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(02/09/09 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s leading scorer Devan Dumes has been suspended indefinitely by IU coach Tom Crean for his actions during the Hoosiers’ loss at Michigan State on Saturday.Dumes threw an elbow three separate times during Saturday’s game, received a flagrant foul and was ejected from the game.Immediately after the game Crean said he had not had a chance to look at what exactly happened and couldn’t comment on the situation.But in a press release Sunday evening, Crean called Dumes’s actions “unacceptable.”“A line was crossed that was unacceptable,” Crean said. “However, Devan is one of ours, and like with all of our players, we want them to learn and understand what it takes to be successful.”After being called for a foul the first time he swung his elbow, the referees looked at a play where Dumes elbowed Spartan forward Goran Suton below the waist. The officials did not give Dumes a flagrant foul then, but toward the end of the Hoosiers’ 75-47 blowout loss, Dumes threw another elbow the referees didn’t overlook.Dumes will travel with the team to Minnesota for its game Tuesday and will continue to practice throughout the suspension. The junior said he hopes to become a better leader for his teammates.“I truly regret my actions, and I will learn from this situation,” Dumes said in the statement.
(02/07/09 10:13pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>EAST LANSING, Mich. – A team as young as IU can be expected to lose its poise at times throughout the season. But on Saturday it was one of the more experienced Hoosiers who couldn’t control his temper. IU junior Devan Dumes was ejected late in the second half after receiving a flagrant foul for throwing an elbow towards a handful of Michigan State players. The ejection capped off a miserable day for Dumes – who finished the game with just five points – and the Hoosiers; who were blown out 75-47. IU coach Tom Crean worried about Michigan State’s fast break offense and the potential of his team falling behind early in front of a hostile crowd. The Hoosiers limited Michigan State to just three fast break points and held their ground at the start of both halves. But in the end, the Hoosier offense came up flat. IU (6-16, 1-9) stayed close early by limiting Michigan State to 39.4 percent shooting at the half. In addition to its defense, IU got to the free throw line 15 times and hit 12 in the first half to help negate its poor field goal shooting. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo credited IU for constantly changing defenses – something Izzo felt threw off the flow of his team early. “Indiana did a great job coming out with a different defense,” Izzo said. “They switched everything. I thought it gave us a little bit of problems.” Trailing by seven at the start of the second, the Hoosiers cut the deficit to three within the first minute. But the Spartans responded by going on a 13-1 run to effectively put the game out of reach. The combination of the conference leading Spartans (18-4, 8-2) finding their collective shot and the Hoosiers never having theirs turned the game into a blowout, as IU could only muster 21 second half points. Freshman Tom Pritchard said his team wasn’t assertive enough in trying to combat the stingy Spartan defense. “I don’t think they did anything special except for just pressure and we had to come out and be more aggressive,” Pritchard said. “That’s something we’ve got to work on.” The only real drama in the second half came courtesy of Dumes, who got away with elbowing twice before he got ejected. The off night for Dumes is just one game after he set a career high with 27 points against Iowa. Taking a cue from Crean, Pritchard and Verdell Jones had no comment on the teams leading scorer being ejected. “I’m sure people are wondering, I have not seen a clip of what happened at the end of the game,” Crean said. “So there’s no way I’m going to be able to comment right now. “ Despite the final score, Jones said the Hoosiers can take its competitive first half with the top team in the conference as evidence of their potential. Jones said the key is to play to that potential for an entire game, not just a half. “We got to tie 40 minutes together,” Jones said. “And if we do that I think we can beat any team in the country.”
(02/06/09 5:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A 20-point lead turned into three in the waning moments against Iowa, and the Hoosiers faced the prospect of blowing the lead for their 12th straight loss. IU needed someone to take a shot.Junior guard Devan Dumes came off a screen and did just that. Dumes’ 3-point bucket gave the Hoosiers a two-possession lead, one they wouldn’t relinquish.“Coach, he’s been preaching to us, ‘Keep fighting, keep fighting, your hard work is going to pay off,’” Dumes said after Thursday’s game. “And it paid off tonight.”Whenever a crucial offensive possession presents itself to IU, Dumes seems to be the one looking to shoot. “I’ve always been that type of player,” Dumes said. “I’ve never been scared. If I miss it, I miss it. If I make it, I make it.”Dumes’ play has caught the attention of many Hoosier foes. Ohio State guard Jon Diebler and Minnesota coach Tubby Smith both cited Dumes as a dynamic player. After torching Iowa for 27 points on 8-of-9 shooting, Hawkeye coach Todd Lickliter called Dumes’ performance “near perfect.”But Dumes was perhaps most noticeable this season when he wasn’t on the court. Last month at Illinois, Dumes came off the bench as penance for missing the team bus. The Illini blitzed IU early, and just when Dumes got in the game, he left – out with a sprained ankle. It was the first time in eight games Dumes didn’t score 10 or more points, and the end result was a 76-45 stomping by Illinois. Just three days later in Columbus, Ohio, a still-hobbling Dumes came back to play 32 minutes, but not at full strength. He only scored eight points in another blowout loss. “I really just wanted to be out here to show leadership,” Dumes said after the game against the Buckeyes, “and get out there and show my teammates I was there for them.” Since then, Dumes has appeared to have gotten his stroke back. He’s scored in the double digits the past five games, including scoring a then-career-high 26 points at Northwestern.If the Hoosiers hope to notch another conference win, Dumes will need to keep it up. IU travels to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend to take on the Spartans, whom IU coach Tom Crean said he believes are the top team in the conference. The road trip will start a string of games in which the Hoosiers will take on four ranked teams in five games. Placing more pressure on Dumes has been freshman Tom Pritchard’s recent struggles. Opposing teams have switched to more zone defense on IU as of late. That – along with Pritchard’s recent foul trouble – has resulted in the big man not scoring in the double digits the past three games.But as long as Dumes can shoot the ball the way he did against Iowa, IU will have a go-to scorer. After hitting that clutch 3, Dumes iced the game by hitting two free throws with 15 seconds left to put IU up three possessions.Freshman Nick Williams wasn’t surprised. “I knew the night Devan was having,” he said, “he wasn’t going to miss those free throws.”
