contingent on the Kirkwood ticket's success. If White and Vaden win and the Kirkwood ticket loses, White and Vaden still would hold the seats.\nIUSA controls a $170,000 budget. Elections are Feb. 22 and 23.\nDaniels said part of her rationale for asking Vaden and eventually White to join the campaign was adding diversity, including student athletes, to the Kirkwood ticket.\nStrawbridge said he's thrilled Vaden and White are running on the Kirkwood ticket.\n"I'm just so excited that these guys are going to represent us and shed some light on what IUSA does and what Kirkwood is trying to accomplish," Strawbridge said.\nVaden said after basketball practice last week that he's not preparing any acceptance speech yet.\n"I guess if I get elected, I'll have to give one," Vaden said smiling.\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/15/05 5:45am)
As the IU basketball team tries to scratch its way into the NCAA Tournament, its coach is taking an adamant stand to add one more win to his team's column.\nIU coach Mike Davis said Saturday the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee should consider IU's official loss to No. 23 Charlotte Dec. 22 as a Hoosier win. With 0.7 seconds left, Charlotte's Brendan Plavich hit a half-court shot to beat the Hoosiers 74-73. The officials ruled it good on the floor, but upon further review, many speculated the shot shouldn't have counted because of errors in clock keeping.\n"If they go back and look at the film and a guy catches, turns, dribbles and shoots with 0.7 (seconds), to me that's a win," Davis said. "I hope (the selection committee) counts it. Look at our schedule we played. We have a tough schedule. If we can just be three or four games above .500, we'll be in good shape."\nDavis pointed to a similar situation IU had at Purdue Jan. 15. With 0.9 seconds left, the Boilermakers' Carl Landry caught a full-court pass, scored and was fouled as time expired. The Big Ten later ruled his made basket should not have counted, and Landry should have been awarded only free-throws.\n"The guy at Purdue caught it and turned with 0.9 and couldn't get his off, and he was a lot closer than the (Charlotte) guy," Davis said.
(02/14/05 5:28am)
Bracey Wright and D.J. White account for nearly 32 points per game on average.\nSaturday, the pair totaled nine.\nIU's bench overcame the lack of production from Wright and White by outscoring Minnesota's bench 27-5 en route to a 71-56 win.\nSophomore forward Pat Ewing Jr. led the reserves with a career-high 15 points and six rebounds. White expanded Ewing's playing time by going in and out of the game with foul trouble. Wright sat for the second straight game with an ankle sprain.\n"I thought Patrick and all of those guys coming off the bench did a great job," IU coach Mike Davis said. "Ewing's always going to play with energy. Today, with him scoring a career high, that's great for Patrick."\nEverything was going right Saturday for Ewing. With 6:45 left and IU ahead by 12, the sophomore had the ball at the top of the key. The Gophers' Jeff Hagan sagged off Ewing, conceding the shot. \nInitially, Ewing didn't look to shoot. But the partisan Assembly Hall crowd encouraged the sophomore to shoot and drill the three to put IU ahead by 15.\n"They let me know I was open," Ewing said. "I just let it fly."\nJunior Marshall Strickland said he was smiling and laughing as Ewing shot the three.\n"I knew it was in because it's a shot that he can make," Strickland said. "I was just happy for him."\nDavis, however, didn't want his reserve big man turning into a three-point specialist. After Ewing hit the shot, he faced a similar situation a few possessions later where he was open but passed up the three.\n"The crowd just kept egging him on. I was like, 'just leave Patrick alone,'" Davis said.\nEwing wasn't the only role-player producing baskets for the Hoosiers. Sophomore Roderick Wilmont chipped in seven points. Senior Mark Johnson hit his first three-pointer of the season after previously shooting 0 for 4, and junior Sean Kline scored two points while playing 14 minutes.\nWilmont got the Assembly Hall crowd roaring in the second half. With IU leading by 12 with more than eight minutes left, Hagan missed a layup and the loose ball was batted toward half court. Wilmont picked it up on the run for the break away and scored to put the Hoosiers up 14 -- their largest lead at that point.\nKline said the bench just played hard. \n"For us to win, we've got to come out and play 40 minutes, balls to the wall," Kline said. \nAgainst Illinois in the Hoosiers' first game without Wright, the reserves scored only five points. To win against Minnesota, Ewing said more Hoosiers had to step up. \n"Well, everybody knows Bracey is a big part of our team," Ewing said. "Today, I think everyone stepped up and contributed."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/11/05 6:27am)
