Hoosiers hope to cage Cardinals

Thursday's practice for the IU men's basketball team was not lacking intensity. Loud vocals from both the players and the coaches could be heard throughout the two-hour practice. And there was enough emotional static in the air that there was almost a fight between two players.\nJunior center George Leach and sophomore guard Mark Johnson exchanged heated words near the middle of Thursday's practice as IU prepared for arguably their most challenging match-up in the Hoosiers' four-game road trip. For IU, the heated practice was the best they could ask for as the Hoosiers search to find an answer to their road-game woes.\n"Our practice today shows we can get to where we need to be, it's just a matter of getting there," said senior guard Tom Coverdale. "It's just a learning process. We've got a lot of young guys, and it's hard to win on the road. It's not going to get any easier for us."\nThe No. 19 Hoosiers (14-5, 4-3 Big Ten), in order to avoid a week-long break from competition, scheduled non-conference opponent, Louisville (15-1, 6-0 Conference USA), for this Saturday. The game tips off at 1 p.m. in Freedom Hall and will be aired on CBS.\nLast year, IU set up the same arrangement with Louisville, playing them in mid-Big Ten season. The game resulted in a 77-62 Hoosier victory. IU, however, had the home-court advantage for that game and was in the midst of enjoying a five-game home winning streak.\nThis year, the Hoosiers have to take on a tough Cardinal defense on the road; a place where IU has found no love. In the past three attempts, IU has lost on the road to Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State by the combined scores of 211-170.\n"(Louisville) is a totally different team. (They're) 10 times better than last year, because they have been in the system for a whole year now," Coverdale said. "They know exactly what their coach wants them to do."\nThe Hoosiers' struggles have further been intensified by the injuries to the team. On Tuesday, the Hoosiers most emotional player, junior guard/forward A.J. Moye, who had been starting in place of Wright, was on the bench because of an upper respiratory infection. Moye practiced Thursday, complete with a newly shaved head, and is expected to be on the court Saturday.\nFreshman guard Bracey Wright made his first appearance on the court for the Michigan State loss Tuesday night. Wright had missed three previous games because of an irritated nerve in his back but returned to the starting line-up.\nWright's shot was a bit rusty, as he went 0-6 from the field. Although Wright, the Hoosiers leading scorer, only managed to get four points, he grabbed seven boards, had two blocks, two steals and two assists. This was before he was forced out of the game with cramps to his left leg. Wright practiced minimally on Thursday but will play on Saturday.\n"I thought practice was a bit too hard for (Bracey today)," IU coach Mike Davis said. "It was a tough practice. We didn't take any prisoners, so it was a little tough."\nThe Cardinals are enjoying a 15-game win streak this season. Louisville has not lost a game since falling in a close game to Purdue on Nov. 30, 2002. The pair faced each other in the John Wooden Classic in Indianapolis, and the Boilermakers squeaked by with an 86-84 win.\nSince that loss, the Cardinals have been perfect on the road and at home, picking up wins against such teams as Kentucky, where Louisville whomped the Wildcats, 81-63 at the end of December. Not long after, the Cardinals played and beat another Big Ten team, when they traveled to Columbus and edged the Buckeyes, 72-64, in overtime.\nLouisville is enjoying both strong offensive and defensive performances. The team is second in the nation in scoring margin, while also boasting the best perimeter defense in the C-USA conference.\nThe Cardinals edge the Hoosiers in all but two comparable statistics. This includes blocked shots, where IU has a .6 advantage over Louisville. The Hoosiers average 5.7, where the Cardinals have 5.1. Louisville holds its opponents to an average of 64.4 points per game, while racking up an average of 84 points for themselves.\nNot good news for the Hoosiers, who average just over 71 points per game but have been held to 54 and 47 points in the past two road games.\nStill, IU has confidence that this Saturday, they can break the road-game curse.\n"We are playing hard, at times," Davis said. "It's going to be a difficult game for us. If we have any chance of winning this game, it's going to be with the effort we gave in practice today"