(02/05/09 5:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All season long, IU has turned the ball over at an alarming rate.Not last night.Throughout the conference season, the Hoosiers have struggled to make big stops when they’ve needed it most.Not last night.Through eight conference games – no matter how big of a lead or how many fans were in Assembly Hall – IU was winless. Not anymore. The Hoosiers (6-15, 1-8) ended their 11-game skid by reversing a series of trends that has crippled them in previous games. From things as important as holding onto the ball to as extraneous as a new pre-game ritual, things were different against Iowa.One of the team’s biggest flaws has been turnovers, but after coughing it over three times in the first five minutes against the Hawkeyes, IU tied its season-low with just 11 total. Freshman Nick Williams said individuals tried to do too much early in the game. “We were holding the ball too much,” Williams said, “and trying to make a play instead of just swinging the ball and just playing basketball.”The team’s ability to hang on to the ball coupled with their defensive pressure resulted in scoring 11 more points off of turnovers than Iowa. Another Hoosier killer this season has been the squad’s inability to make a big defensive stop late in close games. But holding on to a four-point lead with less than 30 seconds to play, junior Devan Dumes intercepted a pass by Iowa sophomore Jeff Peterson to lead to an easy bucket that put the Hoosiers up by six. On the ensuing possession Williams stole the ball and passed it to Dumes, who was fouled and hit both free throws to close the door on any Iowa comeback attempt. Dumes – who in a similar situation against Northwestern committed a costly foul – acknowledged the importance of his steal.“It was huge,” Dumes said. “I mean, I knew he was going to try and pass it back. I didn’t really think he was going to shoot the three. Once he released it I knew I had to jump on it, and it was big.”Even some trends that favor the Hoosiers were reversed. For just the second time in conference play, IU was out-rebounded 32-30. Despite the final victory, Williams laughed off the idea that rebounding wasn’t an important aspect for his team. “I wouldn’t let Coach hear that,” Williams said. “Don’t let Coach hear that.”The changing of the guard even started before the game. For the first time all season junior Jeremiah Rivers did a pre-game dance in the team huddle that Williams thinks Rivers got from the movie “Elf.”With the end result of an IU victory, will Rivers do an encore performance? “No doubt,” Williams said. “No doubt.”All of the little adjustments the Hoosiers made added up to their first conference victory. IU coach Tom Crean admitted by changing its ways on the court – and changing its number in the win column – there will be a spring in his step tomorrow. “Tomorrow will be a little bit different feeling going in to work,” Crean said. “Everybody will be a little lighter.”
(02/04/09 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mired in an 11-game losing streak – tying for the longest in school history – fresh off an 0-for-January and still winless in the Big Ten, the Hoosier faithful, once whispering, now see those whispers evolving into an honest question.Will IU (5-15, 0-8) win another game this season?Statistically, tonight’s clash against fellow Big Ten bottom feeder Iowa will be one of the Hoosiers’ best chances to stop the streak.The Hawkeyes (12-10, 2-7) come into Bloomington riding a three-game slump themselves and after a 5-0 start have played under .500.The Hoosiers gave Iowa a run for its money in Iowa City, Iowa, in early January but ultimately fell 65-60.But the biggest IU killer during that game – Hawkeye senior Cyrus Tate – sprained his ankle during his very next matchup and hasn’t played since.If Tate is unable to play tonight, his 22-point, 11-rebound performance from the last time he faced IU will be tough for the Hawkeyes to regain.But Iowa’s recent struggles have nothing on what the Hoosiers have been through. Winless since Dec. 10, IU has crept closer to squeaking out a victory the last few games.Unfortunately for IU, something seems to always go wrong. In a narrow two-point loss at Northwestern, the Hoosiers couldn’t stop turning over the ball at pivotal moments.On Saturday against Ohio State, a bevy of questionable calls and a poor defensive outing prevented the team from pulling out the victory.Despite the bickering between IU players and the referees Saturday, Hoosier freshman Nick Williams insisted the lack of defense was the more pressing issue for his team.“We don’t really think about the referees. We just play ball,” Williams said. “Like I said, we have to play way better defense, and we can’t get relaxed knowing that this is a conference full of great players. We just have to be better.”Senior Kyle Taber agreed with Williams, tying the frustration shown on the court to the team’s desire to finally grab a conference victory.“We don’t really think about the losing streak, but yes, we do want to win,” Taber said. “I mean, that’s what we’re working for every day is the win. We know we’re right there. We just got to make a couple of adjustments every game, and we’ll be there.”One of those recent adjustments is an increase in 3-point attempts and conversions.On average this season, IU shoots 33.8 percent from behind the arc, but in their last three games, the Hoosiers have hit more than 50 percent from range, including a record-setting performance from freshman Matt Roth against Ohio State on Saturday.Roth hit 9-of-11 3s en route to a career-high 29 points. Though a repeat performance seems unlikely, Crean said if Roth continues to look for his shot both he and the team will continue to be effective.“It’s very important that he looked for his shot more,” Crean said of Roth, “because he makes it so much better for everyone else when he’s looking for his shot.”
