Attack at the Mack

The road isn't very kind to the IU men's basketball team. \nIt hasn't been before -- the Hoosiers are 2-6 away from Assembly Hall this season -- and it certainly won't be Thursday.\nIU will travel through the ice and snow up to West Lafayette to battle in-state rival Purdue at 7 p.m. tonight. \nThe Hoosiers' road ahead could provide their most crucial challenge. Tuesday afternoon, IU coach Kelvin Sampson stressed the importance of the team's remaining schedule this season, but also said the Hoosiers can't overlook the importance of their tilt with Purdue.\n"If you look at our schedule, we're rounding the bend here. We have six games remaining," Sampson said during his weekly press conference, according to IUHoosiers.com "First of all, it's a rivalry game. To say this is just another game isn't fair to the fans and coaches and players that came before us. This is a big game. It's Purdue. But we want to win the game every bit as badly as they do, I promise you."\nIn the teams' first meeting on Jan. 10, the Hoosiers dominated the contest, winning 85-58 behind a career-high 19 points from freshman guard Joey Shaw. Since then, the The Boilermakers have gone 4-4 in Big Ten games while the Hoosiers have racked up a 6-2 record. Sampson said, despite Purdue's recent record, he sees a difference in the Boilermakers, in large part to the play of seniors David Teague and Carl Landry.\n"Just look at Purdue's scores at home. They beat Michigan State 62-38," Sampson said in the release. "Our kids are pretty smart, they know this is going to be a dogfight."\nIU will get a firsthand look at how much improvement Purdue has or hasn't made Thursday night at Mackey Arena, a place where the Hoosiers have had plenty of recent success. The Hoosiers have won five straight matchups against the Boilermakers, including 11 of the last 13, and swept the season series the last two years.