Close call in the hall

Armon Bassett, IU’s sophomore guard, has an interesting way of describing the physical stature of teammate A.J. Ratliff. \n“He’s 6’2”, but he’s 7-foot,” Bassett said. \nSeven foot, horizontally, that is. And Bassett isn’t implying that Ratliff’s fat, either. \nRatliff used his 6-foot-11 wingspan to block Demetri McCamey’s layup attempt with 14 seconds left to preserve IU’s two-point lead en route to the Hoosiers’ 62-58 win against rival Illinois.\nMcCamey grabbed the ball with time winding down and dribbled down the baseline. \n“We knew from breaking down the tape that he would go baseline,” Ratliff, who is officially listed at 6-foot-3, explained after the game. “He likes to go baseline, so I knew he was going to go baseline. So either I was going to have help or it was going to be one-on-one.”\nMcCamey challenged Ratliff, one of IU’s top defenders, one-on-one and leapt in the air to attempt a reverse layin. Ratliff never let the ball get in the air, stuffing McCamey’s attempt and almost grabbing the ball before it went out of bounds. \nRatliff also got his hand in on a play to force Illini guard Calvin Brock to turn the ball over with three seconds remaining. It was a block that didn’t show up on the stat sheet, but Ratliff made sure to emphasize it to reporters after the game. \nHe was effective offensively, as well. Ratliff hit a big 3-pointer as the first half wound down, and drained another three with 4:29 remaining in the game to give IU its largest lead of the night, six points.\nHis stats might not jump off the page, but Ratliff’s seven points, three rebounds, one block and one steal left him smiling after the game. \n“Such a relief, man,” Ratliff said. “It’s so hard to get back in the groove to where your shot is where it used to be.”\nRatliff was academically ineligible for the first nine games of the season, and missed the next three after he tweaked his ankle. Sunday’s game was only his third of the season, and he was ineffective in the previous two, averaging 2.5 points per game on 22 percent shooting. \n“Coach has been patient with A.J.,” Bassett said after the game. “He hasn’t been hitting his shots. But he’s been playing here, and A.J.’s going to hit shots eventually.”\nLast year, the former Indiana Mr. Basketball averaged 9.3 points per game, but with a slew of talented newcomers this season, his offensive skills weren’t dearly missed. It was his defensive capabilities that the Hoosiers craved early in the season. And those defensive skills helped IU secure a win Sunday. \n“A.J. played well defensively,” IU coach Kelvin Sampson said. “As the games go by, he’ll get better and better.” \nRatliff agreed, adding it might be one more game until he’s back at full speed. \nWith Bassett still nursing bone chips in his ankle, Ratliff will see more and more time. \nAnd if all goes to plan, Ratliff will be back in full force Thursday when the Hoosiers travel to Minnesota.