Hoosiers prepare for tough road test

Soon after IU's season opening 71-63 win over UNC-Greensboro Friday night, the players and coaches' thoughts shifted to their next game. IU (1-0) has a quick turnaround and plays tonight for the first time on the road this season at Vanderbilt.\nLast season, IU did not fare well on the road, going 2-9 on opposing courts. The game will be the home opener for Vanderbilt (1-0), who was 9-5 at home last season.\n"I think it's going to be a great game," sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said. "It's a real tough place to play, and I think we're going to have to step up and play even better to go out there and get a win. The more big games we can get in, the better we'll be down the road. I think this will pay off."\nThe Hoosiers had little practice time before heading to Nashville, Tenn., for the game. IU coach Mike Davis said he wished the game was Tuesday instead of Monday.\n"This is going to be a tough game for our team," Davis said. "We can't practice until late tomorrow afternoon. Vanderbilt is a great team with four returning starters. The way we played down the stretch tonight, we are going to have our hands full Monday night."\nThe Commodores are led by senior forward Matt Freije, who was named Southeastern Conference Preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Freije averaged 17.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Sean Kline said defense will be the key on the road.\n"It's going to be really tough for us, and talk about being mentally prepared," Kline said. "You got to be really, really mentally prepared to go into a hostile environment. I heard it's nearly impossible to win there so everybody's just going to have to dig in on defense, and that's how we're going to win the ball game."\nAfter the Vanderbilt game, the Hoosiers will return to Bloomington for Thanksgiving break. The players do not have a chance to go home but rather they will spend the week in the gym practicing and watching tapes to prepare for Xavier next Saturday at the Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.\nXavier is 3-0 and plays Ball State Tuesday before taking on IU. The Musketeers are led by senior guard Lionel Chalmers who averaged 14.6 points per game in the three-game Dell Classic.\n"It's tough," Strickland said. "We just have to keep our mental concentration. During the break, we're the only students around so we're pretty much in the gym all day, watching tape, working on our offense and stuff like that. So I think we'll really be ready to go."\n-- Contact sports editor Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.