Indiana University Athletics
Big Ten Game Notes
3/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2005
Bloomington, Ind. - Indiana (15-12, 10-6 Big Ten) will open Big Ten Tournament play as the No. 4 seed, and will take on No. 5-seeded Minnesota (20-9, 10-6) on Friday, March 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET. The winner will face play top-seeded and top-ranked Illinois on Saturday, March 12.The Hoosiers and Golden Gophers split their season series, with each team winning at home. Minnesota took a 70-65 decision in Minneapolis on Jan. 26. Indiana returned the favor, beating the Gophers, 71-56, in Bloomington on Feb. 12.
This marks the first time the two teams have ever faced one another in the Big Ten Tournament.
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 nationally-televised on ESPN. Brent Musberger will do play-by-play, while Steve Lavin will handle the color commentary and Erin Andrews is the sideline reporter.
Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota (20-9, 10-6 Big Ten) enters the Indiana game having won four consecutive and seven of its last 10 contests, including two consecutive road victories at Purdue and at Penn State). Most recently, the Golden Gophers defeated Penn State, 73-69, in College Station. Vincent Grier led Minnesota with 27 points, while Brent Lawson added 14.
Grier leads the Gophers, and ranks third in the Big Ten with 17.9 points, while also contributing 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. Senior center Jeff Hagen is the only other player on the team to average double figures, contributing 11.5 points, while also leading the team in rebounds per game (6.1). Freshman Dan Coleman (8.6) and senior Aaron Robinson (8.0) each contribute over eight points a game to the cause. Robinson leads his team with 2.8 assists and hitting .400 from behind the arc.
The Series vs. Minnesota
Saturday's contest marks the 147th meeting between Minnesota and Indiana. The Hoosiers currently own an
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The two teams have never met in the Big Ten Tournament. Below is a look at a few facts between the two rivals:
SERIES FACTS
Last Meeting: Minnessota 70, Indiana 65 (Minneapolis on 1/26/05)
Indiana at Home: 54-18
Indiana at Minnesota: 30-43
IU vs. UM on Neutral Court: 0-0
Last Indiana Win: 86-81 (OT) (1/24/04)
Last IU Win At Minnesota: 86-81 (OT) (1/24/04)
Last Minnesota Win: 70-66 (1/26/05)
Last Minnesota Win At Indiana: 73-71 (2/18/04)
Most Points IU Scored vs. Minnesota: 105 (W, 105-104 1/27/62)
Most Points Minnesota Scored vs. IU: 108 (W, 108-89 1/28/90)
Current Overall Streak: Minnesota W2 (W1 at IU)
Hoosiers Split With Gophers
This year, Indiana and Minnesota split its season series, with both teams capturing wins on its home floor.
Indiana defeated Minnesota, 71-56, in Assembly Hall on Feb. 12. IU began the second half on a 10-0 run and never looked back. The Hoosiers defense held Minnesota to just 32 percent shooting (17-of-53) and 14 percent on 3-point attempts (3-for-14), as well as forced 15 Gopher turnovers. Offensively, Indiana shot 50 percent for the game (22-of-44), including 62 percent from outside the arc (8-of-13). Indiana was led by freshman A.J. Ratliff and sophomore Pat Ewing Jr., who both collected 15 points, while freshman Robert Vaden added 14.
It was a reversal in Minnesota on Jan. 26, as IU fell 70-65, despite a career-best 23 points from freshman D.J. White. IU trailed by one, 31-30, at the half, as the teams combined for five ties and 10 lead changes in the first 20 minutes of play. However, Indiana hit just one of its first 11 shots to start the second stanza, while Minnesota ran off a 16-2 run to open its largest lead of the game, 47-32, with 9:50 left to play. Despite the cold start, IU would claw its way back, as Wright free throws to bring the deficit back to four, 66-62, with 41 seconds left on the clock. Indiana then forced a turnover as White came away with a steal, but Wright missed an open three-pointer and the Gophers corralled the rebound. Wright finished with 19 points, while Vaden was the only other Hoosier to score double figures, going for 13.
IU At Big Ten Tourney
Indiana owns a 7-7 all-time record in the Big Ten Tournament. This ranks fifth in league history. This is the third time in IU history that the Hoosiers have been the No. 4 seed, and they are 3-2 at this seeding. The No. 4 seed has a 6-6 overall record in the history of the Big Ten Tournament. The fourth seed has been to the tournament final three times and owns a 1-2 record in the championship game.
