No hangover here

After going toe to toe with the top team in the country, it had to be hard for the Hoosiers to focus on their game with Eastern Michigan Saturday night. And in Bloomington, the hangover capital of the world, no one could blame them if they came out uninspired, flat and undisciplined.\nBut they didn't. \nFacing a tough 2-3 zone defense that limited senior forward Marco Killingsworth's opportunities, the Hoosiers remained patient and moved the ball extremely well to get open shots. They jumped out to an 8-1 lead and never looked back, coming away with a 79-63 victory. \nThough it wasn't the inspired performance we saw against Duke, the Hoosiers proved that they can win the games they have to and avoided playing down to their competition with some help from their bench. \nSure, Killingsworth had an off night, but can you blame him? His back and shoulders had to be really sore from carrying the entire team against Duke. So why was I impressed with this victory? Because of the guys who picked up the slack.\nErrek Suhr continues to baffle me with his aggressive defense, fearless offense and all-out hustle. It's not like I didn't expect him to try hard or anything, but he's always in the mix, around the ball and in someone's face on defense. I imagine being guarded by him would be like having a mosquito in your pants, it's not like it really hurts, it's just annoying.\nSuhr also converted a four-point play at the end of the first half that garnered a standing ovation. Suhr does all a 5-foot-8 kid can do: play hard, hit open shots and energize his teammates. After five games this season one thing is for sure, the guy has a heart slightly larger than our $1.9 million scoreboard. \nThe other player that stepped up his game Saturday night was Aussie import Ben Allen. \nVegemite, Crocodile Dundee II and IU punter Tyson Beattie were all imports from the land down under, and they are all terribly disappointing. They all had potential but never realized it. Ben Allen will not be added to that list. \nThe 6-10 freshman is more Russell Crowe than Heath Ledger -- solid if not spectacular, as opposed to hard to watch. He finally had his break-out game against Eastern Michigan, dropping 15 points and grabbing five rebounds. His ability to step out and hit deep shots makes him especially dangerous, as he hit two big 3-pointers Saturday night. Though he's not quite the thunder from down under, Allen's finesse game around the basket is a great change of pace from Killingsworth's raw power. \nAfter the game, Allen continued to impress, remaining humble and saying that he still had a lot to work on. Hmm, a 6-10 freshman, that's well spoken, is a budding star on IU's basketball team, looks a little like Andy Roddick and has an Australian accent? He must have serious trouble meeting girls. \nAnd hey, I'm fine with Allen and the rest of the team going out and having fun; they deserve it for all their hard work. As long as they avoid a hangover.