LEXINGTON, Ky. -- IU coach Mike Davis could deal with the media people who said it was impossible. He could deal with the same fans who doubted him this week because they have been doubting him for the past 18 months. But he didn't like what he heard Wednesday from Duke.
Joseph Forte went to the NBA along with Brendan Heywood. Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers decided to stick with football. Head Coach Matt Doherty knew this season would be hard for North Carolina, considering what he lost from a team that fell to Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March. Plus, the Tar Heels have to run through the rugged ACC, which is loaded with No. 1 Duke and No. 5 Maryland among others.
INDIANAPOLIS- Senior Dane Fife sat with a stoic look on his face, looking straight ahead from the seat in front of his locker, and still in his uniform 30 minutes after the game against Iowa ended. Junior Kyle Hornsby was two lockers to Fife's right and in the same position.
SACRAMENTO - Sophomore Jared Jeffries joked with freshman Donald Perry, telling him to dive into press row for a loose ball. Senior Dane Fife wildly applauded every made free throw. IU coach Mike Davis' youngest son, Antoine, entertained girls sitting near the court. And Jeffries capped off the 50-minute workout Wednesday night with an alley-oop off the backboard to Jeff Newton for a reverse dunk. Their recent struggles in the post season still fresh in their minds, the fifth-seeded Hoosiers are not about to be intimidated at the thought of another early exit from the NCAA Tournament. Tonight, at a little after 10 p.m. Bloomington time, IU takes on 12th-seeded Utah in an opening round game in the South bracket at Arco Arena in Sacramento.
Junior forward Jeff Newton only had four points Saturday against Ball State. He also had seven rebounds. More importantly, Newton helped the Hoosiers take control of the frontcourt in their 74-61 win at Assembly Hall. With 9:32 left in the first half, Newton blocked the shot of Ball State junior forward Theron Smith. On the Cardinals' next possession, senior guard Patrick Jackson was about to go for a layup on a fast break before he saw Newton fill the lane. Watching Newton the whole way, Jackson had to settle for a 15-foot jump shot that he missed. The sequence set the tone for the rest of the game, with the Cardinals having to rely on jump shooting to keep them close. The Hoosiers (6-2) finished with 40 points in the paint. Ball State (5-2) had just 12. Along with sophomore forward Jared Jeffries and sophomore center George Leach, Newton and IU dominated the lane on both sides of the floor.
Wednesday night, the Hoosiers played zone defense, something they almost never do. Wednesday night, IU used a trapping press to try to disrupt Ohio State, a tactic the Hoosiers almost never use. The Hoosiers were playing for first place in the Big Ten last night, late in February, something it hasn't done for nearly a decade.
SACRAMENTO - Junior guard Tom Coverdale admits the Hoosiers were surprised when UNC-Wilmington knocked off USC in overtime Thursday night, 93-89, just before IU beat up on Utah. It's only natural there would be a little excitement, too, when you avoid playing the fourth seed and instead play the 13th-seeded Seahawks for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. But Coverdale and the Hoosiers' thoughts of looking ahead to IU's first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1994 were stopped when they took a closer look at UNC-Wilmington. "There wasn't much reaction because we we're trying to focus on Utah," Coverdale said of Thursday night. "I think we we're a little excited at first but then after watching the film we know we're probably playing the better of the two teams because they just totally outplayed USC.
Tom Coverdale doesn't know why, but there is something about playing against Notre Dame that brings out the best in him. Even when the game is on the line and the other team is trying to rattle him, Coverdale seems to like beating the Irish.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Before Sunday the Hoosiers had at least four players score in double figures in each of their last three games.
STATE COLLEGE, PA. -- The game plan for IU was obvious as soon as the game started Wednesday night at Penn State. On its first possession, IU went to Jared Jeffries. The Hoosiers did the same on their second possession. And the third. And on six of their next seven trips down the floor. By the time that stretch was over, IU had a three-point lead, with Jeffries scoring all nine of the Hoosiers' points as Penn State left one defender on him. Jeffries finished the half with 15 points and the game with 22 points in 27 minutes as the Hoosiers coasted to an 85-51 blowout victory in front of 8,674 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Solutions by The State News