Penn State Notes

1/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

January 31, 2005

Bloomington, Ind. - Indiana will return to the friendly confines of Assembly Hall, when the Hoosiers face Penn State (7-13, 1-6 Big Ten) on Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. EST. The game will be played at Branch McCracken Court in Assembly Hall (17,456) in Bloomington, Ind.

This contest marks just the 25th meeting between Penn State and Indiana, and the Hoosiers currently own a 22-2 advantage in the series. IU has taken two consecutive games and 14 of the last 15 contests played between the two schools.

Most recently, Indiana defeated Penn State, 75-56, in University Park, Pa. on Feb. 11, 2004. Bracey Wright led IU with 25 points on the night, while Marshall Strickland added 17 points to the cause.

Wednesday night's contests marks the 12th time the Nittany Lions have ventured into Assembly Hall. Penn State has never won in Bloomington, going 0-11 all-time.

Each Indiana basketball game can be heard live on the IU Radio Network. WHCC (105.1 FM in Bloomington) is the flagship station for the network that has more than 50 stations broadcasting Hoosier basketball all season long. Don Fischer (play-by-play), former Indiana guard Todd Leary (color commentary) and Joe Smith (pregame, halftime and postgame host) call all of the action.

The game will be televised on ESPN Plus, and is the 13th of 16 games the Hoosiers will have on ESPN Plus. Wayne Larrivee will do play-by-play, while John Laskowski will handle the color commentary.

Scouting Penn State
Penn State (7-13, 1-6 Big Ten) enters the Indiana game having lost 11 of its last 13 contests, including two consecutive. Most recently, the Nittany Lions dropped a 76-50 decision to the No. 18/19 Wisconsin Badgers. PSU was led by junior forward Aaron Johnson who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. In fact, Johnson has led the team in rebounds in all but six of his team's 20 games this season
The Nittany Lions have three players averaging double figures. Johnson leads the way in points, rebounds and assists, averaging a double-double with 13.9 points,10.7 boards and 1.7 assists per contest. Freshman forward Geary Claxton has been impressive during his rookie season, contributing 12.1 points and 6.4 boards a game. Junior forward Travis Parker also adds double figures to the cause, coming in with 11.9 points per game. Penn State arguably had its most impressive win of the season on Jan. 22, taking a hard-fought 65-62 win over Northwestern. The Nittany Lions are 1-4 in road games this season, including 0-3 in Big Ten play.

The Series vs. Penn State
Saturday's contest marks the just the 25th meeting between Penn State and Indiana - the fewest games IU has played against any Big Ten team. The Hoosiers currently own a 22-2 advantage in the series, including taking wins in two of the last three contests. The Nittany Lions snapped a 12 game losing skid to the Hoosiers with a 74-66 win on March 8, 2003 in University Park, Pa. Indiana rebounded taking the next two contests, including a 75-56 win on Feb. 11, 2004 at Penn State.
The Hoosiers have never lost to Penn State in Bloomington, taking all 11 contests played in Assembly Hall. However, this will mark the first time the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers will tangle in Bloomington since Jan. 8, 2003 when IU defeated PSU, 78-65.
Below is a look at a few facts between the two teams:
SERIES FACTS
Last Meeting: Indiana 78, PSU 65 (University Park on 2/11/04)
Indiana at Home: 11-0
Indiana at PSU: 9-2
IU vs. PSU on Neutral Court: 2-0
Last Indiana Win: 75-56 (2/11/04)
Last IU Win At PSU: 75-56 (2/11/04)
Last PSU Win: 74-66 (3/8/03)
Last PSU Win At Indiana: Never
Most Points IU Scored vs. PSU: 105 (W, 105-57, 1/9/93)
Most Points PSU Scored vs. IU: 95 (L, 95-98 (OT), 1/31/99)
Current Overall Streak: Indiana W2 (W11 at home)

Calling For an Encore
Freshman forward D.J. White has scored 23 points in back-to-back games on the road at Minnesota and Iowa last week. The last person to score 20 or more points in three consecutive games was Bracey Wright who achieved the feat during his freshman campaign. Wright scored 21 points in three consecutive contests against Iowa (March 1), Minnesota (March 4) and at Penn State (March 8) in 2003. Ironically, if White achieves the feat, he will do it against the same three teams.

Dynamic Duo
Junior guard Bracey Wright and freshman center D.J. White are proving that they can be a tough tandem for opponents to deal with. Over the last six contests, four of which were Indiana wins, the twosome have averaged 37.9 points and 11.5 rebounds. On the season, the duo combines for 32.7 points, which is tied with Purdue's Carl Landry (18.9) and David Teague (13.8) for the best combination in the Big Ten, and 9.8 rebounds per contests.

