Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 22, 1994 TAG: 9403220142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The hurtin' Hoosiers don't have any choice. When Knight goes to his bench these days, it's mostly to sit down.
In Sunday's NCAA East Regional second-round game of incredibly shrunken depth, Indiana eliminated Temple 67-58. As expected, both teams got very defensive at USAir Arena, but the difference was made by the battered Hoosiers' offense.
Temple has been one of the nation's premier programs since coach John Chaney toughened the Owls. Only Duke has played more regional title games than Temple's three since 1988.
But the Philadelphia school hasn't reached the Final Four since 1958. Until Temple plays better with the ball, it's not likely to again anytime soon.
The Owls' offense has the flow of cold Philly cream cheese. Against Indiana, Temple tried to win on the perimeter. Temple stayed in the game on its foot-sliding defensive tenacity - and the starters played 188 of 200 team minutes.
The spotty Owls milk the shot clock, then still don't get good looks at the basket. For a team whose motto should be, "Give a hoot, don't shoot," the only offensive explosion came in the first half and drew a technical foul for Chaney.
With North Carolina's ouster, Indiana now owns the longest current streak of Sweet 16 dates - four. These Hoosiers are anything but a team of great talent. Considering Indiana finished third in the nation's best league and takes a 21-8 record into Friday's NCAA game against stunning Boston College, this might be one of Knight's best coaching jobs.
Among the Hoosiers, Damon Bailey is playing with torn muscles in his side. Pat Graham may be playing with a foot fracture. Southpaw corner marksman Brian Evans prospers despite needing a brace on his twice-separated right shoulder. Freshman guard Sherron Wilkerson was lost for the season when he fractured his right leg in Sunday's win. And Knight has a very painful back.
He may be very leery of Todd Leary handling the ball against fullcourt pressure, but Knight has little choice.
"It's a tough team, and no one is as loyal to doing what they do, in terms of first we want this, second this, third this, than Bobby's team," Chaney said. "That team has teeth in its stomach."
Chaney said Saturday that he was amazed his team could win 23 games. Who could disagree after seeing the Owls control the pace of the game and the boards, then have to try to beat Indiana with three players and 3-pointers?
The difference between the fourth and fifth seeds in the East bracket was that the lower one could score. Knight doesn't like the 3-point goal. He thinks it cheapens the game.
That doesn't mean he won't use it. The Hoosiers kept three-peating over the Owls. Indiana made 10 of 20 shots from behind the arc - which raises their nation's-best 3-point marksmanship to 46 percent.
"Bobby spends a great deal of time in dotting the i and crossing the t," Chaney said. "With Indiana, you might know what street they're coming down, what they're going to try to do. You just don't know how well they're going to do it."
On the game's eve, Chaney went into great detail explaining how Knight's man-to-man defense included some zone principles. Then, the Hoosiers proved him right, with junior Alan Henderson playing windshield wiper in the middle and ignoring Temple's underachieving post man, William Cunningham.
Henderson's positioning moved Temple's shot selection more toward the sideline than usual. The clanging long shots became long rebounds - and Indiana took advantage of those kick-outs to run to more than a few transition baskets, avoiding the Owls' halfcourt zone.
While the Hoosiers picked, screened and skip-passed their way to success at the offensive end, Indiana's defense totally frustrated a team that struggled to score even against Drexel less than 48 hours earlier.
"Indiana is absolutely the very best in this country on defense," Chaney said. "Bobby places a high priority on that. They're all so tough."
The Hoosiers can't be any other way. Not only does Knight demand it, he needs it.
by CNB