For IU coach Mike Davis, three would not be enough.\nSaddled with a 10-10 record with seven conference games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament, Davis said Thursday that the Big Ten is not receiving enough credit around the nation for its quality basketball teams, and he's ready to put a stop to it.\n"For some reason people are talking like this conference is down. It's not," Davis said. "You look at Ohio State -- they're playing well. Iowa was ranked and had a good record even though they lost their best player," referring to guard Pierre Pierce who was removed for criminal charges.\nDavis pointed to the Hoosiers' next opponent, Minnesota, as another Big Ten team worthy of tournament consideration. Despite being predicted as a Big Ten bottom feeder in the preseason, the Gophers have stepped up and currently stand at 16-7, 6-4 in the Big Ten. The Gophers lost at home Wednesday against Northwestern coming into Saturday's match-up in Assembly Hall.\n"We've got to step up and talk for our conference because no one else is saying the right things about the Big Ten," Davis said. "When you hear three teams, what other conference would you say should have more teams than us? Probably the ACC, but they've got some really good teams that are under .500 in their conference play."\nWhile many analysts predict that the Big Ten will receive NCAA tournament three bids with Illinois, Michigan St. and Wisconsin, Davis said the conference deserves six and maybe even seven bids to the tourney.\nIf his team performs well in the upcoming conference games and the Big Ten tournament, Davis said one of those six teams should be the Hoosiers. Davis used Alabama -- where he played -- as an example.\n"Our strength of schedule should get us in if we get it to 15 or 16 wins," Davis said. "Last year, they let Alabama in with only 17 wins. They were 17-13. I'm not saying anything negative about Alabama because they won 17 games and had a tough schedule. Our schedule is No. 2 in strength of schedule right now; we should be able to get in with 16 wins."\nAccording to http://cbs.sportsline.com, IU is currently No. 56 in the ratings percentage index, or RPI, which the NCAA selection committee uses partly as a basis for choosing at-large teams for the tournament. The same Web site lists IU's strength of schedule as No. 4 in the nation.\nFour Big Ten teams rank ahead of the Hoosiers in CBS' version of the RPI with Minnesota ranking No. 32.\nWhile Davis is promoting the conference, freshman forward Robert Vaden said they don't plan on being hospitable for other teams in the Big Ten's well-being. The Hoosiers know that with seven conference games remaining, it's crunch time.\n"We don't need any extra motivation because we're trying to get into the tournament ourselves," Vaden said. "Whoever we're playing we're trying to win."\nIn a 70-65 loss three weeks ago against Minnesota, IU couldn't hit from three-point range as the Hoosiers shot just 2 of 19 and Bracey Wright went 0 of 10 from long distance. IU only scored one field goal in the first 11 minutes as the Gophers went on a 16-2 run to win the game.\nWith Wright still hobbled by a left ankle sprain and probably not playing, the Hoosiers for the second straight game will have to look for a new source on offense. If James Hardy starts in place of Wright, IU will start four freshmen for the second straight game.\nOne freshman Davis said he has been impressed with and wants to continue stepping up is Vaden.\n"Coach told me to be a little more aggressive on offense and to look to score more because Bracey's out and he was averaging 18 points a game," Vaden said. "I just try to not necessarily score but create more opportunities."\nVaden will be one Hoosier hoping to limit Minnesota guard Vincent Grier's opportunities. Grier is the Gophers' leading scorer and has poured in 32 points in back-to-back games in the win versus Wisconsin and the loss against Northwestern.\nTo be one of the teams representing the Big Ten in the NCAA tournament, the Hoosiers have a sense of urgency to get the job done.\n"We're at home so we're going to come out and play hard because we know we've got to win just about all of them," Vaden said, "and it's going to have to start versus Minnesota."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/07/05 6:21am)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Coming into Saturday's game, many IU fans wondered how the Hoosiers would play without their leading scorer, Bracey Wright.\nEleven minutes and a 17-point deficit later, the faithful received their answer as IU fell behind 20-3 and went on to lose 60-47 against No. 1 Illinois. \nIU coach Mike Davis said if Wright would've played, he wouldn't have made that much of a difference.\n"This (Illinois) team is a great basketball team," Davis said.\nIn Wright's place, Davis started James Hardy, IU's fourth starting freshman. It was the first time IU started four freshmen since 1990.