Wright wins battle of top guards

INDIANAPOLIS -- IU sophomore Bracey Wright had a new responsibility in Saturday afternoon's contest with Xavier, and he must have done something right. IU beat the Musketeers 80-77 in overtime.\nFor the first time, Wright started at point guard, a position he needs to get familiar with since IU coach Mike Davis says it's where he wants to play him.\n"He was great for our offense," Davis said. "You want the ball in your playmakers hands, and Bracey can make plays." \nWright said it was different starting the game at point guard, and he had to fight himself not to rush things.\n"At times, it was frustrating because I'm the scorer and having the ball in my hands, you got to get everybody involved," Wright said. "I had some turnovers early, but for the most part I think I did OK."\nDavis also thought Wright did a good job in the win, but said Wright will need to cut back on the turnovers. \nBut Davis also said the team can't always assume Wright will score big in every game.\n"That's too much for him," Davis said. "We kind of waited around for Bracey to score and make some plays."\nThe six-foot-three inch Wright is one of 50 players on the list of preseason Wooden Award All-American Candidates, but wasn't the only candidate impressing in Saturday's game. Senior Xavier guard Romain Sato is also on the list.\nThe two guards were top scorers for their respective teams. Wright scored 27 points for IU while Sato scored 19 points for Xavier. \nSato might have been an even bigger threat to IU had he not fouled out with less than a minute left in regulation. It was his foul on Wright's three-point attempt and then Wright's two of three successful free-throws that put the Hoosiers within one point of Xavier, making the score 64-65.\nSato said it was tough to foul out, and it made the loss even harder to take.\n"Sato was too good to hold down," Davis said. "We're fortunate their best player fouled out in regulation. That really limited them offensively."\nSato, a 6-foot-5 inch player from the Central African Republic, is in his second year as a Wooden Preseason All-American Candidate.\nWhile IU knew of Sato's experience and skill, Xavier was also expecting a good game out of IU's Wright.\n"Bracey is a good player," Sato said. "I tried to chase him everywhere, but he's such a good player, and a good player will make good plays."\nXavier coach Thad Matta also said they were trying all they could to stop Wright, but that him being a big-time player means he does a nice job of moving.\n"You have to give IU credit, they do a great job of sending him off screens," Matta said. "They make it tough to guard."\nPlayers like Sato and Wright have the option to hold their heads high with their impressive stats and high scoring for their respective teams, but Wright still remains humble and knows it's a team game.\n"I like the way we never hang our heads in competition," Wright said. "I like the way we compete and the way we stay together as a team"