Player of the Week

IU has the Big Ten Player of the Week routine figured out. \nFor the fifth consecutive week, the Player of the Week has been either a Hoosier or someone from a team that played IU (16-7, 8-2 Big Ten) during the week for which he was awarded. \nThis time, senior forward Jarrad Odle gobbled up the honors, after posting back-to-back double-doubles in No. 22 IU's victories over Iowa and Louisville. \nAgainst Iowa Feb. 5, Odle shut down Hawkeye forward Reggie Evans for the second time this season, holding the 6-foot-8 Evans to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Meanwhile, Odle scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. \nIn Saturday's win over Louisville, Odle poured in a career-high 25 points and ripped down 11 rebounds, marking his third career double-double. He also took some of the scoring burden off hobbled sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, who suffered a bruised thigh and left the game for six minutes in the first half.\nFor the week, Odle hit 15 of 19 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. \nOdle is averaging 9.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in IU's 10 Big Ten games after scoring just two points per game in 30 career Big Ten games prior to this season.\nThrough it all, he said his confidence hasn't wavered. And he isn't surprised by his scoring success. \n"I've always been pretty sure of myself," Odle said. "It doesn't amaze me at all. I know I can put the ball in the hoop. It just so happens the last few years here, that isn't the style of game the coaches needed from me."\nThe award was Odle's first career Player of the Week honor. Jeffries has won the award three times this season, and senior guard Dane Fife has captured it once. \nIllini ill\nNo. 18 Illinois (17-7, 6-5) endured a slow Big Ten start to move into fifth place in the conference, but things on the injury front haven't gotten any better. \nLess than two weeks after getting senior forwards Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija back from injuries, Krupalija re-injured his foot in a loss to Michigan State Feb. 3. Krupalija had surgery Feb. 6 to place a small plate on the area affected by the stress fracture and the Illini hope to have him back in time for the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 7 in Indianapolis. \n Krupalija has missed seven games this season because of the injured foot, and Johnson missed the first 18 games of the season with an inured knee. \n Senior guard Cory Bradford has struggled with his shooting, and reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Frank Williams has been the victim of opposing defenses and harsh criticism. \n Illinois coach Bill Self said he is sure his guards will explode sooner or later, but said the high expectations set for the Illini might have been unfair. \n"We still haven't been whole as a team," Self said. "You need to have the full complement of players. Frank hasn't had the type of year he had last year. When Frank starts playing to his capabilities, you'll see us playing better."\nTime for Knight\nIowa coach Steve Alford said he needed to mature, get on the phone and call former coach Bob Knight. \nAlford, whose Hawkeyes (15-10, 4-7) have imploded and are ninth in the Big Ten, said he needed some advice, so he called on Knight, who coached Alford at IU from 1983 to 1987, when Alford finished his college career a national champion and Big Ten Player of the Year. \nAlford said he didn't want the meeting publicized, but said he plans to make another visit to Lubbock, Texas, where Knight has coached his Texas Tech squad inside the top 25 this season. \n"I hope to spend more time with him this spring, just learning more about coaching this game," Alford said. "I've needed to mature as a person and a coach. I needed to make that step and pick up the phone and call him. Hopefully, our relationship will get better. There aren't too many people who I respect more than coach Knight."\nTournament talk\nThe Big Ten has been anything but predictable this season, and the NCAA Tournament selection might follow the same trend. \nSeven Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament last season, but the pickings look to be slimmer this season. Only IU and No. 23 Ohio State (17-5, 8-3) seem to be locks for the tournament, with pre-season favorites Illinois and Iowa sitting in middle and end of the Big Ten pack, respectively.\nUpstarts Minnesota (14-7, 7-3) and Wisconsin (14-11, 7-5) are making a case, as is perennial power Michigan State (14-9, 5-5). Tradition and three consecutive Final Four appearances could help the Spartans enter the field, but most Big Ten teams are hoping four or five league teams can slip into the tournament. \n"If Minnesota finished fifth or sixth, there's no way," Minnesota Coach Dan Monson said. "We have to finish in the top of this league if we want to realize one of our goals."\nAs for predictions that the league should get only two or three teams into the field of 64? That has coaches defending the Big Ten. \n"I still think we have a good shot to have six teams in," Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said. "It's not our fault we have more parity than any other league. Some teams had incredibly tough non-conference schedules. We'll see if that all factors in. It still depends on if we beat each other up too much"