(02/02/09 5:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As agitated as IU coach Tom Crean and the Hoosier fan base appeared toward the referees, the numbers don’t lie: The Hoosiers’ inability to stop Ohio State’s offense is what doomed them.Ohio State’s 93 points were both the most the team scored all season and the most points the Hoosiers have given up. The final score: 93-81.The Buckeyes (15-5, 5-4) shot over 50 percent from the floor in the first half, courtesy of Evan Turner, William Buford, Jon Diebler and Jeremie Simmons. Save two free throws, the four players were the Buckeyes’ only scorers.The assertive scoring from Ohio State cut its 12-point deficit down to just two at halftime.Ohio State greatly improved in the second frame. The Buckeyes made 16-of-21 baskets, 7-of-9 behind the arc in the second half. In total, the team shot 76.2 percent in the second half to coast to victory.Crean said Ohio State in particular has the ability to exploit the Hoosiers’ shortcomings. “We don’t match up real well with a lot of teams in this conference, but OSU, it comes out that much more,” Crean said. “That much more of a challenge for us, they have some really, really good players.”Trying to avoid a repeat performance of the game in Columbus, Ohio, Crean utilized a box-and-one defense to try to neutralize sharp-shooter Jon Diebler.But when IU went to the defensive set, the other Buckeyes were able to get easy buckets, and when they broke away, Diebler found open looks.“They have numerous ways to beat you on the court,” Crean said. “And that’s why you’ve got to keep throwing different things at them.”The biggest mismatch for IU (5-15, 0-8) was Turner. The 6-foot-7 sophomore played like a guard, and his combination of size and quickness overwhelmed the Hoosiers throughout the game.Turner matched IU freshman Matt Roth’s 29 points with 29 of his own – though his came with free-throw shooting and driving to the hoop rather than hitting nine 3-pointers as Roth did.Ohio State coach Thad Matta credited Turner’s offensive creativity for the sophomore’s big game.“ET was good at moving without the basketball,” Matta said. “He had a little bit of a size advantage sometimes or a quickness advantage at times just on matchups, and he did a pretty decent job getting inside the defense and also getting to the foul line. He’s pretty creative and crafty, and I thought the things that we were looking to run were pretty effective for him, putting him in a position to make plays.”IU senior Kyle Taber said he didn’t notice any major adjustments Ohio State made at the half – his team simply couldn’t stop the Buckeye playmakers.“They did a good job of penetrating, and we didn’t do a good job of containing Evan Turner and Buford,” Taber said. “They got some easy layups. I think if we controlled the dribble a little better it would have helped with their kick-outs and all the layups we gave up.”
(02/02/09 5:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As agitated as IU coach Tom Crean and the Hoosier fan base appeared toward the referees, the numbers don’t lie: The Hoosiers’ inability to stop Ohio State’s offense is what doomed them.Ohio State’s 93 points were both the most the team scored all season and the most points the Hoosiers have given up. The final score: 93-81.The Buckeyes (15-5, 5-4) shot over 50 percent from the floor in the first half, courtesy of Evan Turner, William Buford, Jon Diebler and Jeremie Simmons. Save two free throws, the four players were the Buckeyes’ only scorers.The assertive scoring from Ohio State cut its 12-point deficit down to just two at halftime.Ohio State greatly improved in the second frame. The Buckeyes made 16-of-21 baskets, 7-of-9 behind the arc in the second half. In total, the team shot 76.2 percent in the second half to coast to victory.Crean said Ohio State in particular has the ability to exploit the Hoosiers’ shortcomings. “We don’t match up real well with a lot of teams in this conference, but OSU, it comes out that much more,” Crean said. “That much more of a challenge for us, they have some really, really good players.”Trying to avoid a repeat performance of the game in Columbus, Ohio, Crean utilized a box-and-one defense to try to neutralize sharp-shooter Jon Diebler.But when IU went to the defensive set, the other Buckeyes were able to get easy buckets, and when they broke away, Diebler found open looks.“They have numerous ways to beat you on the court,” Crean said. “And that’s why you’ve got to keep throwing different things at them.”The biggest mismatch for IU (5-15, 0-8) was Turner. The 6-foot-7 sophomore played like a guard, and his combination of size and quickness overwhelmed the Hoosiers throughout the game.Turner matched IU freshman Matt Roth’s 29 points with 29 of his own – though his came with free-throw shooting and driving to the hoop rather than hitting nine 3-pointers as Roth did.Ohio State coach Thad Matta credited Turner’s offensive creativity for the sophomore’s big game.“ET was good at moving without the basketball,” Matta said. “He had a little bit of a size advantage sometimes or a quickness advantage at times just on matchups, and he did a pretty decent job getting inside the defense and also getting to the foul line. He’s pretty creative and crafty, and I thought the things that we were looking to run were pretty effective for him, putting him in a position to make plays.”IU senior Kyle Taber said he didn’t notice any major adjustments Ohio State made at the half – his team simply couldn’t stop the Buckeye playmakers.“They did a good job of penetrating, and we didn’t do a good job of containing Evan Turner and Buford,” Taber said. “They got some easy layups. I think if we controlled the dribble a little better it would have helped with their kick-outs and all the layups we gave up.”
