Senior Night to mark many departures

Calling it senior day might not do justice to Sunday's game against No. 18 Michigan State. \nPlaying their final game inside Assembly Hall will be a senior, a fifth-year senior, two transfers and a head coach. Between guards Marshall Strickland and Lewis Monroe, forwards Marco Killingsworth and Sean Kline, and coach Mike Davis, all that's missing is another swing man and a few assistants for the Hoosiers to field an entire team of deportees. \n"A ton of emotions will be running through them from tip to buzzer," assistant coach Donnie Marsh said. "We've just got to try and get those guys to keep that in check, channel it the right way on the floor and recognize that the ultimate goal is for them to have a win."\nSunday's game will fall exactly 364 days after the last time the Hoosiers and Spartans met in Bloomington, a game in which IU upset then-No. 9 Michigan State 78-74 in overtime. Unfortunately, 49 points worth of that game will be missing this time as Bracey Wright has left for the NBA and D.J. White is still sitting with an injured foot. \nThen again, Davis hinted at a possible White return in his weekly radio show. The sixth-year coach promised a surprise of some sort for Sunday's senior day, along with calling White "50-50" for the game. \n"If we could get D.J. White back, that would be a big-time boost," Davis said on Monday's radio show. "That would be like Willis Reed coming back for the Knicks. We'll see where he is next week."\nNo doubt the seniors would be glad to see White return, especially Killingsworth, who only recorded one rebound in the last meeting with Michigan State. But Marsh said he doesn't expect a repeat performance.\n"Certainly rebounding-wise, (Killingsworth) has really picked it up," he said. "He's doing what we call rebounding outside his area. Not just the ones that come to his side, he's going to the other side of the basket to get those rebounds."\nKillingsworth draws a tough matchup in Michigan State's Paul Davis. The 6-foot-11 forward defines versatility with the ability to post up or step back and drain deep shots. Davis averages 17.9 points per game to Killingsworth's 17.7. The difference -- Davis is the third leading scorer on his team.\nThe two men should battle one-on-one for much of the game as the Spartans tend to stick to a man-to-man defense. But after IU's last win against Penn State, Killingsworth addressed the other battle being waged around campus -- Hoosier haters versus the team. \n"That's their business," he said. "We're just trying to keep winning. That other stuff will take care of itself. We've got some real, true fans out here and we've got some fake ones."\nSunday should be conflicting to say the least. On a day designated for reflection and remembrance, IU remains desperate for a boost to its NCAA Tournament resume -- like a win over a ranked opponent.\n"It's definitely going to mean more to me because it's my last game (at home)," Davis said. "It's definitely going to be a sad time, but then again, it's going to be a great time"