Davis to face alma mater

BOSTON—IU coach Mike Davis thought about scheduling a non-conference game against Alabama, his alma mater, this past season. But then he said he decided to wait until some of the Crimson Tide's players were off the roster.\nThe players that scared him off included sophomore point guard Maurice Williams (16 ppg, 3.9 apg), senior forward Erwin Dudley (14.7 ppg. 9.5 rpg) and freshman swingman Kennedy Winston (11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg).\nBut, like it or not, the No.7-seeded Hoosiers will face the No.10-seeded Crimson Tide tomorrow night at 9:30 pm in Boston's Fleet Center for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.\n"I watch (Alabama) on tape and it's scary to see them, how quick they are," Davis said. "I think Maurice Williams is one of the top three point guards in the country and he can shoot the b-ball. They're so athletic. You just hope they're not on that night. There's no way we match up against them as far as each individual player. What we have to do is make sure we play good b-ball. When we have ten turnovers or less we're 10-1."\nThere were some questions surrounding Bama's bid in the tourney, and their season is eerily similar to that of the Hoosiers.\nThe Crimson Tide began their season red-hot, going 8-0 to begin the season and enjoying a No.1 national ranking for a week. They boasted wins over top teams such as Xavier and Oklahoma. \n"They are a very tall team. They are very athletic, very quick," freshman guard Bracey Wright said. "I think we have an advantage with a really good inside game. If we're able to execute our offense and play good defense, it will be a game for us that will be good for us."\nWhen Alabama's conference season began, their record went down hill as they opened league play with a dismal 1-4 record from which they never recovered.\nThey dropped out of the national rankings for good on February 10 and ended the season 17-11 overall, 7-9 in the conference and their tourney hopes in serious jeopardy.\nWhen they gathered around the TV for the Tournament Selection show last Sunday and saw their team pop on the screen, the team piled on top of each other as though they just won the national title.\nIU could relate to the jubilation felt by the Crimson Tide, as their tournament berths remained questionable throughout the tail end of their season.\nThe Hoosiers locked up a spot for the NCAA dances with two wins in the Big Ten tournament, including an opening round win against Penn State and a second round squeaker against the Michigan Wolverines before losing to Illinois in the semifinal game.\nAfter a light practice Thursday night, senior guard Tom Coverdale said the team has to rely on defensive intensity and a consistent offensive attack if they hope to repeat last year's tournament success. \n"We know the reason we won last year is because we executed so well offensively and played good defensively," senior guard Tom Coverdale said. "We feel that we are playing our best basketball defensively right now and we have to do that in the tourney to win"