IU set for ‘White-Out’ against Terps

As a 12-year-old, Maurice Creek watched the 2002 NCAA championship game, which IU played in, and he cheered on his hometown team – the Maryland Terrapins.

Now as a freshman guard for Indiana, the Oxon Hill, Md., native has switched alliances. He’ll be competing against the same team he followed as a child and was recruited by in high school.

“I’ve been watching them since I was a little kid,” Creek said. “It’s special playing against them.”

Creek’s hometown team will be his current team’s toughest opponent yet. As of last week, the Terps were ranked No. 21. But two consecutive losses to No. 22 Cincinatti and Wisconsin have dropped Maryland out of the top 25.

But Creek won’t be the only one who’s facing a familiar opponent.

Junior guard Jeremiah Rivers – a transfer from Georgetown –saw plenty from his neighborhood team his first two years in college.  

Rivers said he’s familiar with several members of the Terrapin squad, including senior guard Eric Hayes, senior guard Greivis Vasquez and senior forward Landon Milbourne.

Maryland has averaged 10.5 steals as a team. Coupled with IU’s average of 16.7 turnovers a game, the Hoosiers will have to figure out how to make fewer mistakes on Tuesday. Maryland only averages 10.8 turnovers a game and has the Atlantic Coast Conference’s highest turnover margin.

“You can see they’re so comfortable with the ball, so comfortable when they’re running,” Rivers said.

The game will be the team’s first match in front of a student home crowd since Nov. 16. IU Athletics is calling for a “White-Out” at tonight’s game and has said the game is close to sold out. IU is currently averaging 14,580 fans a game, second in the Big Ten.

“We’ll be able to feed off them,” Rivers said, “and hopefully it’ll transpire into some good plays for us.”

Rivers has played the most of any Hoosier, averaging 30.3 minutes a game. He played 36 minutes on Saturday against Northwestern State, a game that left him banged up.

“I felt like I fell a million times on Saturday,” Rivers said, adding that an opposing player ran into the back of his calf this weekend.

The game is one of 11 included in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, a competition between the two conferences. The ACC has won each of the challenges the past 10 years.

Right now, the Big Ten has three teams ranked in the top 25, while the ACC has four.

“If you allow Maryland to control the tempo of the game, you allow them to get the free throw attempts they get and to live on the boards without resistance,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “Then it’s hard to beat them.”

After three games in four days in Puerto Rico, the team had six days before Saturday’s game. Rivers said he and his teammates enjoy the quick turnaround.

“I like going against teams as soon as possible,” he said. “Having only two days rest, that’s fine with us.”

While Creek said he is looking forward to playing against his hometown team, he also isn’t making a big deal of it.

“You got to take it as if it’s another game,” Creek said.