\nMinus Wright, the Hoosiers scored their second-lowest point total of the season and often lacked a go-to-guy on the offensive end. Their lowest offensive output came when IU only scored 45 points against Notre Dame Dec. 8.\nThe Hoosiers mainly showed their inexperience without Wright at the beginning of each half. In the first 20 minutes, IU fell behind 20-3 before battling back for a 26-20 halftime score.\nIn the second half, the Hoosiers fell behind by 17 three times and 18 once, which was the largest deficit. Just like the first half though, IU countered without Wright's offensive prowess and cut the lead to 10 with seven minutes left. The Hoosiers never could, however, cut the lead to single digits in the second half after the Illini's 17-6 run to start.\n"Bracey opens up a lot of things," junior Marshall Strickland said. "Today, we didn't have as many opportunities without him on the floor. Guys really key on him, and he opens up a lot of shots for everybody else."\nDespite Wright's absence, Davis gave his team a lot of credit for battling back after the early deficits in both halves.\nTo make up for Wright, Davis wanted to go inside to freshman D.J. White, IU's second leading scorer, to help take up some of the offensive production. White was on a roll recently as the freshman scored 23 points in back-to-back games.\nWhite has been receiving more defensive attention recently, scoring only six points against Penn State Wednesday. White struggled again Saturday against the Illinois' defense, which held the freshman to 12 points on only 3 of 10 shooting.\nBoth Davis and White credited the Illini's James Augustine and Roger Powell for their defensive performances inside against White and the rest of the Hoosiers.\n"They threw a lot of stuff at me defensively," White said. "They had a good defensive plan."\nDavis' main offensive plan was held in check by Illinois coach Bruce Weber's club.\nWatching the Hoosiers' ups and downs was Wright, in street clothes, sitting at the end of the Hoosier bench, right next to the Illinois' student section. Wright was into the game throughout, often seen standing and cheering for his Hoosiers while the Illini students heckled him.\nIllinois' Deron Williams played high school basketball in Texas with Wright. Williams said even if Wright played, he wouldn't have been able to make up the double-digit deficit.\n"I think if he would've been playing we would've had to raise our game too," Williams said. \nWilliams, the Pre-Season Big Ten Player of the Year, only finished with one point but did a total of 11 assists.\nAfter the game, Wright talked with his former high school teammate after Williams came out of the Illini locker room. \nDown Assembly Hall's tunnel, White addressed the media. The difference between the two was only a few yards, but the Hoosiers' youngest statesman, White, said the team missed Wright not being next to them on the floor.\n"In some areas we did well without him and some areas we didn't," White said. "We did miss him a lot though."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu
(02/03/05 5:25am)
With their leading scorer Bracey Wright out with an injury and their second leading point-man D.J. White battling double-teams, IU still found a way to win. The Hoosiers' resourcefulness led to a 68-63 win against Penn State Wednesday at Assembly Hall. \nWright had 17 points before spraining his left ankle and White only had six. Several Hoosiers stepped up, with three topping their season averages to replace the two leading scorers' production. Freshman A.J. Ratliff scored 13 points, junior Marshall Strickland added 12 and freshman Robert Vaden chipped in 11.\nIU coach Mike Davis said he expects Wright to play Sunday at No. 1 Illinois when he addressed the media. \n"I thought our guys did a great job of hanging in there when Bracey went down in the second half," Davis said. \nWhite came into Wednesday's game having scored 23 points in back-to-back games. Penn State matched-up Aaron Johnson on White, and Johnson, with the help of double-teams, held White to six points and only two of three from the field.\nDavis said opponent's double-teams will be a frequent sight for the freshman.\n"We have to play inside-out," Davis said. "It's going to be tough on D.J. for the remainder of the season to get teams to play him one-on-one. It's new for us to have an inside guy to go to. We want to make sure we go inside and give him a look every time."\nWhite said he knew coming into the game that he was going to get double-teamed and tried to involve his teammates as a result. The six shots White took is a drastic decrease from the past two games when he took 33 shots -- 16 against Minnesota and 17 against Iowa.\nThe freshman said when he sees double teams, it's no time to be selfish.\n"When you've got two people on you, that means one of your teammates is open," White said. "If my teammates keep hitting shots, why be selfish? It's not about individual things. It's about the team. The team had my back tonight."