Freshman Of The Year?
Several preseason newsstand publications tabbed Indiana's D.J. White as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and the 6-9 forward is certainly living up to expectations. Over the last two contests, White has averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on the road at Minnesota and Iowa. Among Big Ten freshmen in all games, White is first in scoring (14.1), blocked shots (2.17) and in field goal percentage (.567), second in rebounding (5.3) and third in free throw percentage (.773).

Wright At The Line
The difference between an Indiana win or loss may depend on how many times Bracey Wright reaches the charity stripe. Thus far on the season, Wright is shooting .754 from the free throw line.
In games won by the Hoosiers, The Colony, Texas, native has averaged almost eight trips to the free throw line. However, he is getting to the line 5.7 times per contest in nine IU losses.
As a team, in nine Indiana victories, the Hoosiers have made an average of nearly 26 trips to the free throw line. Compare that to the nine losses, where the average is 16 trips to the free throw line.

Taking The Lead
Indiana coach Mike Davis is counting on junior guards Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland to help the Hoosiers snap their two-game losing streak, and the veteran duo has had success against Penn State in the past. Wright is averaging 17.5 points per game against the Nittany Lions, while Strickland has 13 assists and six turnovers in his career against PSU.

Offensive On The Boards
Indiana outrebounded Iowa, 31-27, marking only the fourth time this season the Hoosiers have grabbed more boards than their opponents. Additionally, IU collected 15 offensive boards - the third-highest total on the season. The Hoosiers grabbed a season-best 19 offensive boards against North Carolina and 16 against Western Illinois.

Vaden At The Line
Although he is just three free throws away from qualifying for the league statistical minimum, Robert Vaden's .846 free throw percentage would rank as the fourth-best in the Big Ten. This also ranks as the fourth-best single-season freshman effort in school history.
Free Throw Percentage (50 Att. Minimum)
Steve Alford 1983-84 .913 (137-150)
Jay Edwards 1987-88 .908 (69-76)
A.J. Guyton 1996-97 .851 (80-84)

Double Figure Streak Still Going
Indiana freshman D.J White has now reached double figures in 12 consecutive games dating back to the Missouri contest and 15 of 18 games this season. He is approaching the single-season record for freshman who score in double figures for consecutive games and total games in a season. Most recently, he tied Jared Jeffries streak of 12 consecutive games in double figures set in 2000-01. Below is a look at both records:
Consecutive Games
Mike Woodson (1976-77) 18
Bracey Wright (2002-03) 14
Jay Edwards (1987-88) 14
Calbert Cheaney (1989-90) 13
D.J. White (2004-05) 12
Jared Jeffries (2000-01) 12
Season Total
Jared Jeffries(2000-01) 29
Calbert Cheaney (19889-90) 27
Bracey Wright (2002-03) 25
Isiah Thomas (1979-80) 24
Steve Alford (1983-84) 23

70-The Magic Number
During the Mike Davis Era, Indiana is 61-10 when it scores at least 70 points in a game. However, the Hoosiers are looking for more productivity in their offense. Indiana has scored 70 or more points just four times this season, compared to an average of 16 times in the previous four seasons.

The Glassman
Sophomore forward Pat Ewing Jr. has provided a rebounding lift off the bench. He has 16 rebounds in his last three games, compared to a total of four rebounds in the previous four games.

White Hot
Indiana freshman D.J. White leads the team and ranks fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.567). This is the best single-season effort by a Hoosier since Alan Henderson shot .595 in 1994-95. It is also on pace to be the third-best single-season freshman effort in IU lore.
White has been more productive in Big Ten games, hitting .583 (42-of-72) from the floor. This is fifth in the league behind Purdue's Carl Landry (.667) and is the best effort by a Big Ten player since the Boilers' Steve Scheffler hit .767 (115-of-150) in 1990.
White compensated for a 6-of-17 field goal shooting performance at Iowa by hitting a career high 11 of 13 free throws. This marked the first time that White shot less than .500 from the floor since the Dec. 11 Kentucky game, and just the fourth time in 18 games this season.

Three-Point Specialist
A.J. Ratliff currently leads Indiana in three-point field goal percentage (.429, 12-of-28). If he maintains this pace, he will become the first freshman to lead IU in three-point field goal percentage since Calbert Cheaney (.490 in 1989-90).

Role Reversal
Freshman forward D.J. White has been the go-to guy as of late, which is a change from the team relying on junior guard Bracey Wright as the Hoosiers have done for most of the season. Over his last four contests, White leads Indiana with 19.3 points, while also contributing 5.0 boards per game. However, it is Wright who leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per contest, while also collecting 17.0 ppg over the same span. During the four-game stretch, the duo combines for 36.3 points of the 62.8 points per game average.