(01/30/09 5:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Even with the season more than halfway through, the young Hoosiers are still experiencing firsts.Saturday will mark the first time IU will see a team for the second time this season when it faces the Ohio State Buckeyes. The first meeting between the two was a little more than two weeks ago when the Buckeyes embarrassed IU 77-53 in Columbus, Ohio.IU has shown signs of improvement in its three games since, but Ohio State coach Thad Matta and his team gave no bulletin board material for the Hoosiers to use as motivation for Saturday’s clash. Matta said he wasn’t looking forward to his trip to Bloomington, while Buckeye sophomore Jon Diebler sung the praises of the Hoosiers moments after scoring 17 points on them, shooting 5-for-8 from behind the 3-point line. “You’ve got to give Indiana a lot of credit,” Diebler said. “I think (Devan) Dumes is a good player, and they’ve got a lot of guys that play hard and they’re only going to get better. The one thing you’ve got to give them (is) respect.”IU continues to crash the boardsAlthough the Hoosiers have yet to win a conference game this season, they’ve yet to lose the battle on the glass. In its seven Big Ten matches so far, IU has out-rebounded its opponents five times and drew even twice. In total, IU has averaged more than five rebounds per game more than its conference opponents. In their last game against Northwestern, the Hoosiers pulled down 12 more boards than the Wildcats. Despite having one of the smaller teams in the conference, IU coach Tom Crean remains adamant the best chance his team has at breaking the long losing streak is to remain assertive on the glass. “If we can’t rebound the ball, we have no chance to compete,” Crean said. Rivers staying activeWhile many in Hoosier nation might already be looking ahead to next season, perhaps no one is looking forward to the 2009-10 campaign more than junior Jeremiah Rivers.Having to sit out a year due to his transfer, Rivers has been able to do nothing during games but sit back and watch his teammates struggle.“Game day is probably the toughest day,” Rivers said. “When you realize your team is getting geared up and ready and excited and playing basketball, it’s tough.”But that doesn’t mean he isn’t working.Rivers is still an active participant in practice, typically occupying the role of the opposing team’s most dynamic guard as a part of the scout team. Rivers said he has impersonated Minnesota’s Lawrence Westbrook and Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks, among others, in practice to help his teammates prepare for the real thing come game day.Recently, Rivers said he has tried to emphasize to his teammates not to let opponents take open shots.“I think part of it is an adjustment of them understanding that this is college b-ball, and we don’t really miss too much,” Rivers said. “We’ve got a lot of freshmen, and in high school you can back off and say, ‘Go ahead and shoot it,’ and they’ll probably miss it.”
(01/29/09 5:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first time all season, IU brought its intensity on the road, but for the 10th time in a row, it wasn’t enough. The Hoosiers dropped a heartbreaker to Northwestern 77-75 in Evanston, Ill. IU had the ball with five seconds left down by two, but turned it over for the 22nd time on the inbounds to seal its fate. “This was, like I said in the beginning, one of the most intense games I have ever been apart of,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “I’m really disappointed for my players that they didn’t get an opportunity to have that joy that they would have had from winning this game.”The turnover was the last in a back-and-forth affair that saw both sides squander large leads. Contrary to its typical road game, IU was the early aggressor and the one lighting it up from behind the arc. Two early threes from junior Devan Dumes started a 9-0 IU run.But Dumes was just getting warmed up. The shooting guard put on a clinic in the half, amassing 19 points in the first half to help IU match its highest first half point total – 39 – in conference play this season. Unfortunately for IU, some trends on the road stayed the same – namely turnovers. Northwestern shot the ball effectively to charge back in the game and tie the Hoosiers at the half. “At the end of the game, you know, I wouldn’t change anything,” Crean said. “We just didn’t execute the way that we wanted to.”After a bizarre start to the second half in which the shot clocks malfunctioned, Northwestern tried to bury IU early. The Hoosiers were helpless to stop the Wildcat offense and fell behind by as many as 11. But like the mantra on the back of the free T-shirts given to fans against Minnesota, the Hoosiers never gave up. Improving from its last game, IU got to the free-throw line early and often in the half and slowly clawed back to bring the game back to within one possession. With 6.6 seconds left, Dumes hacked senior guard Craig Moore on the drive to send him to the free-throw line. Moore hit both free throws to put the Wildcats up by two before IU got the ball back with a chance to win. Verdell Jones committed a turnover to end the game.“I haven’t coached forever,” Crean said, “but I’ve coached long enough to know what the great games are for intensity, and that was one of them.” - Sports editor Ryan Gregg contributed to this report.