\nPartly as a result of Penn State's double teams, IU used improved ball movement and had 17 assists -- the most the Hoosiers have had all year -- with only nine turnovers.\nAlthough several Hoosiers stepped up for Wright and White, seldom-used senior walk-on Ryan Tapak might have made the biggest play. With 2:15 to go and IU only up four points, Vaden found Tapak in the corner, and the senior hit his first three-pointer of the season to put the Hoosiers ahead by seven. \nPreviously, Tapak was 0-for-9 from three-point range for the season and hadn't played since the Northwestern loss Jan. 5.\nPenn State coach Ed DeChellis specifically pointed out Tapak's three as a big play. DeChellis said he was surprised Tapak hit the shot and was even playing because "he wasn't on the scouting report."\n"I didn't really have a reason to be on the scouting report," Tapak said. "It's been a while since I've played. It's nice after nine misses to finally hit one."\nPenn State's Mike Walker came back down and answered Tapak's three and eventually cut IU's lead to three. But the Nittany Lion's Geary Claxton missed a pull-up jumper with 27 seconds left and Vaden rebounded to secure the victory.\nVaden said the only thing going through his mind when Wright went down was that the team needed to step up.\n"Any time you're best player goes down and your best scorer goes down, somebody needs to step up on defense and offense to keep the team going," Vaden said. "We did that tonight."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(02/02/05 6:11am)
A freshman's life is tough. Crowded dorm rooms, college classes and eating the same food time and time again, a freshman faces many challenges in and out of the classroom.\nIt's no different for the IU freshman-four of D.J. White, Robert Vaden, A.J. Ratliff and James Hardy. They're just regular freshmen. They go to class. They eat the dorm food. But unlike most freshmen, they face pressures on and off the basketball court as well as in and out of the classroom.\nThey play an integral role on the IU men's basketball team. To put it in perspective, IU is one of only six teams in the country to regularly start three freshmen with White, Vaden and Ratliff. Coming off the bench, Hardy is one of the Hoosiers' key contributors despite playing football this fall, which slowed his offensive development.\nBut just like all freshmen, the freshman-four learn as they go along.\n"We're getting a lot of experience," Ratliff said. "We're learning from our mistakes early. We're going to have a real bright future at IU."
(01/27/05 5:43am)
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota used a 16-2 run to start the second half on its way to a 70-65 win Wednesday in "The Barn" in Minneapolis.\nIU coach Mike Davis said his team panicked a little bit to cause Minnesota's run as two points, on junior Bracey Wright's basket, were the Hoosiers' only points until 9:35 to go in the game.\n"Defensively, (Minnesota) really guarded the three-point line," Davis said. "Their defense is really good this year."\nSix Golden Gophers contributed to the run including five points each from Jeff Hagan and Dan Coleman that pushed Minnesota ahead from a one-point lead at half to a 15-point advantage at 47-32.\nFrom there, IU battled back. The Hoosiers used a trapping defense to try and get back in the game as they cut the lead to eight with five minutes to go. Eight straight points from freshman forward Robert Vaden aided the Hoosiers in that stretch. Vaden attempted to get the Hoosiers back in the game including two back-to-back threes and a basket from freshman center D.J. White with a foul. But all of the Hoosiers efforts just cut the Gopher lead to seven.\n"We fought," White said. "We've been in this situation before and we just fought as hard as we could to get back in the game."\nThe Gophers leading scorer, Vincent Grier, countered IU's mini-run. Grier scored from 15-feet and was fouled on the jumper by junior guard Marshall Strickland. Grier made the free throw and put the Gophers back up by 10. IU used a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to five, but Vaden missed an open three pointer and Wright fouled after a White miss as it appeared the Gophers would win going away.\nBut the Hoosiers battled back. White kept pounding away in the paint and scored seven straight to cut the Gopher lead to six. A steal off IU's full court press by freshman A.J. Ratliff cut the lead to four after his two free throws. \n"I thought our young guys fought hard and never gave up," Davis said. "That was really key for us -- going on the road and having a chance to win. I thought we had that chance with about three minutes to go in the game." \nIU cut the lead to four three times in the final 58 seconds and cut it to three with 14 seconds left. But Wright missed two three pointers in the final minutes and the Gophers' J'son Stamper tracked down both rebounds to ice the win.