IU sharp so far

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Following a 74-67 defeat at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana has 2 consecutive wins by 20 or more points. The Hooisers beat Michigan State by 22 points on Sunday, and followed that up with a 27 point rout of in state rival Purdue last night. What does this mean for IU?
First of all, it means that the players are buying into what Coach Sampson has to say and are starting to play together. The freshmen (Joey Shaw and Armon Bassett) are playing well and the team is gelling pretty early in the season. The next task for the Hoosiers is to get a win away from Assembly Hall. All four of their losses have been on the road this year, Butler, Kentucky, Ohio State, and Duke. Indiana will have a golden opportunity to do so when they visit Penn State on Saturday.
KEY POINTS:
1. In three Big Ten games Indiana has turned up the intensity and started playing some basketball. They had multiple leads in the game against Ohio State, and Michigan State and Purdue were expected to be quality opponents. Kelvin Sampson has his team playing the right way and hustling after every loose ball.

2. D.J. White has not forced the issue. White knows he can be a dominant player in this league, but he is doing the right thing and letting the game come to him. After scoring 21 points against the Spartans, he was limited to just 8 points on 4-6 shooting. The Boilermakers were packing in the middle of their zone defense and forcing Indiana to shoot the ball. White found open shooters on the outside and made Purdue pay for leaving them open.

3. IU is making free throws. The Hoosiers were 17-20 in the game against Purdue and they continue to improve in that department. Free throws were a part of the game that plagued them last year, so keeping that going will only make this team better.

4. DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE. Indiana is finally playing it. The players are working hard and playing in your face defense, and it's making a difference. The Hoosiers held Purdue to 58 points, and they held Michigan State to 51 points on Sunday. And Indiana is scoring points because of their defense. 85 points is a ton for a Big Ten game, Kudos to Kelvin Sampson.