(01/28/09 4:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In all his years of basketball, IU coach Tom Crean has never gone through a losing streak quite like the one his Hoosiers are experiencing.After failing to notch a win in two straight home games, Crean and the Hoosiers (5-13, 0-6) must go back on the road Wednesday with a nine-game losing streak in tow to take on Northwestern (10-7, 2-5). Reminiscing about previous years, Crean said the longest losing streak he remembered was five game as an assistant under Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.“I’m not wishing that on anybody,” Crean said. “But I’m not going to get discouraged with it, either. We’ll come back and get after it.”But getting after it and ending the streak are two different things. And although they only have a 2-5 record in conference, the Wildcats – usually at the bottom of the Big Ten – have proved more than pesky against some of the upper-echelon teams in the Big Ten. Northwestern barely lost to Purdue before upsetting ranked Minnesota and shocking then-No. 7 Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. Leading Northwestern coach Bill Carmody’s motion offense is junior forward Kevin Coble. Hoosier fans might remember Coble for torching IU last season in Evanston, Ill., for 37 points.While the 6-foot-8 Coble figures to cause all sorts of matchup problems for IU, junior guard Devan Dumes said he thinks the Xs and Os of the game are secondary to the attitude the team needs to bring to road games. “It’s a mindset,” Dumes said. “We just got to bring the home crowd with us and just think about it and stay focused down the stretch. That’s all it is.” Easier said than done.The Hoosiers are winless on the road this year, and their last two road games have been over in a hurry. At Illinois, IU fell behind 21-2, and at Ohio State it fell behind 33-10. Freshman Broderick Lewis, whom Crean has turned to for some energy off the bench as of late, predicts the tide will turn as long as the team continues to have strong practices. “The road games are coming,” Lewis said. “We just got to stay confident within ourselves like we do at home and just keep going hard in practice. When we have a good week of practice, we have a good game, so that’s what we need to keep doing.”While there are many things IU does need to constantly address in practice, one flaw in particular that has plagued the team on the road has been lazy defense.Crean said the team needs a “slap the floor” mentality and cannot allow teams to stop the Hoosiers’ momentum. But in IU’s last two road games, the opposition has put on a shooting clinic. Both the Buckeyes and Illini shot better than 50 percent from behind the arc. Northwestern shoots just 38 percent from 3-point range, and in Evanston, Ill., Crean hopes his team can end both trends of getting lit up for 3 and losing. “Believe me. We want to win,” Crean said. “But as coaches, we’ve all had big wins. We want these players to experience and see the positive results.”
(01/26/09 4:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A near sell-out crowd in matching T-shirts, a Verdell Jones half-court basket and an early eight-point lead weren’t enough to stop IU’s losing streak on Sunday.The Hoosiers (5-13, 0-6) dropped their ninth game in a row to Minnesota, 67-63. The game came down to the Golden Gophers’ (17-3, 5-3) ability to execute down the stretch and IU’s inability to do so.Trailing 66-63 with 21 seconds left, the Hoosiers had the ball and a chance to tie the game. But after a timeout the team looked uncertain, eventually settling for junior Devan Dumes’ long 3-point attempt that rimmed out as Dumes clasped a hand to his face.IU coach Tom Crean said the initial plan was to try and get a 2-point basket to keep the pressure on Minnesota or find freshman Matt Roth for an open 3-point look. But the Golden Gophers’ defense prevented IU from executing. “We wanted to score two at that point if it was there on the cut,” Crean said. “And if it wasn’t, then flow right in and get the roll layup or throw back for the 3. Matt (Roth) never really got open on those last two screens.” Minnesota sophomore Paul Carter sealed the game after coming down with the rebound and making a free throw to put the Golden Gophers up by four. The sequence will be the lasting memory, but several of the Hoosiers’ bad habits resurfaced to get them to that point.IU’s 16 turnovers numbered six more than its assists, and the team’s 52.4 percent free-throw shooting was actually worse than its 3-point percentage for the game. Except for Dumes, who made 5-6 from the line, the Hoosiers were just 6-15 from the charity stripe, hindering any chance of pulling off the upset. Crean said he doesn’t want to get frustrated over the team’s free-throw shooting woes, and that the squads’ execution in practice is much better than on game day.“Our numbers, and most coaches are going to say the same thing, the numbers that we chart in practice would astound you,” Crean said. “But it’s also at an empty Assembly Hall.”The result spoiled strong efforts from Dumes and freshman Malik Story. Dumes led the team in scoring with 19 points while Story went from playing only three minutes in the last game to tallying 14 points on Sunday, many of which came down the stretch to keep the Hoosiers in the game.Crean said the past week was the first time he got a sense his team believed they belonged in the Big Ten, something Story said started at the beginning of the week.“Especially after our first practice,” Story said. “Practice was crazy. It was real hard. We went hard for a long time.”But now IU takes its nine-game losing streak back on the road, where there will be no white outs, flags or familiarity. Only Northwestern, looking to keep the Hoosiers winless away from Bloomington and bring their losing streak to double digits, awaits them.Dumes says despite what’s happened, IU will be ready.“We played tough all week, and we’re going to continue to play like that,” Dumes said. “I know we’re on a (nine-)game losing streak, but nobody’s head is down.”
(01/25/09 9:35pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A near sellout crowd all donning the same t-shirts, a Verdell Jones half-court basket and an early eight-point lead weren’t enough to stop IU’s losing streak.The Hoosiers (5-13, 0-6) dropped their ninth game in a row, this one against Minnesota 67-63. The competitive game throughout came down to the Golden Gophers’ ability to execute down the stretch; and IU’s inability to.Trailing 66-63 with 21 seconds left, the Hoosiers had the ball and a chance to tie the game. But after a timeout, the team looked uncertain of what to do with the ball, eventually settling for junior Devan Dumes’ long 3-point attempt with a hand in his face that rimmed out.Minnesota sophomore Paul Carter sealed the game after coming down with the rebound and making a free throw to put the Golden Gophers up four.The result spoiled strong efforts from Dumes and freshman Malik Story. Dumes led the team in scoring with 19 points while Story went from only playing three minutes last game to tallying 14 points, many of which came down the stretch to keep the Hoosiers in the game.
