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(02/16/04 5:40am)
WEST LAFAYETTE -- Since Dec. 1, four of IU's big men have had to sit out games, some due to injury and some for academic reasons. For one forward, it meant the rest of the season, for an IU center it was a month, for yet another forward it only meant one game.\nBut for sophomore forward Sean Kline, his playing future this season is uncertain after Saturday's 71-56 loss to Purdue.\nIt was 10 minutes into the second half when sophomore guard Marshall Strickland attempted a long pass to Kline. As Kline went for the ball, his right knee gave out, sending him crashing to the ground.\nHe did not stand up.\nIU coach Mike Davis ran over to Kline.\n"He was in a lot of pain," Davis said. "A lot of pain."\nAfter a few minutes, Kline was taken off the court in a rolling stretcher.\n"It's hard to lose a teammate like that," junior guard Ryan Tapak said. "Me and Sean have been friends since we've been 12. So, I know how much it means, this game, and our team means to him. I just feel bad for him if he's going to have to lose any time." \nKline was not available for comment after the game.\nDavis said he only knew that Kline's right knee injury would be evaluated Saturday night when the team got back to Bloomington.\nKline's mother, Sarah Wall, said it was horrible to watch.\n"You know, you go your whole athletic career without a serious injury," Wall said. "You have to be really thankful for that. God willing, this will work itself out. He's a tough kid. He ain't going to give up."\nDavis said he felt bad for Kline, especially after struggling in the first half and then stepping up in the second half with a shot and a couple of good rebounds.\nIf Kline is out for the season, Davis said he will wait and see who will take Kline's spot, junior forward Mike Roberts or freshman Pat Ewing Jr.\n"(Roberts) played well," Davis said. "He made some good plays and two big shots for us. You want to go with Mike and Pat. We already play Moye at that position at 6-foot-2."\nSophomore guard Bracey Wright, who is no stranger to injury himself, having suffered a back injury last season, said Kline being injured is a huge loss for the Hoosiers, especially when the team is already so thin up front.\n"It's just going to kill us if we don't have him," Wright said. "It didn't look too good, but I hope he's going to be back. But from me having an experience with injury, I don't want him to rush back thinking that he has to come back because we'll miss him. He has to take his time because that's his life. That's his knee, and he needs that. So I hope it isn't too bad for him."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at
(02/13/04 5:57am)
IU and Purdue have more in common than their game on Saturday. The teams both carry two home Big Ten losses. \nThe Hoosiers' two losses came to Illinois and Iowa, while Purdue suffered defeats to Ohio State and Northwestern.\nNow IU (12-9, 6-4) hopes to hand Purdue (15-8, 5-5) yet another loss in West Lafayette. The contest takes place only three days after Purdue suffered its latest home loss to Northwestern 40-39. \nIU coach Mike Davis said it is hard to explain how teams like IU and Purdue have two home losses and also how Purdue only scored 39 points in their contest with Northwestern.\nDavis said Purdue coming off a home loss could work for or against the Hoosiers.\n"The thing is, the kids get up for certain games, but why not every game?" Davis said. "We have to go in there and execute on both ends of the court. It helps us, really, because everybody marked this game on their calendars as a loss for us."\nDavis said with Purdue's losses at home coming to Northwestern and Ohio State, it shows IU has a solid chance of winning at Purdue if they keep their confidence.\nIt was less than a month ago when the Boilermakers came to Bloomington and lost 63-58.\nHowever, it was a different story last winter when IU lost their road game to Purdue, 69-47.\nSophomore guard Bracey Wright said he barely remembers the trip to West Lafayette last year because he watched from the bench. Wright said it is a different experience to sit out and watch.\n"I do remember us being down like, 10 points," Wright said. "Next thing, I look up, and we're down 30."\nDavis said he knows Purdue might try a zone defense on the Hoosiers but said he welcomes that style of play.\n"We have decent shooters, and it will give us a chance to pass the ball around," Davis said.\nSophomore guard Roderick Wilmont started in Wednesday's game at Penn State in place of junior guard Donald Perry. Wilmont had six points in the game.\nAfter a three game losing streak, Davis said he had no choice but to change things.\nPurdue guard Kenneth Lowe suffered an elbow injury when the team played at IU, but has now returned to do some damage for the Boilermakers in scoring. He is Purdue's leading scorer at 14 points per game, leads the league in free throw percentage at 89 percent and is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.\nDavis said Purdue may have its backs against the wall but so does everyone else in the conference. No team is undefeated, and every school has at least two losses. \nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland said the IU team is going to take things one day at a time, and the Hoosiers think they can make the NCAA tournament and do some damage.\n"We're still in the race for the Big Ten title, and we think we can win out," Strickland said after the victory at Penn State. "That's our game plan from here on out."\nSince Wright didn't get to play at the Purdue game last year due to a recurring back injury, he said he looks forward to going into Purdue's house and showing them what the Hoosiers are made of.\n"Hopefully I can have an impact on the game," Wright said, "and give us a big win on Valentine's Day."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(02/12/04 5:38am)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- It took a road game over 500 miles away and a crowd of only 7,782 for the Hoosiers to rebuild their team and pull things together after a three-game losing streak. \nThe 75-56 victory over Penn State Wednesday night (9-11, 3-6 Big Ten) gave IU (12-9, 6-4) its fourth Big Ten road win this season.\n"It's hard to explain when you have four road wins in the Big Ten and only two home wins," IU coach Mike Davis said. "We play better on the road. The guys are real loose on the road."\nDavis started freshman guard Roderick Wilmont in the place of junior guard Donald Perry. Wilmont was able to contribute six points and grab five rebounds for the Hoosiers.\n"(Wilmont) gave us exactly what I was looking for -- a couple of early baskets," Davis said. \nIU decided to live and die by the three-point shot in the first half. The Hoosiers made 8 of 14 attempts from behind the arc while Penn State only had three good shots of 11 attempted from three-point range. \nFour different Hoosiers had at least one three-point basket in the first half, propelling IU to a 39-27 lead at the break.\nThe Hoosiers' biggest lead came in the second half after sophomore guard Bracey Wright missed a three-point basket attempt that was rebounded by senior center George Leach. The 6-foot-11 big man then dunked the ball with less than 4:40 left in the game and boosted the Hoosier lead to 23. \nLeach and sophomore forward Sean Kline saw early foul trouble, and both fouled out in the second half, forcing Davis to bring in junior forward Mike Roberts. Roberts played for seven minutes and had two points.\nFreshman forward Pat Ewing Jr. did not make the trip to Penn State due to academic issues.\nNine of the 11 Hoosiers that saw playing time Wednesday scored. \nWright led IU in scoring with 25 points, 12 of which came off three-pointers. Wright came into the game averaging 20.1 points. It was the fifth time in conference play this year he scored at least 20 points.\nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland was IU's second leading scorer with 17 points. \nPenn State coach Ed DeChellis said they tried to keep the ball out of Wright and Strickland's hands, and those two ended up being the two who beat them.\nTop scorer for Penn State was sophomore forward Aaron Johnson with 28 points. \n"Luckily, nobody else showed up but Johnson," Wright said, "because he had 28 (points) and 15 (rebounds). If they were hitting on all cylinders, it might have been a close game."\nDavis said he was impressed with IU's ability to keep the lead the entire game. The closest the Nittany Lions came to the Hoosiers in the second half was nine points with 14 minutes left in the second half. \nThe Hoosiers have often had double digit leads this season and blown them by the end of the game.\n"Our biggest problem is when we get up," Davis said. "We've been up close to double figures almost every game in the Big Ten, and we always let it slip away."\nWright said he's always loved playing on the road, and he likes going into someone else's house and taking everything away from them.\n"It's adversity when everyone is against you," Wright said. "You show them what you're made of"