Wright Warms Up
One of the primary reasons for Indiana's success in the last five games has been the steady play of All-American candidate Bracey Wright. Despite missing three games from Feb. 6 through Feb. 15 with an ankle injury, Wright has shot 27-of-31 (.871) from the line and 14-of-29 (.483) from three-point range since the Feb. 20 Michigan game. Entering the game against the Wolverines, Wright was hitting .288 from three-point range and .758 from the free throw line. Furthermore, IU has won the last nine games in which Wright has led the team in scoring.
As a team, Indiana has hit .500 or better from the floor in four of its last nine games, compared to once in the previous 18.
Making the Most of Turnovers
Another factor in Indiana's success over the last two weeks has been the increase in points off turnovers. IU is averaging 19 points off turnovers in its last five games, compared to 13.2 in the previous 10.
Three-Point Barrage
Perimeter offense and defense have also been instrumental to IU's four victories in its last five games. Entering the Feb. 20 Michigan game, IU was 114-of-378 (.302) from beyond the arc while allowing opponents to hit 125-of-378 (.331). Since that game against the Wolverines, IU is hitting 25-of-57 (.439) from beyond the arc compared to its opponents' 18-of-61 (.295).
In addition, Indiana has hit 10 or more three-pointers in three of their last five games, compared to two double digit trey performances in the previous 22 games.
We Want Rod!
Indiana is 4-1 in its last five games thanks in large part to the increased production from redshirt sophomore Rod Wilmont. Wilmont tallied a career-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point range against the Wildcats. He has 24 rebounds in his last four games, and in his last five contests, he is averaging 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on 10-of-24 shooting from the floor (.417), 7-of-14 shooting from three-point range and 7-of-10 shooting from the line.
Will It Continue?
Among the eight current Big Ten coaches who have been at their respective programs at least three years, Indiana's Mike Davis is the only league mentor who has never lost his opening round game in the Big Ten Tournament.
Bench Play Improves
Increased bench points have also fueled Indiana's strong finish to the regular season. The Hoosiers have scored 20-plus points in three of the last five games and are averaging 17 bench points per game during this stretch. Leading the way for the reserves is freshman guard A.J. Ratliff. Since being relegated to the bench, the Indianapolis, Ind., native has improved his game. During the five-game stretch, Ratliff is averaging 8.2 points, which ranks fourth on the team, 2.8 rebounds and has hit 8-of-12 shots from three-point range.
Favorite Time of Year
Under head coach Mike Davis, the Hoosiers play some of their best basketball in March. During the third month of the calendar year, IU is 18-9 since 2001.
Perfection!
When Indiana defeated Northwestern, 77-55 last Saturday, the Hoosiers earned Big Ten win number eight at Assembly Hall this season. The Hoosiers finished the season with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference games on Branch McCracken Court, leaving undefeated and top-ranked Illinois as the only other team in the league not to have lost on its home floor.
The Hoosiers went 8-1 at home in 1995-96. IU's only home loss came to Purdue, 74-72, on Feb. 25, 1996 in Bloomington. However, Purdue was later forced to forfeit that game, along with 17 other league games, due to an ineligible player. Therefore, the last time that Indiana won all of its league home games without forfeit was 1993-94 (9-0).
Additionally, Indiana will enter the 2005-06 conference season with a 10-game homecourt winning streak. This is the best winning streak by a Hoosier team since a 10-game string from Feb. 20, 2002 (63-57 over then-No. 19 Ohio State) through Jan. 21, 2003 (69-51 over Ohio State).
Wright Way
To gauge Indiana All-American candidate Bracey Wright's impact on the Hoosier record books, consider that he is on pace to become just the fifth player in school history to score at least 490 points per season in each of his first three years.
Name Three-Year Stat Total
Calbert Cheaney 1989-92 1,828
Mike Woodson 1976-79 1,791
Steve Alford 1983-86 1,689
A.J, Guyton 1996-99 1,530
Bracey Wright 2003-present 1,467
No Place Like Home
Indiana All-American candidate Bracey Wright enjoyed the friendly confines of Assembly Hall this season. Wright averaged 19.0 points per game, while shooting .440 from the floor and .418 from three-point range at Branch McCracken Court. Compare this to the road, where Wright's numbers drop to 14.9 ppg on .333 field goal shooting and .114 three-point field goal shooting (5-of-44).
Protecting HomeCourt
Entering the Feb. 12 game against visiting Minnesota, Indiana averaged 64.5 points per game at home on .419 shooting from the field. In the last three home games, the Hoosiers averaged 76.0 points per game on .506 shooting from the floor (74-of-146) from the floor and .473 from three-point range (26-of-55).