\n"We probably should've taken it to the basket a few more times," Davis said. "We took a few quick three point shots."\nWright scored 19 points, but only shot 6 of 21, including 0 for 10 from the three point line. White led IU with 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Vaden chipped in 13. \nIU dropped to 9-8, 4-2 in the Big Ten while the Gophers improved to 14-5, 4-2 in the conference.\nThe first half featured a back-and-forth tone with five ties and 10 lead changes before Minnesota gained a slight advantage, leading 31-30 at the break. Wright was held scoreless for the first 15 minutes of the first half before he scored eight points in the final five minutes. \n"We just didn't start the second half out strong," Vaden said. "We tried to fight our way back -- we just came up a little bit short."\n-Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(01/26/05 5:09am)
Entering Big Ten play, IU had a losing record at 5-6. Five games later, the Hoosiers stand at 4-1 in the Big Ten -- good for a tie for second in the conference to go along with resurrected NCAA tournament hopes.\nHow did the turnaround happen? \nThe difference can be explained in the numbers. In Big Ten play, IU is third in scoring defense and first in blocked shots, as opponents are only shooting 39 percent against the Hoosiers. On the offensive end in the 4-1 stretch, IU ranks fourth in field goal percentage. But the combination of their nonconference and conference play ranks them last.\n"We don't want to take all of those wild shots we were taking at the beginning of the year," IU coach Mike Davis said. "Hopefully, we've gotten away from that."\nDavis addressed the Hoosiers' improved aggressiveness and shot selection. IU leads the league in free throw attempts and is last in the Big Ten in three-point attempts.\nDavis noted junior guard Bracey Wright for being more aggressive in getting to the foul line. Wright has averaged nine attempts from the line in conference play -- a significant improvement in IU's four consecutive wins considering the Northwestern loss, when he only attempted four.\nThe Hoosiers hope the numbers game adds up to a victory tonight against Minnesota (13-5, 3-2 Big Ten). The Gophers are coming off a 14-point home loss to Michigan State, but they won their two previous Big Ten home games against Penn State and Purdue.\nAs always when traveling to Minneapolis, the Hoosiers will have to contend with the unusual elements of Williams Arena, also known as "The Barn."\nJunior guard Marshall Strickland said "The Barn" takes some adjusting given its raised floor and lowered benches.\n"Our freshmen will really have to adjust to it," Strickland said. "I remember the first time I went there, I had seen it on TV, but I didn't realize how different it was to play there. It's like you're up on a stage, and you're nervous going along the baseline."\nStrickland has grown accustomed to the stage in his second year as the starting point guard. But tonight, Strickland's stage presence will have to contend with a Golden Gopher defense forcing a Big Ten-leading 10 steals per game in conference play.\nTo make matters tougher for the Hoosiers, IU ranks last in the Big Ten in assists.\n"I think the reason we're not getting a lot of assists is because we're not screening very well," Strickland said. "We're having to do things off the dribble. We have really good players so we're able to get away with that."\nStrickland said the Hoosiers know they have to win every game they can to get into the NCAA tournament.\nFor Davis, getting into the tournament can be explained by the numbers as well. \n"You've just got to win 16 or 17 games," Davis said. "No matter how you do it."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(01/24/05 6:30am)
In the first half, IU relied on freshman D.J. White for its offensive production.\nIn the second half, the Hoosiers had to look elsewhere with White sitting out more than 11 minutes with cramps. But IU found another way to win in gutting out a 67-60 victory against Ohio State.\nThat other way was junior guard Bracey Wright, who after scoring only five first-half points exploded in the second for 18 points and two crucial assists resulting in dunks by Pat Ewing Jr. and White, who reentered the game with 2:12 to go after sitting for several minutes.\n"It was two halves of D.J. in the first half scoring and Bracey in the second half," coach Mike Davis said. \nWhite got the Hoosiers started with 11 first half points. It looked as if the freshman would continue his hot shooting into the second half when he hit a baseline jump shot on IU's first possession.\nThen, the cramps bothered White, who said he was sick prior to the game and had lost a lot of fluids. \nWhile White was hobbled in the second half, Wright said he was hurting in the first.