(02/12/04 5:00am)
Who in the world would have thought that the adorable little girl from Gary, Ind., who endeared herself to millions of Americans on the '70s sitcom "Good Times," would grow up to expose her right breast during a Super Bowl halftime show? Certainly the not the NFL. But are they crazy?\nJanet Jackson has been causing controversy since 1993 when she posed on the cover of Rolling Stone topless. A man's hands were the only things covering her breasts then. Now we see she has moved on to sun-shaped nipple covers.\nLet's not forget to mention that her recent All for You tour contains a song called "Would You Mind," in which she picks a guy from the audience and gives him the lap dance of the century in front of thousands of people while wearing a leather body suit.\nAnd yet, the NFL expected a clean performance from the queen of controversy in a show produced by MTV. \nI'm not bashing Ms. Jackson by any means. As a matter of fact, I support her fully. And if people continue to threaten lawsuits and the outside chance of throwing my girl in jail, I'll surely pull a Nelly and sport a band-aid on my cheek until she's free.\nApparently I'm not the only one upset with the entire Janet Super Bowl fiasco. According to www.abs-cbnnews.com, Jackson's breast-baring halftime performance spurred more internet searches in the 24 hours following it than the terms "Sept. 11" and "Paris Hilton's sex video" did when they first occured. \nPoor Janet, a "wardrobe malfunction" is what it now takes to sell a record. Because, clearly, Jackson has had trouble selling records in the past. It's not like she re-signed with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million, which makes her the highest paid recording artist of all time. And it's not like she has sold over 40 million albums, won three Grammy awards and had an Oscar nomination.\nOh wait, according to Rolling Stone, all of this is true.\nI'm offended that the world is picking on my girl, Janet. I speak as if I know her personally since we do go all the way back to the days of her first album in 1982. Dreamstreet, Control and Rhythm Nation 1814 are the sole reasons I signed up for dance classes when I was in elementary school, and her 1993 album, Janet, takes me back to my junior high days like no other album can. \nWhen her latest, Damita Jo, rocks stores this spring, I'll the first in line to buy it. I doubt the idiots boycotting this outstanding female vocalist would buy her album in the first place. Just see if it hurts sales. \nPeople make her sound like this skanky nymphomaniac, and that it's some new concept that sex and controversy will help sell albums. But Madonna does it. Britney does it. Christina does it. Even Jessica Simpson does it. Shock of the century: sex sells.\nThe rumors of lawsuits and fines are ridiculous. Let's not forget that it was Justin Timberlake who tore the outfit in the first place. Why is Janet catching 90 percent of the crap for what happened? \nJanet Jackson is the bomb. Her songs are awesome. She can sing about sexual things that no one else has the guts to sing about and can also pour her heart into a slow love song.\nHer boob just happened to pop out on national television. Hey, we all make mistakes. Maybe it's unethical, but if it helps her sell more albums, more power to her. She's a smart business woman.\nLike she sang in "Can't be Stopped" from her 1997 album The Velvet Rope:\n"You must remember that we were born with blood of kings and queens and can't be stopped. Stay strong my sister and you can't be stopped. No, you can't be stopped."\nExposed breast or no exposed breast, my girl Janet can't be stopped.
(02/11/04 9:15pm)
Who in the world would have thought that the adorable little girl from Gary, Ind., who endeared herself to millions of Americans on the '70s sitcom "Good Times," would grow up to expose her right breast during a Super Bowl halftime show? Certainly the not the NFL. But are they crazy?\nJanet Jackson has been causing controversy since 1993 when she posed on the cover of Rolling Stone topless. A man's hands were the only things covering her breasts then. Now we see she has moved on to sun-shaped nipple covers.\nLet's not forget to mention that her recent All for You tour contains a song called "Would You Mind," in which she picks a guy from the audience and gives him the lap dance of the century in front of thousands of people while wearing a leather body suit.\nAnd yet, the NFL expected a clean performance from the queen of controversy in a show produced by MTV. \nI'm not bashing Ms. Jackson by any means. As a matter of fact, I support her fully. And if people continue to threaten lawsuits and the outside chance of throwing my girl in jail, I'll surely pull a Nelly and sport a band-aid on my cheek until she's free.\nApparently I'm not the only one upset with the entire Janet Super Bowl fiasco. According to www.abs-cbnnews.com, Jackson's breast-baring halftime performance spurred more internet searches in the 24 hours following it than the terms "Sept. 11" and "Paris Hilton's sex video" did when they first occured. \nPoor Janet, a "wardrobe malfunction" is what it now takes to sell a record. Because, clearly, Jackson has had trouble selling records in the past. It's not like she re-signed with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million, which makes her the highest paid recording artist of all time. And it's not like she has sold over 40 million albums, won three Grammy awards and had an Oscar nomination.\nOh wait, according to Rolling Stone, all of this is true.\nI'm offended that the world is picking on my girl, Janet. I speak as if I know her personally since we do go all the way back to the days of her first album in 1982. Dreamstreet, Control and Rhythm Nation 1814 are the sole reasons I signed up for dance classes when I was in elementary school, and her 1993 album, Janet, takes me back to my junior high days like no other album can. \nWhen her latest, Damita Jo, rocks stores this spring, I'll the first in line to buy it. I doubt the idiots boycotting this outstanding female vocalist would buy her album in the first place. Just see if it hurts sales. \nPeople make her sound like this skanky nymphomaniac, and that it's some new concept that sex and controversy will help sell albums. But Madonna does it. Britney does it. Christina does it. Even Jessica Simpson does it. Shock of the century: sex sells.\nThe rumors of lawsuits and fines are ridiculous. Let's not forget that it was Justin Timberlake who tore the outfit in the first place. Why is Janet catching 90 percent of the crap for what happened? \nJanet Jackson is the bomb. Her songs are awesome. She can sing about sexual things that no one else has the guts to sing about and can also pour her heart into a slow love song.\nHer boob just happened to pop out on national television. Hey, we all make mistakes. Maybe it's unethical, but if it helps her sell more albums, more power to her. She's a smart business woman.\nLike she sang in "Can't be Stopped" from her 1997 album The Velvet Rope:\n"You must remember that we were born with blood of kings and queens and can't be stopped. Stay strong my sister and you can't be stopped. No, you can't be stopped."\nExposed breast or no exposed breast, my girl Janet can't be stopped.