Freshman of the Year?
It is hard to argue with D.J. White as Big Ten Freshman of the Year. After all, he has ranked among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks all season. More impressively, in three straight nationally-televised contests (Purdue, Michigan State and at Wisconsin), he is averaging 16 points per game on .792 shooting (19-of-24) from the floor. However, the Hoosiers need him to be more consistent from the free throw line. Heading into the Feb. 6 Illinois game, White was hitting .778 (70-of-90) from the free throw line. Since then, that productivity has dropped in the last seven games (23-of-40, .575) and last three games (11-of-23, .478).
Hoosiers Regain Their Trademark
Three-point shooting prowess has long been a trademark for Mike Davis-coached teams, and that has certainly been evident the last seven games. Entering the Feb. 6 Illinois game, Indiana was 98-of-337 (.294) from three-point range. That has improved since, as Indiana has hit 65-of-143 (.455) over the last eight games.
Another First
For the first time since in school history, Indiana has lost to a team by more than 20 points, then turned around and defeated the sam team by 20 or more points in the same year. The Hoosiers fell at Northwestern, 73-52, on Jan. 5, in IU's first Big Ten conferernce game of the season. Indiana then closed the Big Ten campaign with a 77-55 victory over the Wildcats on March 5 in Assembly Hall.
The Wright Choice
Indiana junior guard Bracey Wright was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the first time this season and the sixth time of his career it was announced by the conference on Feb. 28.
The All-American candidate averaged 29.5 points to lead IU to a pair of key victories. He scored 19 of his game-high 27 in the second half to lead the Hoosiers past Purdue, 79-62, on Feb. 22 and then notched a season-high 32 in a 78-74 victory over No. 9 Michigan State on Feb. 27. He was 18-of-33 from the floor and 10-of-16 from three-point range. His performance during that week moved him to the top of the Big Ten scoring standings (18.7 ppg), while he also ranks among the statistical leaders in free throw percentage (ninth, .775) and three-point field goals made (11th, 1.91). His 32-point effort against the No. 9 Spartans was his third 30-plus point effort of the season and the sixth of his career.
For the ninth time this season and the 34th time in his career, Wright played at least 38 minutes.
That 70's Show
Under head coach Mike Davis, Indiana is 66-10 when it scores 70 or more points, including 17-4 in road contests. With the 78-74 overtime victory over No. 9 Michigan State, IU is in its most prolific scoring stretch since Dec. 31, 2002 through Jan. 8, 2003. That was the last time that IU scored 70 or more points in three straight games.
Date Opp Score
Dec. 31, 2002 at Ball State W, 76-62
Jan. 4, 2003 Charlotte W, 70-60
Jan. 8, 2003 Penn State W, 78-65
Sultan of Swat
Indiana freshman D.J. White is a leading candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. White blocked two shots against Wisconsin, raising his total to 56 blocks on the season, which are a school record for a freshman and are tied for eighth in school history.
Season - All Games
1. Dean Garrett 99 1987-88
2. Dean Garrett 93 1986-87
3. George Leach 79 2002-03
4. Uwe Blab 72 1984-85
5. Jeff Newton 70 2001-02
6. Uwe Blab 69 1983-84
7. Alan Henderson 64 1994-95
8. D.J. White 56 2004-05 Jeff Newton 56 2000-01
Alan Henderson 56 1993-94
In addition to his defensive exploits, White's .583 FG percentage is the best by a Hoosier since Alan Henderson shot .597 in 1994-95.
Class Records
Here is a look at where D.J. White and Robert Vaden rank among IU freshmen single-season records.
Field Goal Percentage (100 Att. Minimum)
Brian Sloan 1984-85 0.637
Steve Alford 1983-84 0.592
D.J. White 2004-05 0.583
Three Pointers Made
Bracey Wright 2002-03 66
Jay Edwards 1987-88 59
A.J. Guyton 1996-97 56
Robert Vaden 2004-05 44
Blocks
DJ. White 2004-05 56
Alan Henderson 1991-92 50
Jeff Newton 1999-00 49
Freshmen Starts
Indiana's 70 freshmen starts not only leads the Big Ten, but is the best single-season true freshman start total for the Hoosiers since the 1996-97 quartet of Luke Jimenez, Michael Lewis, A.J. Guyton and Jason Collier started 72 games between them. The 1989-90 group of Lawrence Funderburke, Calbert Cheaney, Greg Graham, Pat Graham, Todd Leary, Chris Reynolds and Chris Lawson had a school record 73 starts between them.
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/ Men's BasketballWednesday, August 12
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