The 'Buck' stops here

With a loss to the worst team in the Big Ten still fresh in its mind, the IU men's basketball team has to brush off its loss and focus on the next challenge. \nAt 8 p.m. Saturday night, the Hoosiers (12-11, 6-6 Big Ten) will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-13, 3-8) at Assembly Hall.\nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland said the team has had good practices this week, but it was a real let down to lose at home to Minnesota.\nStrickland said a lot of things have added up for the Hoosiers that have cost them games. He wasn't pointing fingers at one person but instead said mistakes have been made by everyone, and everyone has taken their turn. \nThe last time IU played OSU was Jan. 20, when IU won 69-60. \nIU coach Mike Davis said, like every other team IU has faced, OSU presents a problem because of its good inside players, forward Terence Dials and center Velimir Radinovic.\n"Dials is always good against Indiana," Davis said. "Every time he plays us, it's going to be a record-setting night." \nSenior center George Leach will be a key player on the inside, trying to stop Dials and Radinovic. \nAfter Leach's stellar performance in the Minnesota game, in which he scored a team high 26 points, Davis said he hopes to see the same type of play out of Leach for the rest of the season.\n"He was great. That's the best I've seen George," Davis said. "That's what people have been waiting on to see from George for five years. Hopefully he can keep his composure."\nLast week was the first time Davis said he had really seen Leach working outside of practice. Davis said he worked hard for the entire week.\nSenior forward A.J. Moye did not practice on Thursday due to a death in the family. Davis said the coaching staff is leaving it up to Moye whether or not he will play against OSU on Saturday.\nIU is 96-68 overall in the contest with OSU. The Buckeyes lost its last two in Bloomington but had consecutive wins at Assembly Hall in 1999 and 2000.\nDavis said Saturday's game would be a matter of cleaning up the little things down the stretch of the game. He said practice on Thursday was good, and he gives his team credit for still fighting.\nStrickland said the Minnesota game helped the team understand what has to happen the rest of the season. The Hoosiers' still hope to play in the NCAA tournament. \n"We have to win the rest of the games in conference and really go deep to the championship or possibly win the Big Ten Tournament to get a bid," Strickland said. "It's understood, and everybody knows what we have to do."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.