(02/09/04 5:11am)
There's one IU men's basketball player coach Mike Davis said he wants people talking about: senior guard/forward A.J. Moye.\n"A.J. Moye is fighting with every inch and drop of energy that he has," Davis said. "He's a guy that's putting it on the line all the time."\nAfter IU's 84-82 double-overtime loss to Iowa, Moye was a no-show in the media room for interviews. Davis said Moye was the only one crying in the locker room. \nSaturday was no ordinary game for this southern boy from Atlanta, Ga. Moye turned 22 Saturday, and his entire family came up to watch the game.\nMaybe it all added to the pressure for Moye, who picked up his fourth personal foul with 4:42 left in regulation.\nDavis played him anyway.\n"I wasn't going to take him out," Davis said. "He's too important to us."\nMoye was second in scoring for the Hoosiers in the contest with the Hawkeyes. He had 20 points, six rebounds and one assist. Six of Moye's points came from two treys less than a minute apart in the first overtime. \nIowa coach Steve Alford said his team's main adjustments were made around Moye. Alford said he told his team before the game Moye was IU's X-factor.\n"I think he's been tremendous," Alford said. "He's been somebody that's a big time leader and a fierce competitor."\nAlford also noticed an improvement in Moye's play compared to last year when he wasn't as big of a threat from behind the arc.\n"Now he's somebody knocking down threes consistently and he's not afraid to take shots," Alford said. "He's playing with big time confidence."\nMoye's confidence and ability to lead the Hoosiers shows on the court when he's battling for loose balls and taking charges, sophomore guard Bracey Wright said. \nWright said Moye isn't concerned with being the star of the team, he just wants to win.\nTo hear Davis and Moye's teammates talk about his drive to win and dedication to the team is to hear sincere, heartfelt comments from people on whom Moye has rubbed off.\n"You couldn't ask any more out of a guy like A.J. Moye," Davis said. "He's a senior who in practice works his butt off, before and after. He's here all the time."\nDavis said Moye comes in to practice in between classes and in the evening. He said he feels bad for Moye because he's a senior and is fighting like crazy.\nAlford said players like Moye are always a welcome sight.\n"You always like to see guys compete the way A.J. competes," Alford said, not the first coach this season to comment on the big heart of Moye. "He's a fierce competitor. You always like to see guys like that have success and we're just ... we're thankful we had one more bucket than what he had."\nThe hurtful look on Moye's face when the game ended could probably be seen from the top row of the balcony. After the Iowa loss, Moye stood on the court for a moment, appearing to let IU's second home loss in a row soak in.\nWright, the team's leading scorer with 25 points, said he felt bad for Moye because he wants to send him off in style by taking the team deep into the tournament.\n"Every time after a loss, I can see it in his eyes that he's hurt," Wright said. "And it hurts me to see him like that because I really want him to succeed because he's taken so much abuse over the season. He's been thrown for so many loops over his career that I want to see him succeed."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(02/04/04 5:52am)
For the IU men's basketball team, it's the one that got away.\nA home game, a halftime lead of seven, and the lead the entire game -- with the exception of the last three minutes -- made it look like no one but IU's ballgame to win.\nBut something went terribly wrong in the second half costing IU (11-8, 5-3 Big Ten) a 51-49 loss to Illinois (14-5, 4-3).\n"We missed a lot of open shots and shots around the basket that we normally make," junior guard Donald Perry said. "We had every opportunity to win. We had the opportunity, we just didn't do it."\nIU's leading scorer this season, sophomore guard Bracey Wright, started things out for the Hoosiers with a three-point basket just seconds into the game, but didn't score again until the second half. Wright finished with nine points -- four of which where from free throws.\nIllinois sophomore guard, Deron Williams, a former teammate of Wright's at The Colony High School in The Colony Texas, said they wanted to deny Wright the ball as much as possible and not give him open looks.\n"Just happens that he had a bad shooting day," Williams said of his former teammate.\nThe first four minutes of the game, Illinois was scoreless. The Hoosiers scored seven points in the first four minutes, thanks to Wright and senior forward A.J. Moye. \nTwelve minutes into play, the Fighting Illini had only three field goals. But junior forward, Roger Powell, Illinois' leading scorer for the game with 15 points, helped the Illini get back in the game and come within seven points of the Hoosiers at halftime, 27-20. \nIU tried to keep its composure in the second half, but only made 15.4 percent of its field goals.\nAfter halftime, the Hoosiers made only four field goals with the remainder of its points coming from free throws. \nMoye, the team leader in scoring with 14 points, scored IU's last field goal with 9:50 left in the game.\nEven Illinois' last basket came with 2:41 left on the clock. A jumper hit by junior center, Nick Smith, put the score at 49-51-- the last it would change all night.\nAfter that, the Hoosiers went on to miss four field goals until the 11 second mark when IU called a timeout.\nWith time winding down on the clock and the IU crowd on its feet, Wright took a three-point shot blocked by Smith with only five seconds left in the game.\n"At the end of the game, that's who we want shooting," Moye said of Wright. "That's our guy and that's the shot we wanted, but they anticipated it."\nAfter the missed shot and Illinois grabbing the rebound, Strickland was forced to foul Illinois sophomore guard Dee Brown to get IU the ball back.\nIf Brown made his free throw, IU would have to make a trey to tie the game. So instead, when Brown missed it, the Hoosiers were given three seconds and one more chance to either walk off with a victory or send the game into overtime.\nBut the three seconds left on the clock weren't enough for IU, and the Illinois defense stopped the Hoosiers on their own court.\n"You have to put teams away when you have the chance," Moye said. "And we had a chance at the 18, 17 minute mark in the second half and we just didn't do it."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(02/03/04 4:56am)
The Hoosiers said the loss they suffered at Michigan State Saturday was hardly a blow to their confidence in this year's Big Ten season. With the Hoosiers sitting in the No. 2 spot in the conference, sophomore forward Sean Kline said the team is still focused on the same thing.\n"We're fighting for our lives to make the tournament and to win a Big Ten championship," Kline said. \nThe next step toward a Big Ten championship will be a home victory over Illinois (13-5, 4-3 Big Ten) tonight at 7 p.m. It will be the first of two home games in a row for IU (11-7, 5-2).\nIU has won nine of the last 12 meetings with Illinois in Bloomington, with the last loss to the Illini at IU in 2001.\nThe Hoosiers' leading scorer is still sophomore guard Bracey Wright, who is averaging 20.4 points per game and scored a team-high 29 points in Saturday's loss to MSU. \nIU coach Mike Davis said Wright has been playing well for the Hoosiers, just as tough as he did last year.\n"You expect for a sophomore to play harder than a freshman," Davis said. "It's important right now that we keep Bracey going in the right direction as far as his intensity and concentration."