Team set for Saturday showdown

ATLANTA -- The lights are getting brighter, but the distractions that have surrounded IU all week are starting to fade away. No more time for ticket requests or other matters not related to basketball.\nIt's time for the Final Four.\nThe fifth-seeded Hoosiers (24-11) out of the South Region are in Atlanta, and so are the second-seeded Sooners (31-4). After a light practice for both teams this afternoon at the Georgia Dome and a session with the media, IU and Oklahoma will be set for their 6 p.m. National Semifinal Saturday night.\nIt has been a busy week for the Hoosiers, having been capped off by a send-off at Assembly Hall by thousands of IU fans. IU was also welcomed to Atlanta by the local alumni association.\nNow, things get serious.\n"I just want to beat Oklahoma," sophomore A.J. Moye said. "Now the aura and the mystique is gone and it's more about getting down to business. Why be satisfied with getting to the Final Four when you can win the whole thing?"\nJunior Tom Coverdale, who continues to nurse a sprained left ankle, will likely be a game-time decision. Donald Perry, the backup freshman point guard, said he is ready if needed, and the Hoosiers said they have confidence in him.\nAgain this weekend, IU seems to be the forgotten team among three squads that were supposed to be here in the first place. If Coverdale is unable to play, some say IU has no chance to win. That suits the Hoosiers just fine.\n"As long as we're down there, we might as well win," junior Jeff Newton said.\nThe Sooners have depth at all positions, but they are led by Hollis Price in the backcourt and Aaron McGhee in the paint. IU sophomore Jared Jeffries will likely have to deal with McGhee, who has the ability to shoot from the outside or be physical down low.\nOffensively, the Hoosiers are shooting better than anyone in the tournament at just under 56 percent in four games. Saturday, IU will see a defense that is as feisty and physical as its own.\nOf course, Sooner coach Kelvin Sampson will have to make the choice that coaches have had to make against IU all season. Will the Sooners leave Jeffries free of double teams and open the paint to protect the perimeter? Or will they do the opposite and let the Hoosiers shoot at will?\nDuke was burned by Jeffries, Newton and senior Jarrad Odle in the paint, particularly in the second half, when IU staged its improbable comeback. Saturday Kent State was just buried from the outside when the Hoosiers hit 15-of-19 three pointers. \nWhat would IU coach Mike Davis do?\n"If I'm Oklahoma I try to take away Jared Jeffries so we can shoot some threes," Davis joked. "They have athletes who run and jump. Whatever they do, we'll counter it. We have a good system, a system that's very difficult to play against."\nAs has been his tendency as long as he has been at IU, Davis will rely on his defense. Price has been almost unstoppable in the tournament. The Hoosiers will have to be on top of their game.\n"I think our defense is going to have to be as good as it has all year with this team being so athletic and talented," Odle said.\nWhile some may say the Hoosiers are fine because they beat No.1 Duke in the South Regional semifinals, others point out Oklahoma might be better. The Sooners own wins against both Kansas and Maryland, who will meet in the second national semifinal Saturday night.\nIU thinks Oklahoma might be the best team in the nation.\n"What Duke did in the first five to 10 minutes gave us some problems. Oklahoma is going to see that and really want to do that for 40 minutes," junior Kyle Hornsby said. "They have a deeper bench, so they're going to be capable of getting people in there to keep that intensity up. \n"Something that we're going to have to really buckle down and focus on is controlling the ball, not giving up steals and turning the ball over."\nGame plans are the focus for the Hoosiers now. After a week of talking, it is time to play basketball on the biggest stage in college basketball. All-time, IU is 5-2 in national semifinals.\nThe Hoosiers say they will be ready Saturday night.\n"It's something we're accustomed to," Odle said of being the underdog. "There's probably going to be a little bit of inexperience. But when you get to the Final Four, you can throw the lines out the window.\n"That's why I chose this University -- I wanted to win championships and make it to places like the Final Four."\nThe Hoosiers are here.