Three Amigos
Over the last four contests, D.J. White (19.3 ppg) Bracey Wright (17.0 ppg) and Robert Vaden (10.8 ppg) have been proving a tough trio to stop. Over that span, they have combined for 188 of the team's 251 points. That equates to 75.0 of the team's 62.8 points per game average.

Home Sweet Home
With a victory over Ohio State on Saturday, the Hoosiers are now 7-3 at Assembly Hall this season. Additionally, IU is shooting .410 from the floor and outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 3.6 points (64.1-60.5).
The win moves the program to only four wins shy of reaching the program's 400th victory in the facility. In its 33rd year of service for the men's basketball team, IU has an all-time record of 396-63, which averages out to 12 wins and just 1.7 losses annually.

The Wright Stuff
Junior guard Bracey Wright continues to show why he is considered one of the top players in not only the Big Ten, but in the country. Recently coming off his eighth 20-point performance this season and 30th of his career in the, 67-60, win over Ohio State on Jan. 22, Wright is second in the Big Ten in scoring with 18.6 points per game. The last Hoosier to lead the Big Ten in scoring was Kirk Haston who did so in 2001 (20.3 ppg). In fact, over his last six contests, Wright has averaged 20.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, while also leading the team in assists (3.7/game), steals (1.2/game), points and rebounds during that stretch.

Comeback Kids
After not coming back from a halftime deficit to win a game on 17 consecutive contests, the Hoosiers did so in two occasions against Purdue (Jan. 15) and Michigan (Jan. 19). It marked the first time since the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Nov. 26 and 27, 2002 that Indiana has won consecutive games despite trailing at the half. On Nov. 26, 2002, Indiana trailed Gonzaga, 36-35 before coming back to win, 76-75. On Nov. 27, the Hoosiers trailed Virginia, 33-32 at intermission before coming back to win the EA Sports Maui Invitational title.

Freshmen Fab Four
The freshmen class has lived up to its billing during the 2004-05 season. D.J. White, Robert Vaden, A.J. Ratliff and James Hardy are showing why they were each highly recruited coming out of high school. In six Big Ten games, the foursome has averaged 35.4 of the Hoosiers' 64.6 points and 15.3 of the 31.0 rebounds per game. Those numbers account for 55 percent of the scoring and 49 percent of the rebounding.
They are also found among the freshmen leaders in the Big Ten stats. As of Jan. 30, D.J. White led all freshmen in scoring (14.1), blocked shots (2.17) and field goal percentage (.567) and ranks second in rebounds (5.3). Vaden ranks second in free throw percentage (.805) and steals (1.50) and third in scoring (9.8) and rebounding (4.8). Ratliff was also seen throughout the freshmen stats, ranking second in three-point percentage (.414), sixth in rebounding (2.9) and ninth in scoring (5.1). Overall, a Hoosier freshman is in the top three in every category except for assists.

Freshmen Taking Over
The Hoosiers have arguably one of the top freshmen classes in the nation. D.J. White, Robert Vaden and A.J. Ratliff are key reasons why Indiana has won seven of its last 10 contests. Each player started the 10 games and combined to average 33.6 points and 16.7 rebounds over the stretch. This effort accounts for 51 percent of the team's scoring and 52 percent of the rebounding.

One, Two, Three...CHARGE!
For the season, Indiana has drawn 26 charges for an average of 1.5 per game. A.J. Ratliff and Patrick Ewing lead the team with five drawn charges, while Ryan Tapak has four charges on the year. Below is a breakdown of which players have drawn offensive charges on the season:
Name Charges Drawn
A.J. Ratliff 5
Pat Ewing 5
Ryan Tapak 4
Bracey Wright 3
Sean Kline 3
Errek Suhr 2
Mark Johnson 1
Mike Roberts 1
Rod Wilmont 1
Robert Vaden 1
Totals 26

Did You Know...
Below is a few things to take into consideration over the last several games for Indiana:
 Mike Davis has a penchant for kicking the new year off in winning fashion. During his head coaching career, he has a 26-14 (.650) record in the month of January. This year, Davis finished 5-3 during the month.
 Over the last four contests, freshman forward D.J. White leads the team in scoring (19.3 ppg), while Bracey Wright leads the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg).
 In Big Ten play, Indiana is the only team to have two players among the top eight in scoring. Bracey Wright leads the team with 18.3 ppg in conference games which ranks fourth, while D.J. White's 16.9 ppg in Big Ten games is sixth.
 As a team, IU has averaged 67.3 points in its nine victories; however, in its nine defeats, the Hoosiers have scored just an average of 59.4 points.
 The Hoosiers' defense has been impressive this season. As a team, IU only allows its opponents to shoot an average of .408 from the floor. That number ranks second in the Big Ten and ranks 34th in the country according to the most recent NCAA stats (1/17).