\n"Early on my legs were sore a little bit. I was trying to loosen up before the game by sitting in a whirlpool," Wright said. "I think I got warm after halftime and my legs felt better. After I knocked down my first three, I got going."\nThe inside-outside duo traded halves. While Wright was tight, White was hot. And while White cramped, Wright cut loose.\nWright's second half run was highlighted by 12 straight points, which included four three-point plays. Wright hit a three, completed a conventional three-point play, another three followed by another three-point play after Je'Kel Foster fouled Wright on a jumper.\nDavis said Wright's 12-point stretch are plays he has to make.\n"Your best player has to make plays like that," Davis said. "There were eight games (that IU lost by three points or less) last year that we needed him to play this way -- make plays for us like he's made the past couple of games. I think he learned a lot from last year, a whole lot."\nDespite Wright's three-point play barrage, OSU only trailed by three. The Buckeyes finally cut the deficit to one, 55-54, and the pressure mounted before Wright found a way to come through when he earned his only two assists of the second half when the resourceful Wright found Ewing and White on a pair of bounce passes for dunks.\nWright wouldn't have found White for the dunk though if the freshman hadn't asked to go back into the game when he told Davis he was ready.\n"The thing I love about (D.J.) is that he said he was ready to play, he wanted to go back in the game," Davis said. "For a freshman to tell you that at a crunch time, to say 'I want to go back in the game.' That meant a lot to me so I put him back in and he got a dunk."\nWhite said it was very tough for him to sit for the 11-minute second half stretch.\n"I was kind of mad at myself for not being in there," White said, who finished with 15 points but only four in the second 20 minutes. \nWright has said all year long that he considers this is his team to lead. In acknowledging that role, Davis said Wright is finding other ways to help the Hoosiers when he's having an off-shooting night. Wednesday against Michigan he chipped in with nine rebounds.\nAgainst Ohio State, the two assists to Ewing and White kept IU ahead and helped extend the lead from close to comfortable after IU hit eight of eight free throws following White's dunks.\n"That's back to back games where (Bracey) hasn't shot the basketball well at the beginning but he's really come through for us," Davis said.\nWright said his assists are a direct result of having players who can finish. But the junior is still focused on his No. 1 offensive priority -- scoring.\nAnd against Ohio State, scoring in bunches while your main inside threat is on the bench.\n"That's the first thing I look for anytime I touch it is to score," Wright said. "That's just my mentality. I look for myself. If I don't have anything, then I look for a teammate. That's just how I fit into this offense."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(01/20/05 6:22am)
IU might only have eight wins on the season, but the team has figured out how to beat Michigan seven straight times. The Hoosiers' 62-53 victory was IU's third straight, and sixth in the last seven games.\nThe victory pushes IU to 3-1 in the Big Ten and 8-7 overall. Michigan fell to 12-6 and 3-1 in the Big Ten.\n"It's not that we're out-coaching Michigan. It's just the way the breaks have been. I hope it'll be eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. We'll be sitting here talking about 20, 21," IU coach Mike Davis said with a smile on his face.\nDavis said a lot of IU's success can be attributed to Michigan's Chris Hunter not playing and Daniel Horton being hobbled with a leg injury.\nIt took a freshman's effort to get IU the win as D.J. White paced the Hoosiers with 16 points, including 11 straight in a four-minute stretch in the second half to push IU to a 10-point lead, 51-41.\nA White dunk, with 8:03 to go, spurred the packed house to a roar and gave IU a 45-39 lead. Chants of "D.J. White, D.J. White" came down from the student section. The Hoosiers never looked back as the only thing to stop White was foul trouble when the freshman had to exit with his fourth foul with 4:36 to go.\nWhite said it was his focus that helped him overcome his foul trouble and a little halftime advice from transfer Marco Killingsworth.\n"(Killingsworth) told me to just keep my head and keep playing hard," White said. "The crowd brought me some energy, and kept my confidence up high heading into the second half. I respect them and appreciate it."\nMichigan kept it close, and after White exited, Dion Harris hit a three to draw the Wolverines to within five with 3:54 to go.\nFrom there, White handed the reigns to Bracey Wright and Robert Vaden. Wright's pull up jumper put the Hoosiers back up five after Horton had cut it to three. After IU won a lose ball when Michigan knocked it out, Vaden tipped in a Wright miss to put the Hoosiers up seven, 58-51, with 1:17 to go.