Recker, Fife reunited

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Dane Fife and Luke Recker embraced after No. 17 Iowa's 71-66 victory against IU. It was the first time the former roommates played against each other in a game that mattered.\nFor IU Hall of Famer Steve Alford, now Iowa's head coach, it was just another win, not too much sweeter than any other.\n"After the game I just told Dane, 'I still love you like a brother,'" Recker said. "Dane is a great friend of mine, so is Kyle (Hornsby). All those guys. They're all good people. But for 40 minutes we weren't friends."\nThey've been on opposing teams dozens of times in pick-up games -- as friends trying to outplay each other. But Saturday afternoon they were bitter enemies fighting for a win in the Big Ten conference.\nFife, a junior guard, started the game defending Recker, who averaged 16 points per game during his sophomore -- and final -- year at IU. \nRecker ran inside. Fife followed. Recker ran outside. Fife followed. \nRecker ran around two screens. Fife followed. Wherever Recker went, Fife was right there, holding Iowa's scoring leader to 10 first-half points on 3-of-7 shooting.\n"Luke's a good player. Actually, he's a great player," Fife said. "But we felt we could guard every single one of their players effectively. I think the main thing was we just had trouble, well, particularly I think myself, adjusting to the way the (referees) called the game. A couple of us got into foul trouble and couldn't play Indiana defense."\nThe Hoosiers (12-9, 3-4 Big Ten) held a 43-26 halftime lead, but it wouldn't last long. \nRecker scored a pair of three-pointers in just over two minutes to cut the lead to nine. He finished with 27 points, 17 in the second half. Less than one minute later, Fife picked up his fourth foul sending him to the bench with 17 minutes remaining, the Hoosiers up by 10 and the Hawkeyes (16-4, 5-2 Big Ten) making a run.\n"We had Dane on Recker, and that hurt us when he got into foul trouble," sophomore guard Tom Coverdale said. "A couple of those fouls we didn't think he committed."\nRecker scored 11 points in Iowa's 22--4 run that gave the Hawkeyes the lead with 14:08 remaining. Recker scored 15 points from behind the arc. While Fife was on the bench, either Coverdale, sophomore guard Kyle Hornsby or freshman guard A.J. Moye guarded Recker.\nAll Fife could do was watch and cheer on his teammates.\n"I think I played 20 minutes, and normally I play about 36," Fife said. "It was pretty frustrating to know you couldn't do anything about it except watch."\nAfter the buzzer sounded, Recker and Fife met again and congratulated each other.\n"He just said, 'We're still boys. You guys play hard. Great game,'" Fife said. "The usual things a good friend would say to another. I just congratulated him and told him he played a heck of a game."\nAlthough it might seem that Recker's history with IU has ended, Recker was quick to point out it has not.\n"This chapter isn't over," Recker said. We may see Indiana in the Big Ten tournament or in the NCAA tournament. You don't know. And I have to play them next year in Bloomington."\nAlford is continuing a short history against Indiana, instead of for it. Alford played four years for former coach Bob Knight and led IU to the NCAA title in 1987. This was his third game against IU as a coach, his first victory. \nAlford's father Sam, an assistant coach, said he doesn't expect his son to leave Iowa City anytime soon. He cited family as the main reason no Alford would leave Iowa. One of Steve's brothers recently moved to the city.\n"I love working with Steve," Sam Alford said. "It's a joy to come to work with him. I can see all five of my grandkids everyday. I couldn't ask for a better situation because we're very family oriented. \n"I left (a high school coaching position in) Newcastle because of family. I wanted to stay with Steve and coach with him. I will probably never ever leave Steve. I will probably finish my career where he does."\nAlford was happy just to have another win in the conference, and the fact that it came over IU had little importance to him, he said.\n"They're an outstanding program with an outstanding tradition," Alford said. "You just look at the history of Indiana basketball with what they've done and I was a part of that, so I know what it takes to beat Indiana. Anytime you get a win you gotta feel good about it."\nBut Sam knows his son well.\n"Inside, I'm sure he has a warm, fuzzy feeling," Sam Alford said. "He has such a great respect for IU, I don't think he'd show too much outward emotion like 'I beat Indiana."