\nTonight's game has extra meaning for Wright. Wright was a high school teammate of Illinois guard Deron Williams at The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. \nWilliams had six points in the last meeting between the two teams, and Wright had 16. It was in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis when the Hoosiers last met the Illini and lost 73-72.\nAll five Illinois starters are averaging double figures. Both sophomore guard Dee Brown and junior forward Roger Powell are averaging a team-high 12.8 ppg.\nDavis said after watching Illinois on tape, he believes they have the best talent in the Big Ten.\n"It's challenging," Davis said. "It's going to be difficult for us if we don't come out and play."\nWright said although IU lost on the road at MSU, the team's spirits isn't down. \n"If we get the home win against Illinois, and then we go back on the road and play well again, we'll be right back on top," Wright said.\nLooking at the games before the MSU loss, Davis said he wants the team to play hard like it did in its Big Ten wins.\n"The thing that we can't rely on is just winning our home games," Davis said. "We have to win every game, and if we can win every game, then we have a chance.\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(02/02/04 5:56am)
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Losing for the first time Saturday since its 34 point loss at Wisconsin Jan. 6, the IU men's basketball team fell to second place in the Big Ten after its 84-72 loss to Michigan State.\n"Michigan State is really good," IU coach Mike Davis said. "I told the guys that before the game."\nWith the loss, IU (11-7, 5-2 Big Ten) doesn't sit alone in second place. The win for the Spartans (10-8, 5-2) puts Michigan State in the same spot.\nDavis said that IU and MSU had similar non-league schedules and both schools put their reputation on the line by playing such a tough schedule.\n"I'm pulling for them," Davis said of the Spartans. "I want them to win. Of course today I wanted them to lose, but there's no way we can beat them here the way they played and the way we played."\nHad IU played the entire ballgame like they did the majority of the first half, things may have ended differently for the Hoosiers.\nSophomore guard Bracey Wright hit three treys in the first seven minutes of the game. He finished the game with a team high 29 points and four assists.\n"I knew they would end up trying to take me out of it since I got hot early," Wright said. "I was really just trying to weather the storm there for a second. Basically, I was trying to calm everybody down."\nIU's largest lead was by eight points with less than four minutes left in the first half. But two field goals and a trey from MSU brought the score within one point at the break, 35-34.\nDavis said he thought IU fought hard in the first half but relaxed a couple of times and gave MSU too many wide open shots in the second half.\n"In the second half, we needed to get Bracey the ball," Davis said. "They made the game in the first half too hard for us to play in the second half. When they hit every open shot, it's really tough."\nDavis said he was hoping IU would do something in the first 10 minutes of the second half to give them confidence down the stretch, but Davis didn't get what he wanted.\nIU lost its lead less than four minutes into the second half and was down by 19 points on two different occasions.\nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland chipped in nine points for IU in the second half for a total of 14 points in the game, but it still wasn't enough to hold off the Spartans.\nMSU's top scorer was sophomore center Paul Davis, who had 32 points. Three other Spartans scored in double figures.\nDavis gave credit to MSU coach Tom Izzo, saying he's one of the best coaches in college basketball.\n"It would have been tough for us to win in the second half, even if everything had been clicking, because of this (MSU) team," Davis said. \nIU tried to make a quick comeback and started fouling the Spartans with just under 3:30 left in the game. MSU was 19 of 28 on free-throws in the second half. \n"We let up a little bit at the end and give them (IU) credit, they didn't quit and kept playing," Izzo said.\nEven through their second loss on the road, the IU players said their confidence is still high. Like Davis pointed out to them, IU is the only team with six home games left on their schedule.\nWright said the loss wasn't bad for the Hoosiers and that they will be fine.\n"Even though we lost, it's not like we're at the bottom of the pile right now," Wright said. "Second place. We're 5-2 in the Big Ten."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/28/04 5:58am)
Senior guard A.J. Moye strutted off the court and held out his jersey so all the fans could see the INDIANA embroidered on it. The Hoosiers now hold sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. \nIU (11-6, 5-1 Big Ten) upset No. 21 Purdue (14-5, 4-2) in what was clearly a team effort with eight different Hoosiers contributing points to the 63-58 win.\n"When we take the court, we don't feel like we can lose," Moye said.\nEarlier this week, Purdue coach Gene Keady said sophomore guard Bracey Wright would be the player his team would have to contain. But little did the Purdue team know there would be so many others who would impact the IU win.\nWright, this week's Big Ten co-Player of the Week, entered the game averaging 16.8 points per game, but only had three points in the first half and finished with a total of 10. \n"All year (IU) coach, (Mike) Davis, has been telling me and (Marshall) Strickland that we've got to be able to relieve some tension off Bracey," Moye said. \nWright did, however, score some key baskets at the end of the game and had an assist to freshman guard Roderick Wilmont who hit two treys in the last minute.\nWilmont said it shouldn't matter how many points Wright scores, as long as the team wins. Davis said in practice they would have to step up with opponents being so hard on Wright.\nKeady said it was seniors Moye and center George Leach who hurt his Boilermakers. Moye had 15 points and three rebounds, while Leach contributed 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.\nDavis attributed the win to his whole team and said it is amazing what can happen with two guards like Wright and Strickland shooting the ball.\n"Moye and George also did a great job," Davis said. "It was great for Bracey to pass the basketball to them."\nIU players also worked together to control the number of fouls against them. Only one Purdue player -- senior forward Brett Buscher -- had two shots from the free-throw line, and missed them both. \nBesides noting the IU win was a teamwide effort, Davis said it was the fans who helped win the game the Hoosiers.\n"We needed the support," Davis said. "Our crowd was unbelievable. There were times when we relaxed and laid down, but they kept us going."\nFrom the red wigs worn at the South end of the court to the constant cheering from the all the fans, the crowd was the loudest Davis said he'd heard all year, and hopes to have that kind of support at every home game.\nEven former NBA player Patrick Ewing, currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, made the trip from Texas to see his son, freshman forward Pat Ewing Jr. play for IU. Ewing had four points -- two of which came on a dunk with five minutes left in the first half. Like almost every basket scored Tuesday night, it brought the crowd of 17,161 to its feet.\nBetween the Hoosiers' intensity and the loud cheers from the fans, Assembly Hall provided a tough place for the Boilermakers to play.\nKeady said he had warned his team of the atmosphere they would face Tuesday.\n"We told them there would be a lot of noise," Keady said. "It's a challenge to be productive in a hostile environment."\nWilmont, who said the fans were one of the reasons he came to IU, said the team is putting it all together to come out with big wins.\n"We've got one goal right now and that's to win the Big Ten," Wilmont said. "And each game counts." \n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/27/04 5:45am)
