On a day when most IU students funneled back on campus for the start of a new semester, the IU men's basketball team had its own homecoming. \nThe Hoosiers returned from a 74-67 loss at Ohio State on Tuesday for their Big Ten home opener Sunday at Assembly Hall. With a rowdy home crowd behind them, the Hoosiers rolled to a decisive 73-51 win against Michigan State, moving their Big Ten record to 1-1. \nSunday's victory is the ninth consecutive win for the Hoosiers when opening Big Ten play at Assembly Hall.\nIU (10-4, 1-1 Big Ten) opened the game with a 12-4 run, a stretch punctuated by a thunderous dunk from junior forward D.J. White on a fast break. Despite a slow crawl back into the game, Michigan State saw its last lead at the 18:55 mark in the first half. \nThe Hoosiers extended their lead to nine at halftime and never looked back.\nWhite led IU in scoring with 21 points, most coming on short-range post moves. He was 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and grabbed three rebounds in his 27 minutes. \n"D.J. played today," Sampson said. "He wasn't predictable in the post. He was able to go to both shoulders, and he did it comfortably. He looked good." \nJunior forward Lance Stemler complemented White's low-post effort with 16 points. Stemler was 6-of-15 from the field -- including 1-of-8 from the 3-point line -- but made up for it with seven rebounds and several putbacks on the offensive end. The Hoosiers scored 17 second chance points to Michigan's State's two. \nThe Hoosiers also capitalized on fast-break opportunities. IU finished 24 points off turnovers (while Michigan State had only four), many of which came off mid-court steals and fast breaks. \nSenior guard Earl Calloway had three of those steals, as well as 11 points and six assists. \nCalloway was also responsible for checking Michigan State guard Drew Neitzel, who was averaging 18.4 points per game before Sunday's contest. Calloway held Neitzel to 10 points and only two assists. \n"I had to stay disciplined and chase him every time," Calloway said. "If I got caught up, I had to yell at my teammates to help, but I just chased him everywhere."\nSampson was happy with his team's play, but he wouldn't go as far as saying his team was "good" Sunday night. \n"I can see our kids growing and getting better," he said. "I've said this all year, we're a lot better today than we were two weeks ago … But I don't know (if we're good). I've coached in leagues with a lot of good teams. I always knew how good my Oklahoma teams were, but it's hard to say with this group of kids, and I don't want to answer that right now. \n"We caught Michigan State at the right time," Sampson said. "Don't give us so much credit for playing great."
Ratliff sits out again with injury
Junior guard A.J. Ratliff sat out a second straight game with a wrist injury Sunday afternoon during the Hoosiers' victory against Michigan State. Sampson did not address the injury after the game but said that though the Hoosiers defense played well, it can play even better with the junior guard on the floor.\n"Having Ratliff out, we're not as good a defensive team," Sampson said. "That's why I took (freshman guard) Joey (Shaw) out early. We got on him about staying in his stance and moving his feet. And that's why he's prone to foul trouble. A.J.'s a lot better at that."\nThe Hoosiers defense forced 20 Michigan State turnovers in Sunday's contest.
