Before Jan. 2, IU fans presumably had little idea how well their Hoosiers -- a team with a new coach, two junior college transfers, a previously injured star and a menagerie of freshmen -- would perform in the Big Ten. \nSince their 74-67 loss to Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, the Hoosiers (13-4, 4-1 Big Ten) have answered that question with four straight convincing wins -- the latest coming against Iowa, 71-64, Tuesday night.\n"We knew this is what we were capable of," junior forward D.J. White said. "We feel we're one of the best teams in the Big Ten, but not a lot of people know that. Our play has to show that."\nThe win against Iowa gives IU a combined win margin of 66 in their first five Big Ten games. The Hoosiers have only trailed late in one of their four wins -- the 84-74 victory at Penn State, before a solid second half sealed the game. \nWhite led the Hoosiers on the inside, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 35 minutes of play. Senior guard Rod Wilmont complemented White's effort with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, and senior guard Earl Calloway ran IU's fast-break offense, dishing eight assists to go with his eight points and three steals. \nIU held Iowa to just 17 points in the first half, an effort that kept Big Ten league-leading scorer Adam Haluska under duress and off the foul line. The Iowa senior finished the first half with five points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field. \nHaluska's second half recovery (16 points on 6-of-9 shooting) coincided with his team's second-half push, a run that turned IU's 60-41 lead with 9:46 left to a seven-point margin of victory by the time the game had ended. \n"For 32 minutes I thought we were great on defense," IU coach Kelvin Sampson said. "We made some substitutions and lost our intensity, and Iowa's kids didn't stop playing. ... But I don't worry about the last eight minutes of the game. I might worry about something like in November, but this late in the year, you worry about winning the game and moving on."\nIU will move on to its next test, a break from nonconference play Saturday at Connecticut, before picking up its Big Ten schedule Tuesday at Illinois. \nWhite said his teammates weren't satisfied with their accomplishments so far. \n i"You're never where you need to be," White said. "There's always room for improvement. We've got a long Big Ten season ahead of us and a lot of things we want to accomplish. We're not going to stop working, and Coach is not going to stop getting on us about working. So we have a lot to prove still."
Alford says IU visit is 'always special'
The trip to Assembly Hall might not be much of a novelty to Iowa coach Steve Alford anymore -- he's made it six times in his coaching career. But the former IU All-American and national championship winner said the frequency of the visits hasn't diminished their importance. \n"I always have a lot of fun in this building," Alford said. "I grew up coming to watch all of coach (Bob) Knight's close games. ... I know this place very well. I had a blast under coach Knight. It's always fun seeing that (1987 IU national championship banner). ... Those things are always special, and those things never change."\nAsked whether he paid more attention to IU than to other programs because of his playing days here, Alford said there's only one program he might pay attention to more than other potential opponents. \n"Texas Tech," Alford said, referring to his former coach Knight's current program. "I follow that program real close"