(01/25/09 9:29pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A near sellout crowd all donning the same t-shirts, a Verdell Jones half-court basket and an early eight point lead weren’t enough to stop IU’s losing streak. The Hoosiers (5-13, 0-6) dropped their ninth game in a row to Minnesota 67-63. The competitive game throughout came down to the Golden Gophers (17-3, 5-3) ability to execute down the stretch; and IU’s inability to. Trailing 66-63 with 21 seconds left, the Hoosiers had the ball and a chance to tie the game. But after a timeout the team looked uncertain of what to do with the ball, eventually settling for junior Devan Dumes’ long three point attempt with a hand in his face that rimmed out. IU coach Tom Crean said the initial plan was to try and get a two point basket to keep the pressure on Minnesota, or find freshman Matt Roth for an open three point look. But the Golden Gophers defense prevented IU from executing. “We wanted to score two at that point if it was there on the cut,” Crean said. “And if it wasn’t then flow right in and get the roll lay-up or throw back for the three. Matt (Roth) never really got open on those last two screens.”
(01/23/09 5:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a respectable 20-14 inaugural season at Minnesota last academic year, former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith’s Golden Gophers are off to an impressive 16-3 start and look to be on their way to the NCAA tournament.Smith, along with second-year Michigan coach John Beilein and Iowa second-year man Todd Lickliter, follows a trend of vast improvement among Big Ten coaches in their second seasons.In their collective first seasons, those Big Ten coaches compiled a record of 110-105; in their second seasons, they went a combined 149-76.With all three current second-year coaches safely above .500, the numbers will likely increase at season’s end, and at least one conference coach believes Tom Crean will also continue the trend next season.“He’s got guys who appear to be buying into what he’s doing,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “And from his days at Marquette, it works.”Still looking for sparksTrying anything to break the streak, Crean has switched up his lineup of late to give some players a little more time on the court and some players a little bit less.Freshman walk-on Broderick Lewis has recently seen some of those extra on-court minutes. Lewis, who didn’t play at all in eight of the first 14 games, has had his minutes gradually increase in the past three, up to a season high of 16 against Penn State.Conversely, freshman fan-favorite Matt Roth has started to lose some time on the court. Roth went from playing over 30 minutes against Iowa and Michigan to less than 10 the past two games.Also losing time has been freshman Malik Story, who played a season-low three minutes against the Nittany Lions.“I think today proved it. We have got to continue to look at any point in time for somebody that can give us a spark,” Crean said after the Illinois game, “for somebody that can give us momentum.”AD will hold office hoursWeeks before officially taking over as athletics director, Fred Glass began brainstorming how he could be successful. One of the first things he said he thought of was to be more accessible to the student body. Taking a page out of any professor’s playbook, he will hold office hours.“Having office hours was my idea because one of the things I wanted to do was create a sense of accessibility and give students true accessibility,” Glass said. “Thinking back to my days on campus, faculty had office hours.”Glass took his idea to various student-run organizations. His original plan was to hold them literally at his office at Assembly Hall, but Glass said his student advisors collectively told him it would be better to be closer to central campus.Glass plans to meet again with the same group of students Friday to set a specific time and place for his office hours, but said the plan will be flexible and subject to change as it goes along.“I want to do what the kids want to do,” he said.
(01/16/09 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Just 10 days will have passed between IU’s last home game against Michigan and its upcoming contest against Penn State 6 p.m. Saturday night.But after the results of the two road trips in between – in which IU was knocked out early to Illinois and Ohio State by a combined score of 153-98 – being back in Bloomington can’t come soon enough for the Hoosiers. “I know it seems like we’ve been gone a lot more,” Crean said after the team’s loss to Ohio State. “We need to go home and get locked into what we do.” Junior guard Devan Dumes, who sprained his ankle during the Illinois game, said the two road routs have taken their toll. “Mentally, it’s tough,” Dumes said. “But I mean, we’ve got to keep fighting.” The next fight for IU (5-11, 0-4) comes against Penn State and sophomore star Talor Battle. The point guard leads the Big Ten in scoring with 18.9 points per game and leads his team in assists with 5.5 per game.Battle and senior guard Stanley Pringle will try to replicate the blueprint Ohio State and Illinois used to take out the Hoosiers, namely a barrage of early 3-pointers. Pringle and Battle shoot 50 percent and 41 percent from behind the arc, respectively. Illinois guard Trent Meacham and Ohio State’s Jon Diebler were both able to get open early and drain threes.Crean said if the Hoosiers hope to stop their longest losing streak since 1964, they need to come out swinging – or at least defending. “We’ve just got to continue to understand that we’ve got to come out ready for a fight from the very beginning,” Crean said. “Where we have to be more committed to the backboards, more committed to the next pass and things of that nature.”But IU can’t devote all of its attention to guarding the perimeter. Balancing the Penn State attack is senior forward Jamelle Cornley. Though a small forward at 6-foot-5, Cornley shoots 50.7 percent from the floor and is the team’s leading rebounder. Even though IU has given up easy 3s, the Hoosiers out-rebounded the Illini and Buckeyes. “For us to compete in these games, we have got to be in the rebounding game,” Crean said.Freshman Verdell Jones said the team can’t settle for moral victories. “We’re still focused on winning games,” Jones said. “We’ve got to learn from these experiences and keep getting better.”