As if the rivalry wasn't big enough between IU (10-6, 4-1 Big Ten) and Purdue (14-1, 4-1). \nNow the two teams will battle for the top of the Big Ten at 7 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall.\nThe last time the rivals played for first place in the Big Ten was in 1989 when the Hoosiers won 74-73.\nBut the most recent match-up between the two was in West Lafayette, and IU took quite a beating and lost the game 69-47.\nSenior forward A.J. Moye remembers it clearly.\n"They whooped us last year," Moye said. "I've still got that taste in my mouth. I really want a win."\nIU's only Big Ten loss this season came against a Wisconsin team that is also atop the Big Ten at 4-1 in conference play. Purdue's only Big Ten loss so far this season came at Iowa.\nLeading IU is sophomore guard Bracey Wright. Wright was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week this week and is averaging 16.8 points a game. He is also averaging 5.5 rebounds a game and 4.0 assists.\nPurdue coach Gene Keady said containing Wright would be key for Purdue to compete here in Bloomington.\n"It's a hard match-up because he really shoots the ball well," Keady said. "He can penetrate and score, dribble, hit threes. He's very, very hard to contain."\nWhile Purdue is concerned with Wright, IU will look to hold back Purdue senior guard Kenneth Lowe, who is averaging 14.2 points per game.\n"It's going to be a very difficult game for us," IU coach Mike Davis said. "Kenneth Lowe is the key to their basketball team. He's definitely an All-Big Ten player."\nKeady said IU may be the only team in the country right now with three conference road wins. He said he could tell IU is an extremely focused basketball team right now.\nKeady also said he has seen how senior center George Leach's return has affected the team. After missing nine games because of a left knee injury, Leach is leading the Big Ten with 3.25 blocks per game. \nDavis said he's most concerned with protecting home court. He said the pressure is on for the Hoosiers, who have won three conference road games and will now have to defend Branch McCracken Court in Assembly Hall.\n"You want to try to win every home game if possible," Davis said. "If we lose, that gives Purdue two road wins."\nDavis said the atmosphere the last time Purdue played at IU was unbelievable and that he and the team are hoping for the same excitement and support tonight.\nThe Boilermakers haven't won in Bloomington since 1999, and although from Georgia, Moye said he can feel the rivalry between the two schools. \n"I just want to win," Moye said. "That's the bottom line"
(01/26/04 5:34am)
MINNEAPOLIS -- From the second the IU men's basketball team (10-6, 4-1 Big Ten) stepped onto the hardwood floor in Minneapolis, shots began to fall. The team was successful in 58.6 percent of their field goals in the first half. \nIt was no surprise then with five different IU players scoring in double figures, they pulled off the 86-81 overtime win over Minnesota (8-9, 0-5).\n"We're playing with confidence now, and that's what a few wins will do for you," senior guard A.J. Moye said. "We felt when we took the floor that we would win."\nMoye had two assists and 20 points, tying his career high.\nIU's leading scorer, sophomore guard Bracey Wright, posted 22 points and had five assists.\nThe day before the game, Minnesota junior guard Moe Hargrow announced that he was leaving the team and transferring schools. Hargrow averaged 13.2 points a game for the Gophers last season. A broken wrist that required surgery kept Hargrow to a slow start this season, but he still averaged 11.4 points.\nSophomore forward Sean Kline said the coaching staff made the players aware that Minnesota was going to come out and play with extra heart and extra strength.\nEven through Minnesota's tough efforts, IU was able to have the lead the entire first half. \nSenior center George Leach scored all 12 of his game points in the first half and had three blocks in the game.\n"It's a big plus having a 7-footer back," Moye said of Leach. "It's easier for teams to shoot floaters over me and Kline than it is George."\nAfter a stellar first half, 42-34, the IU team came out a little rusty in the second half, making only 36.4 percent of their field goals and blowing an 11-point lead.\nMoye said he remembers playing at Minnesota his freshman year and said the Hoosiers were up by 13 with two minutes left in the game and the team still lost.\n"We knew deep down that we were going to win," Moye said. "Bracey kept telling us after every possession that we were going to win."\nWith less than a minute and a half left in regulation, a pair of free throws from Wright put IU in the lead 74-71. But a field goal from Minnesota guard Ben Johnson with a minute to go made it a one-point ballgame.\nA foul sending junior guard Donald Perry to the charity stripe gave IU a two-point lead, but Minnesota's leading scorer, freshman forward Kris Humphries, scored a field goal in the final seconds of regulation, sending the game into overtime. \nHumphries was Minnesota's leading scorer with 24 points.\nMoye scored the first six points for IU in the first few minutes of the extra period. From then on, it was IU's ballgame, as they kept the lead throughout overtime.\nWith 31.1 seconds left in overtime, IU was up by two, 81-79. Wright made a drive right by the Minnesota defense and scored the basket that put IU ahead by four.\nTwo good free throws from sophomore guard Marshall Strickland and one from Perry gave IU their last three points of the ballgame.\nThe victory in Minnesota is the third for IU this season on the road in the Big Ten.\n"To get three road wins, that speaks for itself," Davis said. "And I can't tell you the last time we had 5 guys score in double figures, even in practice."\nMoye attributed the road win to playing with more confidence.\n"We just got tired of it man, of people saying we were going to be the worst team in the conference," Moye said. "I know George and myself, we don't want to be a part of that."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/23/04 6:07am)
For a brief 24 hours, the IU men's basketball team was the sole leader of the Big Ten with a 3-1 conference record. But after Wednesday night's games, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Purdue jumped into the number one spot with IU (9-6 overall).\nAt the bottom of the Big Ten standings lies a lonely Minnesota team, 0-4 in the Big Ten and 8-8 on the season. It's a Minnesota team that's struggled at home and away, and it's a Minnesota team that sophomore guard Marshall Strickland says IU will not take lightly.\n"They really need this win, and they are going to come out really hard," Strickland said. "So we're going to go in there and battle them."\nStrickland averaged 16 points a game in the last three IU games, hitting .500 (15-of-30) from the floor and .588 (10-of-17) from beyond the arc. He has also been perfect in his last ten free throw attempts.\nThe team has been 5-0 this season when Strickland has contributed at least 14 points.\nIU has lost its last 5 games at Minnesota, and senior center George Leach said in order to break the jinx, the team will have to come together as one and play a solid game.\n"We can't have any screw-ups," Leach said. "We'll have to get the lead and hold it, and that's all on defense."\nWhen IU defeated Ohio State 69-61 on Tuesday in their second Big Ten road win, it was the third straight game in which IU held an opponent to .400 or less shooting from the field.\nJunior guard Donald Perry, who had six assists against Northwestern and five at Ohio State, said one of the improvements in the IU team is communication on the court.\n"On the court now we talk to each other more," Perry said. "Now we try and encourage each other, pick each other up."\nLeading the Gophers in scoring has been freshman Kris Humphries. He averages 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds a game.\nLeach said adjusting to the 6-foot-9 Humphries would be key for IU, but that he isn't the entire team. IU will have to play hard on everyone, Leach said, because the team is going to be hungry for a win.\n"They don't want to lose just as much as we don't want to lose," Leach said. "I'm sure they'll attack us inside and out."\nThe IU team could walk into Minnesota expecting mediocre play from a winless team against Big Ten opponents. But instead, Strickland, Perry and Leach say the team knows much better and is expecting what could be Minnesota's best game so far this season.\n"We're probably the favorite in this game, but we're going in there as underdogs," Strickland said. "We're going into their house, and it's not going to be easy."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/22/04 4:31am)
