BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Mike Davis knew it would be a rugged start. Now, he believes, his Indiana Hoosiers are showing some progress.
After beating Butler 62-50 on Saturday, the Hoosiers have won two straight for the first time this season and head into next Saturday's game against No. 8 Kentucky with one intangible that's been missing in the season's first month - momentum.
"There's no powerhouse team right now," Bracey Wright said after scoring 22 points against the Bulldogs. "If we continue to play with energy and emotion, I think we can knock off a lot of teams."
A week ago, such a sentiment seemed almost unfathomable in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers (4-3) had just allowed then-No. 4 Missouri to erase a 14-point deficit in the final seven minutes. That followed an embarrassing 100-67 loss at Wake Forest, the most lopsided defeat in Davis' four seasons as coach.
Davis was changing the starting lineup every game, fans were upset and the Hoosiers' struggles continued to mount.
But Indiana appeared to turn the corner by winning Wednesday at Notre Dame, its first road win of the season, and fended off Butler on Saturday with its most complete game of the season.
"They really defended well, and they did a great job of keeping us off the glass," Bulldogs coach Todd Lickliter said.
For the Hoosiers, that's a start.
After earlier losses, Davis was upset with the Hoosiers' rebounding and their selfishness on offense.
On Saturday, the Hoosiers responded.
Clinging to a 30-27 halftime lead, Davis instructed Wright to be more aggressive on offense, drive harder to the basket and take control of the game.
Wright delivered. He hit 4 of 9 shots, had a personal 13-6 run that helped Indiana start to pull away from Butler and finished it off with solid free-throw shooting in the game's final minutes. Most important, he got others involved.
It was just what the Hoosiers needed.
"I think we got a couple of key plays and got the crowd into it," Wright said. "Donald (Perry) hit a big three in the corner, I hit a couple of free throws and A.J. (Moye) was playing well in the middle."
The combination was too much for Butler (3-4), which lost its second straight game for the second time this season.
Butler's usual style, a deliberate offense and menacing defense, caused the typical problems.
Indiana struggled to find a rhythm offensively, and the Bulldogs took advantage of just about any mistake the Hoosiers made on defense. The combination kept the game close almost from start to finish.
When the Hoosiers started to pull away with a 16-2 run in the first half, the Bulldogs answered with eight straight points to get within 26-24.
When Wright went on his scoring binge, the Hoosiers led 45-36, but the Bulldogs scored seven straight to get within 45-43 with 7:13 to go.
This time, the Hoosiers answered.
Their defense allowed just three baskets the rest of the way, and they used a late 10-0 run to take control, got solid defensive play from Moye, who had 12 points, and closed it out at the free-throw line.
Avery Sheets led Butler with 15 points. And the Hoosiers walked away a more confident team.
"Our spirits are starting to build," forward Sean Kline said. "Losing that Missouri game was tough, but we are at a good place right now."
www.miami.com
After beating Butler 62-50 on Saturday, the Hoosiers have won two straight for the first time this season and head into next Saturday's game against No. 8 Kentucky with one intangible that's been missing in the season's first month - momentum.
"There's no powerhouse team right now," Bracey Wright said after scoring 22 points against the Bulldogs. "If we continue to play with energy and emotion, I think we can knock off a lot of teams."
A week ago, such a sentiment seemed almost unfathomable in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers (4-3) had just allowed then-No. 4 Missouri to erase a 14-point deficit in the final seven minutes. That followed an embarrassing 100-67 loss at Wake Forest, the most lopsided defeat in Davis' four seasons as coach.
Davis was changing the starting lineup every game, fans were upset and the Hoosiers' struggles continued to mount.
But Indiana appeared to turn the corner by winning Wednesday at Notre Dame, its first road win of the season, and fended off Butler on Saturday with its most complete game of the season.
"They really defended well, and they did a great job of keeping us off the glass," Bulldogs coach Todd Lickliter said.
For the Hoosiers, that's a start.
After earlier losses, Davis was upset with the Hoosiers' rebounding and their selfishness on offense.
On Saturday, the Hoosiers responded.
Clinging to a 30-27 halftime lead, Davis instructed Wright to be more aggressive on offense, drive harder to the basket and take control of the game.
Wright delivered. He hit 4 of 9 shots, had a personal 13-6 run that helped Indiana start to pull away from Butler and finished it off with solid free-throw shooting in the game's final minutes. Most important, he got others involved.
It was just what the Hoosiers needed.
"I think we got a couple of key plays and got the crowd into it," Wright said. "Donald (Perry) hit a big three in the corner, I hit a couple of free throws and A.J. (Moye) was playing well in the middle."
The combination was too much for Butler (3-4), which lost its second straight game for the second time this season.
Butler's usual style, a deliberate offense and menacing defense, caused the typical problems.
Indiana struggled to find a rhythm offensively, and the Bulldogs took advantage of just about any mistake the Hoosiers made on defense. The combination kept the game close almost from start to finish.
When the Hoosiers started to pull away with a 16-2 run in the first half, the Bulldogs answered with eight straight points to get within 26-24.
When Wright went on his scoring binge, the Hoosiers led 45-36, but the Bulldogs scored seven straight to get within 45-43 with 7:13 to go.
This time, the Hoosiers answered.
Their defense allowed just three baskets the rest of the way, and they used a late 10-0 run to take control, got solid defensive play from Moye, who had 12 points, and closed it out at the free-throw line.
Avery Sheets led Butler with 15 points. And the Hoosiers walked away a more confident team.
"Our spirits are starting to build," forward Sean Kline said. "Losing that Missouri game was tough, but we are at a good place right now."
www.miami.com