(01/14/09 5:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, Ohio – Overwhelmed, undersized and facing another opponent firing on all cylinders, the IU men’s basketball team lost again Tuesday night.Ohio State dismantled IU (5-10, 0-4), 77-53, for the Hoosiers’ seventh consecutive loss. This marks the team’s longest losing streak since 1964.Much like their game at Illinois last Saturday, the Hoosiers fell far behind early, unable to stop Ohio State’s 3-point barrage. Although IU contained Ohio State’s leading scorer, Evan Turner, who spent much of the first half in foul trouble, the Buckeyes still hit 11-of-16 from behind the arc in the first half, including 5-of-6 from sharpshooter Jon Diebler.IU coach Tom Crean acknowledged that his team needs to come out ready from the beginning of every game, but he said he believes the best way to prepare his team for early runs from IU’s opponents is to stay the course in practice.“We’ve just got to continue to do what we’re doing,” Crean said. “We’ve just got to stay completely on track, add and delete what we can, see what gets us better and continue to absolutely stay positive. And make sure we’re pointing out the things that cause you to lose.”Freshman guard Verdell Jones, who was one of just two Hoosiers in double-digit scoring, said the psyche of the team in road games needs to change for them to be successful away from Bloomington.“I think it’s mental,” Jones said. “We’ve got to come in and understand with each other that we’re going to come down to fight. We’ve got to buckle down and get stops, but we didn’t do that today.”Despite the Buckeye surge, the Hoosiers weathered the 3-point storm early and cut the Buckeyes’ lead to 15-10 before things turned ugly. Ohio State reeled off an 18-0 run to all but end the game.In the second half, the Hoosiers halted the Buckeyes’ 3-point threat, only to see the Ohio State big men start to get their points.Leading the Buckeyes to several easy looks was crisp passing – Ohio State had 23 assists to 28 total field goals made.Ohio State point guard Jeremie Simmons, who notched a career-high eight assists, said his team can be dominant when the teammates rotate the ball.“When we move the ball, we can get any shot we want and get a lot of open looks,” Simmons said.This is the second game in a row that the Hoosiers have witnessed impressive ball movement from the opposition. While Crean said his teams might never be great assists teams because of his goal to try to drive the ball and get to the foul line, his team can still learn from the clinic the Buckeyes put on Tuesday.“Absolutely,” Crean said when asked whether he can use Ohio State’s performance as an example of how to be successful. “There’s so many different things. It’s not down to basketball. It could be football – it could be any sport.”
(01/14/09 2:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, Ohio – Facing another opponent firing on all cylinders, Ohio State dismantled IU for the Hoosiers seventh loss in a row by a score of 77-53. This marks the team's longest losing streak since 1964.Much like the game at Illinois, the Hoosiers were helpless to stop Ohio State's three point barrage. Although IU contained Ohio State's leading scorer Evan Turner, the Buckeyes still hit 11-16 from behind the arch in the first half, including 5-6 from sharp shooter Jon Diebler.Enabling the Buckeyes easy looks was crisp passing – Ohio State had 15 first half assists and 16 made field goals.Weathering the three point storm early, IU's offense and penetration kept the game competitive and cut the Buckeyes lead to 15-10 before things turned ugly. Ohio State reeled off an 18-0 run to all but end the game.Making matters worse for the Hoosiers was the squads nasty habit of turnovers - IU continued to turn the ball over at an alarming rate with seven in the first half. IU tried to mount a comeback in the second from but didn't have enough, as Ohio State sparred back and forth to keep the game easily in check and never threatened to relinquish the lead.
(01/13/09 5:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the season progresses and losses continue to mount for the Hoosiers, IU coach Tom Crean has often said the main problem with a young team is the lack of a true leader. When things have gone south, as they did against Illinois on Saturday, Crean said the Hoosiers need to find a confident player to help guide the squad out of slumps.Complicating matters even more for Crean is the uncertainty of the status of junior Devan Dumes, one of the more confident shooters on the team. Dumes left the Illinois game with a sprained ankle, and Crean said the team is in wait-and-see mode for Tuesday’s battle against Ohio State. “We’ll have to see how it goes tomorrow,” Crean said. “If (Dumes) doesn’t look pretty good during our walk-through ... I would find it hard to believe that he will be able to contribute for us.”If Dumes can’t play, Crean mentioned freshman Nick Williams as the type of player he envisions taking on more of a leadership role. After the loss to Illinois, an upset Williams said the team needs players to step up to stop the current losing streak, and that he can be one of those men. Hoosier big man Tom Pritchard said he has lately noticed a more assertive Williams in the team’s practices.“I think leaders are starting to emerge,” Pritchard said. “We need guys to step up, like Nick, who I definitely see some improvement with him from practice. He’s been getting on some guys so it’s been really good.” Stopping a 3-point specialistComing off the heels of Illinois sharp shooter Trent Meacham lighting up the Illini with seven 3s Saturday, the Hoosiers must contend with another one of the conference’s more prolific 3-point shooters in Buckeye sophomore Jon Diebler.Diebler has made 38.9 percent of his 3s this year and is the second leading scorer for Ohio State. Crean said part of the reason for Diebler’s success is the Buckeyes’ balanced offense, but recognized the importance of paying close attention to Diebler.“Meacham didn’t earn many baskets against us. With that being said, he made shots but we didn’t make him earn them,” Crean said. “That’s what you have to do in a game like this. We’ve got to be very, very attached to Jon Diebler, no matter what defense we’re in.”Pritchard’s homecomingMuch like how freshman Verdell Jones got to play in front of his hometown Saturday in Champaign, Ill., Pritchard will return to his home state of Ohio.“It’s going to be great,” Pritchard said. “I’m really excited about it.” Pritchard said he’s matched up against a couple of the players on the Buckeye roster and scouted Ohio State freshman William Buford as the toughest Buckeye he faced during his high school days.“He really drove the ball against my high school team,” Pritchard said, “and our guards were kind of struggling with him.”
