Hoosiers face first Big Ten road test

The No. 15 Hoosiers (11-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will face their first Big Ten road test Saturday night when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten). \nIU's only two losses have been on the road this season. The first came against Kentucky at Freedom Hall in Louisville, which was followed by a 71-64 loss at Temple in the next game. Although Kentucky fans are known for being rabid, and the Temple fans got behind their underdog team to provide momentum, senior point guard Tom Coverdale said a Big Ten road game is different. And it is something he looks forward to.\n"I love playing (in a hostile environment)," he said. "I hope the freshman love it too. They're really going to be thrown into the fire. They've got to be ready to go. I think (Ohio State) is one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten. If we get that win, we'll be ahead at the beginning part of winning the Big Ten."\nCoverdale, who played with his trademark intensity Wednesday against Penn State, is averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. Freshman shooting guard Bracey Wright, who has also been a centerpiece for the Hoosiers, will be relied on heavily during conference play as well. Wright was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season after scoring 31 points against Ball State to match his season high. \nIf the past provides any indication, Saturday's game will be a battle down to the wire. Nine of the last 12 IU-OSU games have been decided by six points or less.\nAlthough the Buckeyes lost four games in their pre-conference season, they weren't exactly playing against cupcake teams. They lost 54-48 to No. 4 Alabama, 91-76 to No. 1 Duke, 69-49 to No. 6 Pittsburgh and 72-64 in overtime to No. 19 Louisville. \nLast night they began their Big Ten schedule at one of the toughest road arenas in the country, No. 25 Michigan State's Breslin Center. The Buckeyes lost that game 66-55.\n"We're anxious to get into the conference part of our schedule, even though our first couple of games are against two of the better teams in the country," Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said in a Jan. 6 teleconference.\nThe Buckeyes have been led this season by senior point guard Brent Darby, who is averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Sean Connolly has also been a strong presence in the backcourt with averages of 15.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.\nJunior forward Zach Williams has led Ohio State's frontcourt attack this season, scoring 11.3 points and pulling down 6.3 boards per game. \nBefore the game gets underway on Saturday night, the fans will honor the National Champion football team. Indiana Coach Mike Davis said he hopes the crowd doesn't get too fired up.\n"They're National Champs in football and what a great opportunity to give them the trophy before our game…hopefully the students won't be back," he said. "It's going to be a tough game. What we have to do is go in and keep our composure no matter what the score is"