Indiana head coach Mike Davis lost his cool Dec. 21, 2002, in the closing seconds of a nationally televised contest against Kentucky when Indiana freshman guard Bracey Wright drove to the hoop for a go-ahead basket. He was blocked inside, but Davis felt he was fouled, running onto the court while play was still going to voice his disapproval. Davis was ejected from the game, and Kentucky was awarded a parade of free throws after the technical that resulted in a 70-64 Kentucky win.
Davis admitted his tantrum may have cost the Hoosiers the game, but it also cost them their momentum. Before the loss to the Wildcats, Indiana was 8-0, including a scintillating overtime win over Maryland in a rematch of last year’s national championship game. Since the Kentucky game, they are a mediocre 7-7.
In the past several weeks, the Hoosiers (15-8, 5-5 Big Ten) have hit rock bottom. A 22-point demolition Jan. 25 by in-state rival Purdue sent the Hoosiers on a five-game skid, their longest since the 1971-72 season.
They managed to snap the streak by beating Michigan, co-leader of the Big Ten, 63-49 Wednesday night behind 21 points from Wright. The win came in response to a lineup change by Davis, who always seems to be under fire coaching in the enormous shadow of Bob Knight. He inserted freshman Marshall Strickland as the starting point guard, shifting senior Tom Coverdale to shooting guard and benching senior Kyle Hornsby.
Indiana will hope to improve its position in the Big Ten standings against Wisconsin Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center in a game that will be nationally televised by CBS. After a home win over Michigan State Tuesday night, the Badgers (17-5, 7-3) suddenly find themselves atop the conference standings with Michigan and Purdue, who also lost Wednesday night. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series 91-50, but the last three seasons have contained two memorable UW victories.
On March 5, 2000, in a game no Badger fan will ever forget, Wisconsin needed a home win over the Hoosiers on the final day of the regular season to lock up an NCAA tournament berth. The Dick Bennett-coached Badgers squeezed out a 56-53 win on national television, and thousands of crazed UW fans stormed the court. That improbable win catapulted the Badgers into their even more improbable run to the Final Four. UW scored an even larger upset Feb. 13, 2002, over Indiana as the Bo Ryan-coached Badgers won 64-63 at Assembly Hall, UW’s first win in Bloomington since 1977. It was then that Badger fans felt UW could make a run at the Big Ten title.
The Hoosiers will try Saturday to turn the tables and snap an impressive UW streak of 13 consecutive home conference wins. To do so, Indiana will need large contributions from Wright and senior forward Jeff Newton, two of the best players in the Big Ten. Wright has taken the conference by storm this season, leading the Hoosiers and all Big Ten freshmen with 17.6 points per game. Newton leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game, and his strong post moves, which at times look impossible to stop, have him averaging14.6 points per game.
Newton, who stands 6-foot-9, and senior center George Leach, who leads the Big Ten in blocked shots at 6-foot-11, will have a significant size advantage over UW forwards Mike Wilkinson and Alando Tucker, who stand 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-5, respectively. Despite the size disparity, however, the Badgers have a significantly better rebounding margin than the Hoosiers, a testament to Bo Ryan’s emphasis on positioning and hustle.
On the perimeter, Wisconsin’s best defender, Freddie Owens, will likely be given the majority of the assignment on Wright, while Devin Harris will guard Strickland if Strickland remains at the point-guard position. This setup could leave open shots for Coverdale, who shoots 32.4 percent from three-point range and scores 11.7 points per game.
Heading into the home stretch of the Big Ten schedule, this game will be crucial in determining if Wisconsin will continue to stay at the top of the standings and Indiana will continue to fade.