(01/12/09 5:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Similar to the blowout at Kentucky, the Hoosiers were all but finished moments into their contest at Illinois, falling behind 21-2 just seven minutes into the game, en route to a 76-45 shellacking. But unlike the highlight reel after highlight reel of dunks the Wildcats used to humiliate the Hoosiers, the Illini instead took advantage of the 3-point line.In total, Illinois went 13-of-25 from 3-pointers, nine of those in the first half. “You always do pretty good when you make shots,” Illinois senior Trent Meacham said.Meacham led the Illini’s 3-point attack with seven total – five in the first half.IU freshman Nick Williams said Illinois is a great shooting team but added a big reason for its productivity was because of a poor defensive effort from the Hoosiers. “I felt like they couldn’t miss,” Williams said. “And it was because we didn’t challenge their shots, and we didn’t follow the game plan.”IU coach Tom Crean said part of the strategy was to play back on Illini guards Meacham, senior Chester Frazier and sophomore Demetri McCamey, a tandem who through two games in the Big Ten season had 34 assists and just two turnovers. Crean said the team couldn’t afford to overplay them, but playing off helped allow the Illini to get open jumpers. “It was not going to be in our best interest to come out and chase them around and allow them open passes to the basket,” Crean said. “We weren’t aggressive enough and they got confidence.”Meacham said his team’s ability to rotate the ball around resulted in the many open 3-point looks the team had and negated the different types of defensive looks the Hoosiers threw at Illinois.“We pushed the ball and we moved, and we were able to get some good shots and knock them down and we just found the hot hand,” Meacham said. “We do that no matter what defense teams are playing. It’s going to be tough.”Freshman Verdell Jones, who played in front of his hometown, agreed with Crean. He said IU had a good game plan heading into Saturday but didn’t match Illinois’ intensity.“We had all the scouting reports down and everything,” Jones said. “But we came out and lacked energy.”When junior Devan Dumes left the game with an injured ankle, Williams took it upon himself to be more assertive, prompting Crean to yell at his bench, wanting effort from the entire team.Williams said he thinks he can step up as the season progresses and said others on his team will as well to help stop getting crushed on the road.“Of course we’re tired of losing,” Williams said. “And I think it hurts more because we know we could’ve played better.”
(01/09/09 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last time IU traveled to Champaign to take on Illinois, the game was one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year. Led by then-coach Kelvin Sampson and freshman star Eric Gordon, the Hoosiers played in front of a volatile Illini crowd.When IU won, it boosted its record to 19-3 while Illinois dropped to 2-9 in conference play. Just 11 months later, things have dramatically changed, but the bitterness across the border remains. Although Sampson has been exiled from college basketball and Gordon has moved on to the NBA, Illinois coach Bruce Weber continues to add fuel to the rivalry between IU and U of I. In June, during a 2008 Fighting Illini Meet and Greet Tour, Weber gave his take on what the upcoming Big Ten season would look like. “The league should be wide open, and we can be right in the middle of it,” Weber said. “I do know one thing, though. I think Indiana will suck.” Whether or not Weber’s prediction will result in another heated affair in Champaign remains to be seen, but both squads could certainly use a victory. Both the Illini (13-2, 1-1) and the Hoosiers (5-9, 0-2) come into Saturday after losses to Michigan. But Illinois’ loss came in Ann Arbor and snapped a seven-game winning streak. The Hoosiers blew a 20-point second-half lead at home and extended their losing streak to five games. The Illini boast a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging more than 10 points a game, led by sophomores Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis. McCamey torched IU last season at Illinois with 31 points, while the 6-foot-9 Davis is averaging 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The Hoosiers, on the other hand, will once again play on the road, where they have struggled mightily so far, losing by 25 points at Wake Forest and 18 at Kentucky. IU coach Tom Crean said his Hoosiers need to recover quickly from their tough loss to Michigan, but insists they have progressed lately. “There’s a laundry list of what we’ve got to improve upon,” Crean said. “But we are improving.”IU freshman Nick Williams, whose play has improved recently, agrees with Crean that the team has played better since the New Year.“We believe in each other,” Williams said. “I saw it in guys’ eyes that even though we lost, we still played together, and I feel like earlier in the season a couple of guys would stray away and try to do their own thing.” After the loss to Michigan, Crean said he recently watched an old regular-season game on ESPN Classic between his 2003 Marquette team against rival Louisville. That year Marquette advanced to the Final Four. Crean said watching his old team gave him a morale boost about the future of his current one. “In two minutes my whole mood was perked,” Crean said Wednesday. “We’re going to get back to being in a couple of those games, but it doesn’t help tonight.” Given the recent history between Indiana and Illinois, Crean may be back in a game of that intensity sooner than expected.