Golden opportunity

The disappointment was obvious.\nAfter the Hoosiers’ loss to Michigan last Saturday, IU coach Kelvin Sampson and his squad made a long walk out of Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.\nNobody said much, but the silence spoke louder than any words could.\nThis IU squad had just experienced something it never had before: its first back-to-back defeats of the season.\nBut the Hoosiers tonight return home, where they remain undefeated this season. They will look to end their losing streak when they host Minnesota at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall.\nSampson said his team has to continue winning at home this season, but they also need to learn how to win on the road.\n“I sit on both ends because I see really good teams coming in here trying to beat us,” he said Tuesday during a news conference. “It goes both ways. We have to continue to work at it. We have two more road games this season, and we have to put our heart and soul into winning those games.”\nThe Hoosiers are 13-0 this season at home, including key wins against No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 13 Southern Illinois. Part of IU’s formula for success has included large contributions from junior forward D.J. White and senior guard Rod Wilmont. But on the road, White has struggled fighting through double teams and recently found himself in foul trouble against Michigan.\n“We aren’t going to win many games with D.J. sitting beside me,” Sampson said, “and he was disappointed in the way he played (against Michigan). He bounced back yesterday, which is very good, because you have to carry that over.\n“When D.J. has been at his best this year, he attacks. We worked on that yesterday, broke things down one-on-one. We worked on the post defense and everything we worked on D.J. was good.” \nSampson said recently teams have not only changed their approach to White, but to Wilmont as well.\n“I watched some film with Rod this morning and teams are guarding him differently,” Sampson said. “Sometimes that’s not all by design and these other teams are putting their most veteran defender on Rod. The good thing is he is not forcing it. I think the 3-point shot is an important part of Rod’s game when he is open.”\nWhile Wilmont and the other IU guards struggled shooting the ball last game, they have also struggled in defending opponents’ shooting guards during the two recent losses. Purdue’s David Teague scored 32 points last Thursday and Michigan’s Dion Harris tallied 16 on 4-of-8 3-point shooting Saturday. IU on Wednesday night will now try to contain Minnesota guard Lawrence McKenzie, who averages nearly 16 points a game.\n“Guarding a team like Minnesota, they have a guard that can score off the bounce, off the catch and is a really good 3-point shooter,” Sampson said. “We worked on things that we will have to do to defend against Minnesota.”\nRegardless of the recent losses and struggles, Sampson said one thing is certain for Wednesday night’s game: The Hoosiers have to win. He said winning at home is crucial, especially in a tough conference like the Big Ten.\n“The home court is a difference in a parity league,” Sampson said. “There are not a lot of differences in the teams in this league, but home court is an advantage.”