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What to watch for this weekend in Hoosier athletics.

Guards getting better in Big Ten

The general wisdom surrounding Tom Crean at Marquette suggested he was a coach guards would love. His up-tempo, drive-and-kick system created lots of open looks for shooters and assists for passers, creating legends such as Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and the impressive backcourt trio he left in Milwaukee to take the reins at IU.

IU starts slow, finishes strong to defeat Penn St.

For most of the game it looked as though the Hoosiers might drop their second consecutive conference game. But IU found a way to come from behind to beat Penn State 65-55 on Thursday.

IU takes on Ohio State on Saturday

Fifty days ago, the United States didn’t have a black president, the Arizona Cardinals were still dwindling in mediocrity and an outfielder on IU’s baseball team was spotlighting as Tom Crean’s sixth man.A lot has changed since the Hoosiers (5-14, 0-7) last won a game.After Wednesday’s heartbreaker to Northwestern, Crean and his players have lost 10 in a row. The team’s most recent victory came Dec. 10 against TCU. Back then, the Hoosiers were above .500, and few saw a losing streak of this magnitude in IU’s headlights.But since then reality has slowly set in. Facing unprecedented challenges, the Hoosiers have performed much like you would expect a team facing unprecedented challenges would, losing in blowouts and squeakers, Big Ten battles and non-conference gimmes.

Buckeyes offer no bulletin board incentive

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.

From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, famed quarterbacks meet in XL Super Bowl

In June 2006, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback “Big” Ben Roethlisberger sat hospitalized, reeling from a collision with a Chrysler New Yorker on a downtown Pittsburgh street.

Hoosiers hope to best Penn State

After Sunday’s loss to Illinois, 61-52, the IU women’s basketball team will look to get back on track today. The Hoosiers (14-4, 7-2), tied for second place in the Big Ten, welcome Penn State (8-10, 3-5) 7 p.m. Thursday at Assembly Hall.

IU star named Player of the Week

Katya Zapadalova not only dominates singles and doubles for IU, but she is also taking over the Big Ten.

Training day

Jeff Watkinson, IU’s strength and conditioning coach, has had the Hoosiers exchange many team dinners for team breakfasts. In his third year as the basketball team’s fitness expert, Watkinson has a point guard’s feel for the kind of bad nutritional habits college students often adopt.

Hoosiers drop 10th straight, face Buckeyes on Saturday

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. PODCAST: Hoosier Headlines

One more lesson

“Heartbreaking” would be an appropriate adjective. So would “gut-wrenching.” But like anything else the Hoosiers do this season that doesn’t involve sleep or food, this two-point loss presents a great lesson: Every single possession counts.

Reshaping women’s basketball

Most coaches hate road games. However, IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she doesn’t mind them.

A columnist’s notebook for you

The IU men’s basketball team heads up to Northwestern tonight, and while I’d love to regale you with witty repartee that would surely cut you all to the collective quick, well, frankly, I’m just not that good.

Sampson appeals NCAA punishment

Kelvin Sampson wants to return to college basketball in the next five years. That much is apparent from the Indianapolis Star’s report that the former IU coach has appealed the punishment the NCAA levied on him two months ago.

Crean: I’m not discouraged with team

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.

Super arrivals: Cardinals and Steelers in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla.  — The pilot of their airplane stuck a team flag out the cockpit window as the Arizona Cardinals landed in a place few could have imagined. Ever.A team whose fans haven't touched ground since the start of a stunning postseason run in early January, arrived in the Super Bowl city Monday. With many players videotaping the proceedings — the walk across the tarmac, the bus ride to the team hotel, the first onslaught of media — it was clear that just being here meant something to a franchise long considered an NFL doormat.

HPER introduces slam dunk contest

Track twins celebrate academic success

To some, being a student is much more important than being an athlete.

Don’t punish the victors

Winning must not really be everything.That’s what we learned two weeks ago when two Texas high school girl’s basketball teams squared off in a game that ended with the Covenant School topping Dallas Academy 100-0.

Stepfather became part of recruit’s success

Michael Morgan has always been there for his stepson Maurice Creek. They bonded through basketball early on, whether it was Morgan doing drills with Creek out on “the hill,” watching him play at the elementary school or pitting him against older kids at the local rec center. “If it weren’t for him working me out, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Creek said in a phone interview last week.