Monroe to lead team effort in stopping Redick

For all of last season, senior guard Lewis Monroe sat on the bench in street clothes watching his team play. But despite sitting out, the Auburn transfer got some experience that would eventually prepare him for tonight's daunting task -- guarding Duke guard J.J. Redick.\nMonroe's defensive assignment in practice was often former IU swingman Bracey Wright, whom he chased around screens and pressured up the floor during scrimmages.\n"Any time I guarded Bracey, I would try to make him see something he hadn't seen before by just pressing him all day," Monroe said. "That's what I plan on doing against (Redick) -- making him work as hard as he can."\nMonroe said he sees a lot of similarities between Redick and Wright.\n"Both guys like to shoot it from deep range -- you've just got to stop them at half court, even full court," Monroe said. "You've just got to make sure they don't get any open looks and know where they're at at all times."\nRedick leads the Blue Devils in scoring, averaging 22.4 points per game in the young season. To limit his offense, Monroe said denying him the ball is the initial step. And if a pass gets through, he added, Redick can count on having a hand in his face.\nBut Monroe knows where Redick's 22.4 points come from. \n"He comes off a lot of double screens," he said. "They find him well in transition. When everyone collapses in the paint to the ball, you might find him spotting up in the corner. They just look for him and they find him and he gets good shots."\nRedick, a returning All-American, posted a stellar first half Friday against Memphis, scoring 15 points, but his game didn't carry past the first 20 minutes.\nRedick went scoreless in the second half after being picked up by Tigers' forward Rodney White who, at 6-foot-7, hounded and harassed Redick up and down the floor.\n"With a shooter like Redick, I think one thing you have to do is make him feel uncomfortable," junior guard Errek Suhr said. "Make him do things that he's not used to doing."\nMonroe will draw the initial cover on Redick, but the Auburn transfer won't be alone in trying to shut the sharpshooter down.\nThe Blue Devils run an offense centered on double-screens and with the Hoosiers switching off and helping on defense frequently this season, stopping Redick is ultimately a team effort, Monroe said.\n"Even though I'll be the primary guy on him, we'll throw a lot of bodies at him -- keep him tired," Monroe said.\nIn IU coach Mike Davis' eyes, Redick is in good hands.\n"Lewis is probably our best defensive player, and he is probably one of the best in our conference," Davis said at Big Ten media day in October. "He's really good on the ball and he's really good off the ball."\nRedick is known mainly as a shooter, but Monroe acknowledges that he will be covering more than that. He credited Redick with the ability to drive to the basket and get to the free throw line as well.\n"He has a complete game, so he's going to be a tough assignment," Monroe said. "But I'm up to the challenge"