\nMichigan coach Tommy Amaker was disappointed with the Wolverines giving up 14 offensive rebounds, including Vaden's follow.\n"They got a big one there with the tip-in," Amaker said.\nWright had five offensive rebounds of his own.\nIU was on cruise control from there, hitting enough free throws in the final minute to clinch the win. IU shot 26 free throws in the second half, hitting 18, compared to the Wolverines seven makes.\nThe Hoosiers were aided by a scrappy defensive effort that forced 20 Michigan turnovers, including nine turnovers from Michigan's starting backcourt of Dion Harris and Horton. Amaker didn't have an answer for his team's sloppy play.\n"We can't be a good basketball team if our guards play the way they did tonight," Amaker said.\nTwo minutes into the second half, IU caught a break when White was originally charged with a third foul. After the officials consulted the courtside monitors, it was ruled a shot clock violation on Michigan and White's foul was taken away.\nIt was the second straight game the officials had to consult the courtside monitor after IU's double-overtime win at Purdue Saturday.\n"I like that because this is the first time we've gotten a call in our favor," Davis said. "We may be the only team that's been in this situation this often. It's not the officials, it's just the way things are going for us."\nThe Hoosiers now find themselves in a similar situation to last season when IU started 5-1 in the Big Ten only to finish 7-9.\nWright said it's his and everybody else who played last year's job to prevent a similar situation for the Hoosiers.\n"As quick as things can go your way, they can turn right around," Wright said. "I enjoy every win that we get and I'm happy to put this streak together, but at the same time I'm cautious about the way we approach things because I've seen it before."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(01/19/05 6:21am)
One six-game winning streak meets another Wednesday at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers have knocked off the Wolverines the last six times they've met and nine of the last 10 with the lone loss coming in January of 2001.\nCountering IU's dominance of Michigan is a Wolverines' streak of their own. Michigan has won six straight games and stands at 3-0 in the Big Ten -- including two of those wins on the road at Iowa and Penn State.\nOne team's streak will surely fall Wednesday with IU hoping its homecourt advantage will pull this tug of war in its advantage. The Hoosiers haven't lost to Michigan in Assembly Hall since Jan. 24, 1995.\nIU coach Mike Davis said the six straight wins can't be attributed to anything in particular.\n"I just think we've been fortunate to beat them," Davis said. "We've had a situation where we've made some plays down the stretch. We were just fortunate enough to win the game."\nThe game Wednesday is the first of two home games this week with Ohio State coming to town Saturday. Davis said the Hoosiers "have to take care of home." \nIf the Hoosiers win both contests, IU would stand at 4-1 in the Big Ten and 9-7 overall -- possibly positioning themselves for a stretch-run to get into the NCAA Tournament.\nFreshman Robert Vaden already knows how crucial it is for the Hoosiers to protect their home floor.\n"Anytime you play in Assembly Hall you've got to win. It's just tradition," Vaden said. "We haven't had too many home losses over the years. Anytime you come in here and see all the tradition and all the banners, then you've got to protect the home."\nTo do so, they'll have to first contend with a Michigan team that features four players averaging double figures led by guard Dion Harris' 13.8 points per game while fellow backcourt mate Daniel Horton puts up 12.2 ppg. \nThe other two Wolverines averaging double digits are a pair of 6-foot-11 forwards -- with Courtney Sims' 10.7 ppg as well as Chris Hunter's 11.2 ppg. The Hoosiers might catch a break Wednesday as Hunter is hobbling with an ankle injury and might not play. J.C. Mathis, who only averages 2.5 ppg, will likely take Hunter's place.\nVaden will be one Hoosier expected to battle the Wolverines inside. Vaden played against Michigan starting forward and freshman, Ronald Coleman, in Amateur Athletic Union play when they both attended high school.\n"It's going to be a tough game for us," Vaden said. "I think it will be a good game too because I think we match-up with them really well."\nThe two teams' respective six-game streaks match-up as well. And for the seventh straight game, IU is expected to start three freshmen. Vaden said the Hoosier youngsters understand IU's sense of urgency coming into Wednesday's game.\n"We know we have to win a lot of games to get into the tournament," Vaden said. "We just try to go out there and do everything we can to win."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu