First Place on the Line

2/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

February 18, 2002

Indiana and Ohio State will do battle to break the tie for first place in the Big Ten for the second time this season. Both teams will hit the Assembly Hall court with identical 9-3 conference marks on Wednesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. The two teams met earlier this year at Value City Arena tied atop the Big Ten at 4-0.
The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN-Plus and can also be heard live throughout the IU Radio Network with Don Fischer, Todd Leary and Joe Smith.

Inside the Series
This is the 161st meeting between Indiana and Ohio State. The Hoosiers own a 93-67 edge in the series and hold a 52-22 mark in Bloomington. IU is 24-4 against the Buckeyes but Ohio State has won the last two meetings in the Hall.

The Big Ten
Current Standings W-L Home Away
1. Indiana 9-3 5-1 4-2
Ohio State 9-3 6-0 3-3
3. Wisconsin 9-5 6-0 3-5
4. Minnesota 7-5 5-1 2-4
Illinois 7-5 5-1 1-4
6. Michigan St. 6-6 3-2 3-4
Northwestern 6-6 4-2 2-4
8. Michigan 5-8 4-3 1-5
9. Iowa 4-9 4-3 0-6
Purdue 4-9 4-3 0-6
11. Penn State 3-10 3-4 0-6

Tuesday's Action
Iowa at Wisconsin 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday's Action
Ohio Srate at Indiana 7:00 p.m.
Penn State at Illinois 8:00 p.m.
Purdue at Northwestern 9:00 p.m.
Thursday's Action
Minnesota at Michigan State 7:00 p.m.
Saturday's Action
Minnesota at Penn State 12:17 p.m.
Michigan at Iowa 7:00 p.m.
Illinois at Northwestern 2:31 p.m.
Purdue at Ohio State 8:00 p.m.
Sunday's Action
Indiana at Michigan State 12:00 p.m.

Big Ten Home Court Dominance
Indiana is 8-1 at home this season, including a 5-1 mark in Big Ten play. They own an all-time mark of 21-3 with a Big Ten mark of 11-2 under Head Coach Mike Davis.
The Hoosiers own an all-time mark of 224-42. They lost their last game at Assembly Hall last week to Wisconsin. The last two IU dropped back-to-back Big Ten home games came in 1999 when it fell to Purdue and then Ohio State eight days later.

Back in the Race for the First Time Since 1993
The last time Indiana found itself in the race for the Big Ten crown this late in the season came back in 1993 when the Hoosiers last won the Big Ten Championship. Indiana and Ohio State are the only two teams that control their destiny with respect to winning the conference crown outright and after this game, just one team will control its own destiny.

What Everyone Has Remaining
Indiana and four other teams are vying for the Big Ten crown. The Hoosiers have two games on the road and two at home down the stretch.
Indiana at Home (2) Indiana on the Road (2)
Ohio State at Michigan State
Northwestern at Illinois
Ohio State at Home (2) Ohio State on the Road (2)
Purdue at Indiana
Michigan State at Michigan
Wisconsin at Home (1) Wisconsin on the Road (0)
Michigan
Minnesota at Home (2) Minnesota on the Road (2)
Northwestern at Michigan State
Illinois at Penn State
Illinois at Home (2) Illinois on the Road (2)
Penn State at Northwestern
Indiana at Minnesota

Blowing Teams Out
Indiana's nine victories in Big Ten play have come by a combined total of 168 points (18.7 points per game), the most dominating numbers in school hisoty. Here is a comparison of average margins of victory over the last five year since the Big Ten went to a 16-game schedule.
Year Big Ten Wins By Average
2002 9 168 18.7
2001 10 139 13.9
2000 10 143 14.3
1999 9 59 6.6
1998 9 121 13.4

Looking to Tie Another School Record
Indiana has won four Big Ten road games this season which tied a school record since the conference went to a 16-game schedule. A win today would tie the school mark for conference wins in a season since the advent of the 16-game league schedule.

Over 75 Points Means Victory
Indiana has won its last 28 games dating back to the 1999-2000 season when it scores over 75 points. Over that same time span the Hoosiers are 12-30 when scoring 75 points or less.

Holding Teams Under 60 at Home
During Head Coach Mike Davis' tenure the Hoosiers have allowed 60+ points in Big Ten action at Assembly Hall just four times in 14 games. Michigan State and Wisconsin are the only teams to do it this season. Prior to Davis' arrival the opposition had scored 60+ points at Assembly Hall in 14 of the previous 15 games.

Defense Wins Championships
The defense has made the difference in Indiana's nine conference victories.
Opponent FG Defense Points Allowed
at Michigan 18-48 (.375) 55
Iowa 19-58 (.328) 51
Purdue 17-51 (.379) 52
Illinois 23-63 (.365) 57
Michigan State 23-52 (.442) 65
at Iowa 24-51 (.471) 66
Penn State 19-49 (.388) 54
at Penn State 17-51 (.333) 51
at Northwestern 17-50 (.340) 44
Average in Wins 177-473 (.374) 55

Indiana's three losses in Big Ten play have come by a combined total of 20 points (6.7 points per game). Here are the defensive numbers in the Hoosiers' Big Ten losses this year.
Opponent FG Defense Points Allowed
at Ohio State 28-57 (.491) 73
at Minnesota 32-58 (.552) 88
Wisconsin 27-56 (.482) 64
Average in Losses .509 75

Strong Defensive Halves
Fourteen times this season the Hoosiers have held their opponent to under 10 field goals in a half this season.
Opponent Half Opponent Shooting
Michigan 2 8-23 (.348)
Louisville 2 9-32 (.281)
Iowa 1 8-28 (.286)
Purdue 1 7-26 (.269)
Illinois 2 9-30 (.300)
Penn State 2 7-27 (.259)
Penn State 2 7-22 (.318)
at Northwestern 2 9-28 (.321)
at Northwestern 1 8-22 (.364)
vs. Butler 2 9-25 (.360)
vs. E. Washington 1 9-23 (.391)
at Miami 2 8-25 (.320)
vs. Marquette 1 8-29 (.276)
at Charlotte 2 9-23 (.281)

The Big Ten's Most Valuable Player
Even though Jared Jeffries numbers were not big at Michigan he still showed why he is the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player. Hobbled by an ankle injury, Jeffries was going to rest the second half against the Wolverines but when Michigan cut a 16-point Indiana lead to just nine Jeffries told Coach Davis he wanted to back into the game. His leadership on the floor helped the Hoosiers regain a 16-point lead before he took a seat back on the bench.
Jeffries in Big Ten Wins
Opponent FG Pts Reb Asst Stl Blk
at Michigan 2-3 4 2 2 2 1
Iowa 4-10 13 7 5 1 5
Purdue 11-19 26 12 2 0 3
Illinois 5-10 13 11 5 3 1
at Penn State 10-15 22 13 1 3 1
at Iowa 9-13 26 7 1 1 1
Michigan State 5-10 21 8 7 0 6
Penn State 3-10 17 8 1 4 3
at Northwestern 8-14 17 4 2 2 1
Bold indicates career high

Jeffries Among the Elite in the Nation
Jared Jeffries has been listed on nearly every midseason All-America list and has been racking up early honors.
 Listed as one of the top 20 Naismith Award finalist.
 Listed as and one of 30 candidates for the Wooden Award.
 Earned NABC All-District honors.
 One of 13 finalists for the US BBall Writers Player of the Year
 CNNSI.com named him to All-America first team.
 The Sporting News named him to All-America first team.
 CBS's Clark Kellog named him to All-America first team.
 Dick Vitale named him the top sophomore in the country.
 Dick Vitale selected him on his All-Versatility team.

Odle's Run Has Him Among Big Ten's Best
Jarrad Odle is making the most of his senior year and may have played his way into All-Big Ten contention. He has tallied double digits in each of the team's last four games, including a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds against Louisville.
Odle has tallied 210 points this year and entered this season with 228 points in his first three seasons. He has also pulled down 124 rebounds this season and had 169 during his entire three previous seasons. He currently ranks third in the Big Ten in rebounding with sseven boards per conference game.
Last Three Big Ten Games Points Rebounds
at Michigan 17 6
Wisconsin 12 11
Iowa 13 12
Last Three-Game Totals 42 29
This Seasons Big Ten Totals 114 84

Odle's First Three Seasons
Freshman Year Big Ten Totals 10 6
Sophomore Year Big Ten Totals 35 28
Junior Year Big Ten Totals 24 23
First Three Years Big Ten Totals 69 57

IU Could Be First in History with Three in a Row
Indiana could become the first school in Big Ten history to have three different players lead the League in scoring in three consecutive years. Jared Jeffries currently ranks second in the conference in scoring. IU boasted the top scorer each of the last two years in A.J. Guyton (21.6 in 2000) and Kirk Haston (20.3 in 2001). The last Big Ten school to boast the top scorer in three straight years was Purdue from 1968-70, when Rick Mount led the way three consecutive seasons.
If Jeffries regains his scoring lead, he would also become the youngest player to lead the League in scoring since Ohio State's Michael Redd topped the Conference as a freshman in 1998 with 22.0 points per game.

Hornsby Shots Himself into the Record Books
Kyle Hornsby was a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range at Michigan tying the school record for three-point accuracy in a game (Keith Smart, 1987). He netted a career-high 17 points and scored 11 straight IU points at one point helping the Hoosiers turn a nine-point lead into an 18-point advantage.
Hornsby, like any long-distance shooter, has been a streak shooter at times this season.
Opponent Field Goals Three-Pointers Points
at Michigna 6-7 5-5 17
Wisconsin 0-4 0-4 0
Iowa 5-6 5-6 15
at Minnesota 3-5 2-4 10
Purdue 2-5 0-2 6
Illinois 5-9 5-8 15
at Penn State 2-5 1-3 5
at Ohio State 2-6 1-1 5
at Iowa 4-9 3-4 11
Michigan State 3-4 2-3 8
Penn State 1-7 0-6 2
at Northwestern 3-8 3-7 9

Quietly Becoming one the Big Ten's Best
Tom Coverdale has positioned himself for All-Big Ten first team honors this season. He ranks in the top ten in more statistical categories than any other guard in the conference.
Not only has he been scoring and running the Hoosier offense but he has also shut down some the guards that he will be competing with for All-Big Ten honors.
Coverdale on the Defensive End
Frank Williams (Illinois) 4-of-13, 11 pts (0 in the 2nd half)
Willie Dean (Purdue) 1-of-9, 4 pts
Coverdale on the Offensive End
Michigan State 22 pts, 8-of-10, 6-of-8 from three
Illinois 16 pts, 5-of-9, 4-of-7 from three
at Penn State 13 pts, 4-of-5 from three, 9 assts, 0 turnovers
Wisconsin 17 pts, 7 assts
at Minnesota 19 pts, 6-of-13
at Iowa 15 pts, 6 assts

New Hoosier Leaders in Big Ten Stat Categories
Jared Jeffries leads the way in both scoring and blocked shots while teammate Tom Coverdale tops all conference players in assists. The last Hoosier to lead the Big Ten in blocks was Dean Garrett in 1988 while no IU player has topped the league in assists.
Big Ten's Best Defender Showing Offense
Dane Fife, a frontrunner for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging nine points per game this year, five points more than his career average heading into this, his senior season. He has hit the 20-point plateau three times and has scored in double digits 11 times this year, thanks in part to his improved three-point shooting.
The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year candidate, has also held strong on the other end of court just ask Luke Recker who tallied 20 points on 8-of-23 (.347) shooting.
Fife on the Defensive End
Reece Gaines (Louisville) 17 points 6-19 shooting
Luke Recker (Iowa) 8 points 3-10 shooting
Maynard Lewis (Purdue) 3 points 1-7 shooting
Cory Bradford (Illinois) 4 points 1-7 shooting
Luke Recker (Iowa) 12 points 5-13 shooting
Winston Blake (Northwestern) 5 points 2-9 shooting
Matt Carroll (Notre Dame) 0 points 0-7 shooting
Jobey Thomas (Charlotte) 13 points 5-14 shooting
Fife in Scoring in Double Digits
This Year 11 times 3 20-point games
Junior Year 3 times 0 20-point games
Sophomore Year 5 times 0 20-point games
Freshman Year 2 times 0 20-point games
Fife From Three
This Year 44-89 .494
Junior Year 19-62 .295
Sophomore Year 5-22 .227
Freshman Year 9-37 .243

Newton Providing Spark off the Bench
Jeff Newton has been a key part of the Hoosiers success as he has provided a lift from the bench. He has scored 85 points in Big Ten play and blocked 26 shots in just under 20 minutes of action per game. Newton netted 93 points in his first two Big Ten seasons and blocked 30 shots a freshman and 26 as a sophomore.
Opponent Points Rebounds Blocks Minutes
at Michigna 17 5 3 23
Wisconsin 8 4 6 29
Iowa 4 4 3 19
at Minnesota 9 7 2 19
Purdue 4 4 3 14
Illinois 5 5 1 19
at Penn State 7 4 1 15
at Ohio State 0 2 0 16
at Iowa 4 8 0 18
Michigan State 9 4 0 25
Penn State 10 7 3 20
at Northwestern 4 8 4 24

A Career Day
Kyle Hornsby, Jeff Newton and Jarrad Odle all tallied 17 points at Michigan. For Hornsby it was a career-high while Newton tied his and Odle set a new Big Ten mark.

Jeffries Could be First Triple Crown Winner
Jared Jeffries has a chance to become the first Big Ten player to lead the league in scoring, blocked shots and rebounds in a single season since before 1983, when blocked shot totals are unavailable.
Jeffries is second in the league in scoring and blocked shots currently second in rebounding.

Moye's Surge
A.J. Moye has scored 51 points and pulled down 33 rebounds in the Hoosiers last nine games. The previous 10 games saw Moye score just 27 points and pull down 30 rebounds.

Spreading the Wealth
Seven different players have led in scoring in a game this season. The last six games have seen five different Hoosiers lead the way offensively.
Opponent Leading Scorer
at Michigan Odle, Newton, Hornsby, 17
Wisconsin Tom Coverdale, 17
Louisville Jarrad Odle, 25
Iowa Kyle Hornsby, 15
at Minnesota Tom Coverdale, 19
Purdue Jared Jeffries, 26

Wins Over the Last Two Seasons
Indiana ranks third in Big Ten victories during Head Coach Mike Davis' tenure.
Team Conference Wins since 2000 Big Ten Season
Illinois 20
Ohio State 20
Indiana 19
Michigan State 19
Wisconsin 18
Minnesota 12
Iowa 11
Penn State 10
Purdue 10
Northwestern 9
Michigan 9

10+ from Coverdale, Fife and Jeffries
Indiana is 7-0 this season when Dane Fife, Tom Coverdale and Jared Jeffries all score in double digits. .
Opponent Coverdale, Fife, Jeffries
Iowa 35 points
Illinois 49 points
at Penn State 45 points
at Iowa 52 points
Michigan St. 57 points
Ball St. 52 points
vs. Texas 50 points

Leach Back into the Rotation
George Leach suffered an ankle injury on the jump ball in the Big Ten opener at Northwestern. He was slowed by the injury and saw action in just nine minutes scoring zero points in the team's first five Big Ten games. In the last seven games he is has played 66 minutes and scored 30 points.
Leach in Big Ten Play Minutes Points Rebounds Blocks
First Five Games 9 0 1 0
Last Five Games 66 30 21 6

