IU coach Mike Davis set tentative return dates for all three of his sidelined players Tuesday after practice. \nPending any unforeseen complications, Davis said he hopes to have sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff back in uniform by the Nov. 26 game at Western Illinois University. Ratliff has been shooting, dribbling and passing in practice for more than a week with the assistance of a protective cast on his right hand. \nJunior guard Rod Wilmont will be out of street clothes by Friday night's season opener and should see court time by Monday's game against Florida A & M University. Wilmont hasn't played in either of the Hoosiers' two exhibition games because of "in house" issues. But as Davis joked at practice, he has "taken the braces off (Wilmont's) ankles."\nAs for sophomore forward D.J. White, Davis and the Hoosiers hope last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year can ring in the new year wearing his cream and crimson. Davis said the desired return date is currently Dec. 31 against Ball State University.
Second recruit signs with IU\nSix-foot-one, 170-pound point guard Armon Bassett became the second member of the 2006 recruiting class Monday, joining guard Xavier Keeling of Huntsville, Ala.\nBassett comes to Bloomington ranked as the No. 21 point guard in the nation by recruiting Web site www.rivals.com and is a three-star recruit. As a senior at Terre Haute South High School, he averaged 22.5 points, six rebounds and six assists per game.\nBassett is the first Indiana native to sign with the Hoosiers since the 2004 class, when Davis brought in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. With senior guards Marshall Strickland and Lewis Monroe graduating, Bassett will provide further depth at the point guard position.\n"He is a great athlete -- very explosive," South coach Mike Saylor said. "He has great quickness with his feet and has excellent ball-handling ability. He developed last year into an excellent three-point shooter."\nDavis describes him as a point guard with a physical presence and an ability to score.\n"I have always said the point guard position is the most important on the floor," Davis said. "You look for leadership, maturity and someone who has a great understanding of the game, and Armon possesses all these qualities. He will look to pass first and shoot second, but he is a terrific shooter and exciting to watch."
These Hoosiers versus those Hoosiers\nFifth-year senior Monroe confidently said Tuesday that this year's team could beat last year's. When a reporter presented Davis with the same question, he agreed, but then took it one step further.\n"If we can't beat last year's team, we're in serious trouble," he said. "But the style is different, the approach is different. I mean, the (second) team could beat last year's team."\nDavis proceeded to say the true test of a team is the second unit. In Tuesday's practice, the second team had its moments, such as a string of threes made by Wilmont, timely rebounding from freshmen Ben Allen and Cem Dinc and steady point guard play from junior Errek Suhr.\n"You definitely want the second unit to play the same style (as the first)," Davis said. "That's the thing I really like about this basketball team"