In the middle of his senior year, former IU quarterback Antwaan Randle El had no clue where his football career would take him after he graduated.\nTwo years later, Randle El stood in the middle of Assembly Hall holding up a framed No. 11 jersey in front of thousands of screaming fans.\n"It's a big honor and it's good to come back," Randle El said after being honored at half time of the men's basketball game Saturday. "I'm so grateful, and I thank God for everything I've had throughout college and even throughout high school. To go through college and play the way I played and now have my jersey retired, it's just such an honor and truly a blessing."\nRandle El is the only player in NCAA Division 1-A football history to pass for more than 7,000 yards and rush for more than 3,500 yards in his collegiate career. He finished his senior year of football at IU coming in sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2001.\nIU alum Tamia N. Collins was a member of the Marching Hundred while Randle El was a player for IU. She said she watched him play every weekend.\n"He was spectacular," she said. "He was a breath of fresh air for IU."\nRandle El concluded his time at IU with two big wins for the Hoosiers against Purdue and Kentucky. \nIn the spring of 2002, Randle El was a second round draft pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers.\n"It's unbelievable right now," Randle El said. "It's been a big thrill for me to be in the NFL, but now I want to excel and I want to go far and beyond what I did in college, so I've got my work cut out for me."\nIn Randle El's first season under Steelers coach Bill Cowher, he caught 47 passes for 489 yards and had two touchdowns as a rookie. \nNow a receiver for the Steelers, Randle El said he misses playing quarterback and the Steelers are aware of that.\n"I can't focus on being quarterback until the chance presents itself," Randle El said. "And when it does, then I'll take full advantage of it, and make sure I'm ready for it."\nRandle El finished the 2003 season as the team's fourth-leading receiver with 37 catches, 364 yards and two touchdowns. His 132 punt return yards against Oakland were the highest single-game total in the league this season.\nNot only has Randle El had an impact on the IU and Pittsburgh football teams, but also in the lives of aspiring football players in his hometown of Riverdale, Ill.\nRiverdale resident and fan Myrna Watkins-Thompson said Randle El has returned to his hometown on occasion to give inspirational talks to kids at school and autograph footballs.\n"Many children saw him play at Thornton High School," Watkins-Thompson said. "They could see his progression which we use to inspire them to pursue their dreams."\nBut Antwaan might not be the last Randle El to go down in football history. Randle El said his brother Marcus has narrowed his playing choices down to three schools, and one of them is IU.\n"I told him to make sure his decision is for him," Randle El said of his advice to his younger brother. "Because (he is) the one that has to be here. So it's up to him right now."\nRandle El said he doesn't know what comes next for him and his time in Pittsburgh, but that he'll spend the off-season on a vigorous diet in order to prepare for a strenuous season with the Steelers.\nOn Saturday, he was only focused on enjoying the time at IU with his family.\n"To be here and have my family here, now that's something," Randle El said. "It was all a dream and it came true."\n--Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/21/04 5:14am)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There are two players on the IU men's basketball roster who have become quite the pair on the court -- at home, and away. \nSophomore guards Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland are IU's backcourt, and in the team's 69-61 road victory over Ohio State (9-8, 1-3 Big Ten), the two had a combined 47 points.\nThe two guards were also the top scorers in Saturday's victory over Northwestern.\nIU (9-6, 3-1) has now won two road games in a row. That's already one more Big Ten road win than in last year's entire season.\nSenior guard A.J. Moye said the team is finally buying into what IU coach Mike Davis teaches them, and that Wright and Strickland are a big part of the IU victories.\n"Bracey and Marshall -- this is their second Big Ten season," Moye said. "That helps a lot."\nBefore Big Ten play, Wright scored a career high 39 points on the road at North Texas. His average dropped a bit, having recently scored 7, 11 and then 16 points in the first three games of the Big Ten season.\nBut Tuesday night in Columbus, Wright was back up there in scoring, having 28 points.\nThe never-selfish Wright contributed his playing to his teammates.\n"Tonight my teammates did a good job of getting me open and getting me the ball where I was able to be in a successful position," Wright said.\nTen of Wright's points came from free throws. He only missed one with eight minutes remaining in the game. \nWright said the biggest thing for him was trying not to force anything. \nEven Ohio State junior forward Terence Dials noticed the affect that Wright has on the IU team.\n"He is the heart and soul of the team," Dials said. "He is a great player who is hard working, and when you have those characteristics you are going to be successful."\nStrickland was a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe, and a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. He finished the game with 19 points and three assists.\n"Strickland was hot the whole game," Wright said of his backcourt partner. "It really takes a load off of me and frees me up a lot."\nWright said when he sees Strickland is on in his shooting, it excites him and gives him more confidence in the game.\nDavis said he was happy for Strickland because he is playing unbelievable basketball right now for the IU team.\n"He's really helping Bracey out a lot, and that's the Marshall Strickland that I recruited," Davis said. "And he's the one I thought would average 13, 14 or 15 points for us this year."\nStrickland's career high came earlier this year against Morehead State when the guard scored 20 points. His 19 points against Ohio State are the second most he's scored this season, and in his career.\nWright gave credit to Strickland, and had a message for the teams up next on the IU schedule.\n"When I know he's going to have a good night and we're both on like tonight," Wright said, "We're going to be a real tough team to mess with."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/20/04 5:12am)
