Eying IU

End of a run

And just like that, the streaks are over.

The 13-game winning streak. Gone.

The 29-game home winning streak. Also history. As is Kelvin Sampson’s perfect start at Assembly Hall. He had won his first 27 home games.

“At some point you are going to lose at home,” Sampson said.

Connecticut topped the Hoosiers 68-63. The Huskies played better and stunned the No. 7 Hoosiers.

IU let the Huskies size get to them. Several times, IU adjusted a shot, or not take a shot at all, while trying to work around Connecticut’s 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet.

D.J. White had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but he had to settle for short jumpers, and went 5 for 13 from the floor. Eric Gordon scored 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting.

“He looked like he was struggling,” Sampson said of Gordon. “The game didn’t really come easy to him.”

The Hoosiers are 0-2 against their two toughest opponents, having also lost to Xavier.

Another tough foe is around the corner Thursday at Wisconsin.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

IU pulls away

D.J. White (offensively) and Jamarcus Ellis (defensively) were the difference as IU knocked off Penn State, 81-65.

With the game tied at 54 with 11:18 to go, White took over. He scored seven consecutive points for IU. He finished with 22 points.

Defensively, Ellis switched to guarding Jamelle Cornley. He defended the larger forward well, stifling the Nittany Lions.

“We knew they were going to play hard without (Geary) Claxton, coach preached to us all week that we were playing a wounded animal,” Ellis said.

“… It all started with our defense. We were a little lackadaisical in the first half. We started to pick it up in the last eight minutes.”

The Hoosiers are 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1992-93 team started 11-0 on the way to a conference title.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

IU in fight at halftime

Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson warned his team that Penn State would be tough, even without their top player.

The Nittany Lions are giving the Hoosiers a fight, trailing 37-34 at halftime. The first half featured five lead changes and three ties.

Penn State is hanging around due to its three-point shooting. The Nittany Lions have made 6 of 8 three-pointers. Talor Battle leads Penn State with 11 points. Penn State is playing without Geary Claxton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Tuesday.

The Hoosiers have hit six three-pointers of their own. Eric Gordon, who leads IU with 12 points, is 4 for 6 from three-point territory.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

Illinois, the day after

Kelvin Sampson said nerves might have played a factor in Eric Gordon performance in Sunday's game against Illinois.

"He's a human being. We're talking about a kid who turned 19 on Christmas day," Sampson said Monday during the Big Ten teleconference. "He's not made of wires and buttons. He's a great kid, a sensitive kid. I think with all the build up and the hype, at 19, I know I would have been. I would have probably approached the game a little different. It's something he knew he was going to go through and he's going to have to do it again on Feb. 7."

Gordon did finish with a game-high 17 points. He scored 11 points after halftime. He went 4 for 10 from the floor but was 8 for 10 from the free throw line.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

White earns weekly honor again

D.J. White keeps collecting Big Ten honors like they are rebounds.

The Indiana senior forward was named the conference’s player of the week for the third time this season. White averaged 18 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks, leading the Hoosiers to their first 3-0 start in conference play since the 2001-02 season.

White had 21 points and 22 rebounds last Tuesday against Michigan. He was the first Hoosier since Alan Henderson in 1995 to surpass 20 points and 20 rebounds in a single game.

White followed that up with a 15 point, 10 rebound performance Sunday against Illinois.

White has recorded 10 double-doubles in IU’s last 11 games. He leads the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 10.9 per game.

He was named the Big Ten Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. White has won the award four times in his career.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

Hoosiers continue winning ways

It wasn’t pretty, but IU did just enough to defeat Illinois 62-58.

The Hoosiers received a lift defensively from A.J. Ratliff, who had a block and a steal in the final 25 seconds to secure the victory.

The game featured seven lead changes and four ties.

The Illini didn’t do itself any favors on the foul line, going 8 for 15 in the second half. Indiana, meanwhile, made 9 of 12 free throws after halftime.

“If you’re going to win against a top 10 team in their place, you almost have to, not play perfect but pretty close to that,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.

IU has won 10 in a row for the first time since putting together a 13-game winning streak during the 1992-93 season. The Hoosiers are 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2001-02. Kelvin Sampson improved to 25-0 in Assembly Hall, matching Branch McCraken’s school record for most consecutive home wins to start a career.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

IU trails Illinois at halftime

The Illini have been the more aggressive team on both ends of the floor, one reason they lead Indiana 34-30 at halftime.

Illinois jumped to a13-4 lead. The Hoosiers came storming back and the game has gone back and forth since. There have been six lead changes and four ties.

Eric Gordon appeared to be a little too fired up at the beginning of the game. He went 1 for 5 from the floor and has six points.

IU hasn’t taken advantage of the absence of Shaun Pruitt, who collected his second foul following a short shoving match with DeAndre Thomas with 12:26 remaining in the half. Pruitt played just six minutes, but the Illini still have the lead.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

Thomas checks out contest

Bishop Luers sophomore DeShaun Thomas is in attendance for today’s Illinois-Indiana game. He has a seat behind the Hoosiers bench.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

Pregame vs. Illinois

With so much attention focused on Eric Gordon, a matchup to watch will be D.J. White against Shaun Pruitt. White has been the go-to-guy during the nine game winning streak. He has nine double-doubles in the last 10 games. Pruitt ranks fourth in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 7.9 per game. White leads the conference in that department at 10.9 per game. Whichever team controls the boards will come out ahead.

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette

Goals met

IU coach Bill Lynch wrapped up the season with a teleconference Friday. He summed up the seven-win season by saying “The season’s goals were met, I don’t think we surpassed them.”

He said the team has already felt some benefits from their first appearance in a bowl game since 1993. IU lost to Oklahoma State, 49-33, in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 31.

“I think it sets the bar a little bit higher for your own football team,” he said. “It certainly helps in recruiting. … They want to go some place that is a bowl team and has a nice new facility. We have both of those things right now.”

- By LaMond Pope of The Journal Gazette