Irish aim for state supremacy over Hoosiers
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor
It's time to begin some new foundations.
The Irish have beaten their in-state rival Hoosiers just once in the last 11 tries, but all 10 losses came with Indiana constant Bobby Knight at the helm in Bloomington. Now Knight, the only name that mattered to Hoosiers since before the current batch of college players were born, is gone, and the team that's no longer his has a 3-3 record.
The new man in charge is Knight assistant Mike Davis, a man not nearly as flamboyant nor prone to outbursts as his predecessor. The coaching change doesn't lend drama to the game, but it replaces Knight's experience with temperance.
"They lost a coach and had a little bit of controversy," Irish guard David Graves said. "We did the exact same thing as they did, but we did it two years in a row."
No team has ever won six straight games in the 63-game history of the Notre Dame-Indiana rivalry, but the current Hoosiers' string of five in a row ties the record.
If the Irish, 4-0 for the first time in more than a decade, play anywhere near their capabilities, the Hoosiers won't take the mark any further. Point guard Martin Ingelsby expects Indiana to show up ready to defend their in-state title.
"We know that we can't just expect to show up and win a basketball game," Ingelsby said. "Indiana's a pretty good basketball game, and they've beaten us the last five years."
Last year, the Hoosiers leapt to a 17-0 lead on the Irish down in Bloomington, and though the Irish scrapped back to force overtime, they wound up losing by 17.
"Hopefully, we'll jump on them 17-nothing [this time]," Graves said. "I'm sure it'll be a full house. It'll be sold out, and rocking and rolling. When you get on them at this level, you've got to stay on them and not provide them any opening."
Ingelsby's consistency bringing the ball downcourt and distributing the ball for Notre Dame will be important in steadying the Irish. After losing his starting job last year to Jimmy Dillon, Ingelsby is ever present on the floor this year, and boasts 30 assists and just four turnovers in the first four games.
"The confidence that Coach [Mike] Brey has showed in me helps," Ingelsby said. "He basically handed the ball over to me and said this is your show. One of the things I worked on this summer was my ballhandling, and I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far."
Sophomore Matt Carroll has handed off 23 assists of his own.
Both teams have hot hands from the perimeter, as each has set school records for 3-pointers already this season. The Hoosiers hit 15 against Southern Illinois Saturday, with four from junior Kyle Hornsby and three by freshman Indiana native Jared Jeffries. Notre Dame hit a school-high 16 against Loyola.
High-scoring Notre Dame, for its part, also likes to pound the ball inside to All-American Troy Murphy and Ryan Humphrey, who dominate the boards and the paint. Murphy leads the Irish — and the nation — in scoring at 26.8 points per game, while Humphrey, Graves and Carroll all average in the teens. Every player in Notre Dame's starting lineup is potent from 3-point range, particularly Ingelsby, Graves and Carroll.
Trademarks in Indiana's wins have been closing the gates on defense and strong second-half play. The Hoosiers average nearly 20 points less per game than the Irish. Senior Kirk Haston paces the Hoosiers with 18 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while Jeffries averages nearly 14 points an outing.
Game notes
*The 9 p.m. game, which will be televised on ESPN, is sold out.
*Indiana is coming off a victory over Southern Illinois.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, December 5, 2000