Three-Point Breakdown
10+ Threes in a Game (8-1)
Illinois-W 17-27 School record for threes in a game
Alaska-Anchorage-W 16-24 Second most threes in IU history
Michigan State- W 14-26 Ten first half threes
Texas-W 11-21 Seventh most threes in IU history
Iowa-W 11-23 Eight second half threes
Eastern Washington-W 10-16
Iowa- W 10-20 Nine first half threes
Minnesota-L 10-24
Total 89-181 (.491)
7-9 Threes in a Game (3-1)
Butler-L 9-16 Seven first half threes
at Michigan-W 9-15 5-8 in the second half
North Carolina-W 9-26 Nine first half threes
Notre Dame-W 7-17
Northwestern-W 7-19 5-9 in the second half
Total 41-83 (.494)
5-6 Threes in a Game (4-2)
Ohio State- L 6-14
Wisconsin-L 6-15
Ball State-W 6-20
Louisville-W 5-11
Penn State-W 5-12
Charlotte-W 5-14
Total 33-76 (.434)

Less than 5 Threes in a Game (2-4)
Penn State-W 1-14
Miami-L 1-15
Kentucky-L 3-17
Marquette-L 4-20
Southern Illinois-L 4-18
Purdue-W 4-14
Total 17-98 (.173)

Bench Scoring
Indiana's bench has scored 440 points this season, an average of nearly 17.6 per game.
Bench Scoring Total Leader
at Michigan 23 Newton, 17
Wisconsin 18 Moye, 10
Louisville 14 Moye, Newton, 6
Iowa 16 Moye, 8
Minnesota 19 Newton, 9
Purdue 20 Moye, 6
Illinois 20 Moye, 11
Penn State 28 Leach, 9
Ohio State 8 Newton, 4
Iowa 6 Newton, 4
Michigan State 10 Newton, 9
Penn State 14 Newton, 10
Northwestern 20 Odle, 16
Butler 10 Newton, 6
E. Washington 24 Moye, 7
Kentucky 25 Odle, 12
Miami 27 Coverdale, 16
Ball State 27 Coverdale, 19
Notre Dame 22 Coverdale, 11
Southern Illinois 17 Newton, 11
North Carolina 33 Coverdale, 17
Texas 18 Coverdale, 11
Marquette 12 Odle, 8
Alaska-Anchorage 36 Odle, 14
Charlotte 14 Leach. 8

Starting Lineups
Game Starters Points
Michigan (W)) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 52
Wisconsin (L) Leach, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 45
Louisville (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 63
Iowa (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 63
Minnesota (L) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 55
Purdue (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 50
Illinois (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 68
Penn State (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 57
Ohio State (L) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 59
Iowa (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 71
Michigan St. (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 73
Penn State (W) Jeffries, Odle, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 47
Northwestern (W) Jeffries, Leach, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 39
Butler (L) Jeffries, Leach, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 54
E. Washington (W) Jeffries, Leach, Coverdale, Fife, Hornsby 62
Kentucky (L) Jeffries, Newton, Moye, Coverdale, Fife 27
Miami (L) Jeffries, Leach, Fife, Perry, Hornsby 26
Ball State (W) Jeffries, Leach, Fife, Perry, Hornsby 47
Notre Dame (W) Jeffries, Leach, Fife, Perry, Hornsby 54
So. Illinois (L) Jeffries, Leach, Moye, Coverdale, Fife 43
No. Carolina (W) Jeffries, Leach, Moye, Fife, Perry 46
Texas (W) Jeffries, Leach, Moye, Fife, Perry 59
Marquette (L) Jeffries, Newton, Hornsby, Coverdale, Fife 37
Alaska-Anch. (W) Jeffries, Newton, Hornsby, Coverdale, Fife 65
Charlotte (W) Jeffries, Newton, Hornsby, Coverdale, Fife 51

Fife Chasing Alford for Steals Record
Dane Fife has taken sole possession of second place on IU's all-time career steals list. Fife has bumped his total to 162, 16 less than leader Steve Alford.
1. Steve Alford 178 1984-87
2. Dane Fife 162

13-1 When Jeffries Drains a Three
Jared Jeffries has connected on 22 three-pointers this season hitting for .431 from behind the arc. Last year he hit just 12 threes shooting .245 from long range. Five times this year he has connected on 2+ three-pointers and the Hoosiers have won all five games. In fact when Jeffries hits a single three Indiana is 13-1 this season and 19-4 all-time.

Big Ten's Block Leader
Indiana leads the conference in blocked shots averaging over six blocks per game. At this current pace the Hoosiers would swat away 174 shots this regular season. The all-time school mark of 178 blocks was set last year.
Jeff Newton continues to climb the all-time block list at IU.
3. Dean Garrett 192 1987-88
4. Jeff Newton 152

Breaking Records From Beyond the Arc
Indiana set a Big Ten and school record when the Hoosiers connected on 17-of-27 from three-point range against Illinois. The Hoosier hit nine threes in the first half and had eight more in the second half. Here is how the Hoosiers shot from long-range in the 31-point win over Illinois:
Player 3Pt Shooting Total Points
Dane Fife 6-7 20
Kyle Hornsby 5-8 15
Tom Coverdale 4-7 16
Jared Jeffries 1-2 13
A.J. Moye 1-3 11

Jeffries' Career Projections
Jared Jeffries is on pace to put up career numbers never seen before in Indiana history. He has indicated that he may have one more year with the Hoosiers and has intentions of attempting to graduate in three years before heading to the NBA. But, if Jeffries stays in Bloomington for four years here are the numbers that he is on pace to post.
Stat Total IU Rank
Points 2,077 5th
Rebounds 912 5th
Steals 199 1st
Blocks 153 4th
Assists 250 20th
No player in the 101-year history of Indiana Basketball has ranked in the top five in points, rebounds, steals and blocks.

What the Rankings Tell Us
Last season, Indiana was never ranked in the polls but a high RPI got it a four seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year the Hoosiers have been ranked on and off, but no higher than 20th. The RPI has the Hoosiers ranked 16th (tops in the Big Ten) as they own the third toughest schedule in the country. Collegerpi.com slates Indiana as a number three seed in the NCAA Tournament at this point in the season.
Date USA Today/ESPN Associated Press
2/18 23rd
2/11 24th 22nd
2/4 RV RV
1/28 25th RV
1/21 RV RV
1/14 RV 25
12/17 RV RV
12/10 24 21
12/3 RV RV
11/26 24th RV
11/19 20th 20th
11/12 20th 22nd
11/5 21st 22nd

Scoring in the Last 5:00
Jared Jeffries leads the Hoosiers in scoring in the final 5:00 of games as he has 54 points during that window.
Player Points Free Throws
Jeffries 54 29-36
Coverdale 49 21-24
Moye 27 13-19
Fife 26 8-11
Leach 18 2-4
Odle 18 6-7
Hornsby 14 2-2
Newton 13 4-4
Perry 9 5-7
Tapak 9 1-2
Johnson 3 0-0

Career Double Digit Scoring
Player No. of 10+ point games IU Record
Jeffries 50 35-15
Coverdale 38 27-11
Newton 23 17-6
Fife 22 15-7
Hornsby 22 17-5
Odle 9 6-3
Moye 7 5-3
Leach 1 0-1

Career Double Digit Rebounding
Player No. of 10+ rebound games IU Record
Jeffries 11 8-3
Odle 4 3-1
Newton 2 1-1
Hornsby 1 1-0
Leach 1 0-1
Moye 1 1-0

Comparing Halves
Most Points, half 1st: 48, Minnesota, Michigan State
2nd: 57, Alaska-Anchorage
Fewest Points, half 1st: 20, Southern Illinois
2nd: 20, Kentucky
Most Pts. Allowed, half 1st: 40, Wisconsin
2nd: 51, Minnesota
Fewest Pts. Allowed,half 1st: 15, Purdue
2nd: 19, Northwestern
Best FG%, half 1st: .652, Michigan State
2nd: .595, Alaska-Anchorage
Worst FG%s, half 1st: .258, Southern Illinois
2nd: .208, Penn State
Best Defensive FG%,half 1st: .269, Purdue
2nd: .259, Penn State
Worst Defensive FG%,half 1st: .586, Wisconsin
2nd: .636, Southern Illinois