Senior guard A.J. Moye said he can hardly remember the last time Indiana beat Ohio State in Columbus. \n"I think I've won there once, and that was my freshman year and we had Kirk Haston hitting shots out the wazoots," Moye said. "It's tough playing there."\nIU (8-6, 2-1 Big Ten) will face Ohio State (9-7, 1-2) at 7 p.m. tonight at the Value City Arena at Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, an arena that holding 19,200 fans.\n"The fans get into it regardless of their record," Moye said. "But we showed good on the road the last time. We need to have a carry-over and I think we will."\nMoye was speaking of IU's 59-57 road win over Michigan, a game that many players said helped the team gain back confidence after they had had been struggling on the road.\nIU coach Mike Davis will look for the 76th win of his coaching career at IU against Ohio State and is currently 3-2 against the Buckeyes. \nHe said the key to success in Columbus will be communication.\n"It's so important that we really communicate and talk a lot on both ends of the court," Davis said. "When you talk, it really helps the situation that you're in."\nDavis also mentioned the Hoosiers are throwing the ball away too much. IU had 15 turnovers in Saturday's victory over Northwestern University.\nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland said the team has a lot of confidence right now and they continue to get better every game.\n"It's a road game and you can't go in on the road and take anybody lightly," Strickland said. "Teams are dangerous on their home courts and they can beat us if we go in there and play relaxed. But we feel that with confidence we can win."\nStrickland has been an important player in IU's last two games. The 6-foot-2 Strickland leads IU in scoring in Big Ten games, averaging12.7 points per game. He has also made all of his last six free throw attempts and has hit seven of his last 14 three-point field goal attempts.\nDavis said he likes how sophomore guard Bracey Wright doesn't have to do all of the team's scoring anymore.\n"Bracey is averaging right at 13 or 14 points a game and that's not bad for him," Davis said. "Then there's Marshall, he's right at around 15 points per game. That's two guys averaging in double figures and we need that."\nJunior guard Ryan Tapak was seeing a lot of playing action before the start of the Big Ten season, starting at point guard for three games.\nNow that Davis has moved Tapak out of the starting line-up and the team is 2-0, Davis said he doesn't see any reason to make any changes in the starters.\n"We'll switch it up when we lose, but when you're at 2-0 you stay where you are," Davis said. Davis said he thinks the Hoosiers will come out with a win if they can hold Ohio State to 50 to 55 points and keep the Buckeyes shooting at no more than 39 percent.\nDavis's optimism for the season appears to be rubbing off on the IU players.\n"I think Coach believes we can win this, win the Big Ten," Strickland said. "I think the players are actually starting to believe it, too"
(01/15/04 6:01am)
There's one ritual sophomore forward Sean Kline does before every game. He puts on his socks.\nBut not just any socks. Kline wears the same pair, every game.\n"If you have a good game in a pair of socks, that's supposed to be good luck," Kline said. "So I stay with the same socks."\nThe 6 foot 8 inch Huntington, Ind. native was redshirted his freshman year at IU and is now in his second season of playing. Kline's superstitious socks may have helped him average 8.1 points a game and start in IU's first 12 games this season.\nThe team is currently 7-6 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play.\nKline holds a number of records for his high school, Huntington North. He is the all-time leader in points (1,790), rebounds (811) and blocked shots (112). \nMoving from Huntington to Bloomington wasn't hard, Kline says, and he likes the hometown feel Bloomington has.\n"The University is huge, so you are always seeing new faces on campus," Kline said. "Each and every day is a new experience."\nKline said he approaches basketball as a new experience, and said he learns something new about the game every day.\nThere have only been two Big Ten games so far this season, but Kline has been breaking personal records since November. He recorded a career high 15 points in IU's loss to Kentucky Dec. 20 and a career high 10 rebounds in the victory over Butler Dec. 13.\nAfter hitting only 46.7 percent of his free throws last year, he has hit 74.4 percent this season and has made 14 of his last 18 free throws. \nWith senior center George Leach returning from a knee injury, Davis decided not to start Kline in the Hoosier's most recent victory over Michigan. But Kline came off the bench and showed he would play just as hard as if he had just started. \nHe even hit a hook shot -- something Leach said he hadn't ever seen Kline do in his two years of playing.\n"He came in and gave us what we needed," Leach said. "He came in and played his role and we won."\nKline was a crucial part to the 59-57 IU victory in Ann Arbor, Mich. He scored three of the final five field goals of the game and blocked what could have been Michigan's game winning shot.\n"He did great," sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said. "He made a lot of big buckets for us that really picked us up and gave us momentum."\nBesides grabbing rebounds and raking in points for the IU team, Kline has a noticeable relationship with fans at away games.\nKline's possibility of attending Notre Dame instead of IU when he was a freshman just may be the reason for this season's harassment at the Notre Dame game in South Bend.\nKline fouled out of the game in the second half and as he approached the bench, the student section chanted his every step. \n"Left, right, left, right," they would yell as many opposing student sections do when a player fouls out. \nThe quick thinking Kline threw them off and hopped on one foot. The crowd erupted with laughter and a smiling Kline took his seat on the bench.\nKline said he had heard the chant before, and it just came to him that he would try something different. \n"I like messing with the crowd and it's a lot more fun on the road when they are going against you," Kline said. "It just keeps things intense and the energy going."\nSo maybe Kline can make the opposing fans laugh and has made improvements as a player since he first came to IU, but what he concentrates on now is improving the IU team.\nKline has said since IU's first game the team needs to learn to play a solid 40 minutes before they will ever be truly successful. \n"We're heading in the right direction," Kline said. "We're starting to put the pieces together and starting to play the way we're capable of."\n Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(01/12/04 5:50am)
ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- IU sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said it's anybody's ballgame when you're talking about Big Ten basketball. \nWhile history shows that it's difficult to play on the road in the Big Ten, Sunday's game in Ann Arbor was clearly one for the Hoosiers.\nAfter a 34-point loss on the road to Wisconsin, IU bounced back from the loss and defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 59-57. IU made 42.9 percent of its field goals and made five of its six free throw attemps.\n"Anytime you get a road win in the Big Ten, it's like getting two wins," IU coach Mike Davis said.\nIU (7-6, 1-1 Big Ten) defeated Michigan (10-3, 1-1) in a game where IU sophomore guard Bracey Wright was held scoreless in the first half. \nThe 6'3" Wright had already received Big Ten Player of the Week honors twice this season and averaged 20.9 points per game coming into the Michigan game. On Sunday, he scored 11 points and had a team high 9 rebounds.\nDavis said that although Wright didn't score in the first half, he was still a crucial part of the win, making big plays and then quick shots in the second half.\nThe IU starting line-up changed once again as Davis started Wright, Strickland, senior forward A.J. Moye, junior guard Donald Perry and, returning from injury, senior center George Leach.\nMichigan started the game with a 6-1 run, with IU not scoring its first field goal until over five minutes into the game. But when IU's shots began to fall, they came in streaks.\nIn a little over one minute, three different Hoosiers scored from behind the arc, putting IU in the lead 10-6. IU then held the lead for the majority of the rest of the first half.\nThanks to three treys and a field goal from Strickland in the first half, IU went to the locker room at halftime up by ten, 29-19.\nStrickland said his ability to score in the first half helped take the stress off of Wright offensively. Strickland led the IU team in scoring with 14 points and recorded 5 assists.\n"We had our rhythm offensively," Strickland said. "We stayed under control and got open shots."\nMichigan coach Tommy Amaker said the Michigan team played as individuals in the first half.\n"I take full responsibility for that," Amaker said. "It was a hard lesson to learn this afternoon."\nThe second half also began with IU making shots, as they increased their lead to 16 points four minutes into the second half. But the IU team saw its lead dwindle away as it became Michigan's turn for shots to fall. \nDavis said that's when IU began to lose its composure.\nLosing composure brought Michigan within two points of IU with less than 20 seconds left in the ballgame. \nSophomore forward Sean Kline, who has been averaging 8.9 points a game, helped out the IU team with two crucial field goals in the last few minutes of the game and secured the Hoosier win with a block in the final seconds.\nForward Bernard Robinson Jr. led Michigan in scoring with 16 points.\nStrickland said the win makes it easier for the team to return to class for the second semester, coming off of a Big Ten road win.\n"We work too hard to have let downs," Strickland said. "We're going to keep fighting to win."\nIn the press conference following the game, a member of the media told Davis that he had heard a player say one game wasn't enough for the team to gain back their full confidence.\nBut Davis smiled and disagreed.\n"One game feels good to me," Davis said.\n--Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu
(12/15/03 7:13am)
There's only one player on the IU roster who has his own special chant from the IU crowd.\nAnd it's that one player, senior guard A.J. Moye, who stood out to Butler coach Todd Lickliter when IU (4-3) defeated the Bulldogs, 62-50.\n"From the outside looking in, he just seems to have such a big heart," Lickliter said. "He's a guy that anybody would like to have on their team because he can change the game without scoring. He can change it just by being on the floor."\nMoye was IU's second highest scorer in Saturday's contest with Butler (3-4), scoring 12 points. Moye also had five rebounds, one steal and was a perfect 4-4 in free throws.\nLickliter said Moye told him after the game that Butler was a tough team.\n"Coming from him, I appreciate that," Lickliter said.\nIU coach Mike Davis said Moye has been playing well and joked that he may be the best 6-foot-2 power forward in the country.\nMoye himself said he's been playing with a 6-foot-10 mentality. \n"Everybody in the country is lucky I'm not 6'10"," Moye said with a smile. "It would be pretty ugly."\nButler was the fifth team in a row the Hoosiers faced that saw action in last year's NCAA Tournament. Moye said that's the glory of their schedule -- that they are experiencing every type of experience a team could have early in the season. \n"We got blown out on the road, lost a big lead at home," Moye said. "We've had close games, offensive droughts. We've experienced it all."\nIn Moye's last four games before Butler, he averaged 9.5 points a game and 4.3 rebounds. His 12 points in Saturday's game is a season high.\nAside from scoring a season high and putting another win on the record, Moye knows the next obstacle is playing Kentucky (5-0), Dec. 20 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.\nMoye has a number of friends on the Kentucky team who he has played basketball with starting from when he was nine or 10 years old, he said. \n"This is my last year, and I haven't beat them once," Moye said. "I just want to beat them one time because every time I see them in the summer, they rub it in."\nAn obvious crowd favorite, Moye said he wants to leave a winning legacy so that when Senior Night rolls around, the Hoosiers will have a winning record. \n"I want them to say 'The guy was a winner, and he played hard,'" Moye said. "I don't want them to say 'His senior year, they had the worst season in IU history.' I want to have a great season and show coach Davis that I appreciate everything he's tried to do for me."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(12/12/03 6:45am)
Two very different teams with the same 3-3 record will fight for their fourth win of the season Saturday at Assembly Hall. \nIU will host Butler in a contest that historically shows IU as the favorite. The Hoosiers lead the series 34-12.\nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland said the team's confidence is high after their 66-63 road win at Notre Dame on Wednesday night but adds they aren't taking the Butler game lightly.\n"We went into Notre Dame thinking we could win it," Strickland said. "We're not blowing it up more than it really is."\nThe Bulldogs are coming off a road loss at Bradley where the team fell 59-55 to the Braves on Dec. 10. \nIU coach Mike Davis noted IU is ready, yet again, to play a team that saw action in last year's NCAA Tournament.\n"Butler is going to come in with a great coach and an outstanding basketball team," Davis said. "They play well together, and that's going to be another tough game for us."\nLeading Butler in scoring are senior forward Duane Lightfoot and sophomore guard Bruce Horan, each averaging 11 points apiece. \nStrickland said it will take discipline from the IU guards to play solid defense against Butler.\nIU and Butler may have the same record, but the rest of the numbers don't compare. IU averages 67 points a game while Butler averages 60.2. While IU holds opponents to an average of 73.3 points a game, Butler holds their opponents to 59.3.\nIU barely beats the Bulldogs in successful free-throw percentages with 72.9 compared to Butler's 70.9. \nIU counters with sophomore guard Bracey Wright and sophomore forward Sean Kline, who are carrying statistical streaks into Saturday's game. \nKline, who entered the year with a free-throw shooting percentage of 46.7 percent, has now sunk each of his last 10 free-throw attempts. He said he feels much more confident this year from the charity stripe.\n"Last year I got off on the wrong foot and had a rocky start from the line," Kline said. "Now I feel like they're starting to drop, and hopefully they'll continue to."\nWright is still IU's leading scorer and is averaging 21 points per game. Wright has made each of his last 15 freethrows and has a nine-game double-figure scoring streak dating back to last season.\nIU has statistically improved in some areas since their first game, but Strickland says there is still room for more improvement.\n"Our defense can still pick up," Strickland said. "And our offense and execution can pick up a lot."\nIU had a balanced offense in the Notre Dame game, with nine players scoring and 21 of the evening's points coming off the bench.\nKline said the game will be tough, and the key will be a disciplined defense.\n"They're very skilled, and they run their offense very well," Kline said. "It's going to take everyone playing a full 40 minutes."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.