Time: 02-27-2012 22:12 User: rtaylor2 PubDate: 02-28-2012 Zone: KY Edition: 1 Page Name: C4 Color: CyanMagentaYellowBlack C4 | TUESDAY,FEBRUARY28, 2012 | THE COURIER-JOURNAL SPORTS | courier-journal.com/sports KY COLLEGE BASKETBALL Zeller can pay Hoyas’ seniors secure backSpartans big victoryoverIrish IU tries to prevent No. 5Michigan State at No. 23 Indiana Mich. State clinch Game time: 7p.m. Site: Assembly Kentucky still the 1 Hall. Favorite: Michigan State by 2. By Terry Hutchens Series: Indiana leads 65-49. Last meet- in AP Top25poll The Indianapolis Star ing: Michigan State won 80-65, Dec. 28, 2011,East Lansing, Mich. Television: Staff, wireservice reports BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Two ESPN. Radio: WNDA 1570, WSLM-97.9. months ago today,Michigan State Playing at home for the last provided Cody Zeller with his Michigan State (24-5, 13-3) Pos.-Player Ht. Yr.Rb. Pts. time, Jason Clark and Henry first taste of Big Tenbasketball. F-Draymond Green 6-7 Sr.10.3 15.6 Sims combined for 25 points, 12 The Spartans roughed him up, C-Adreian Payne 6-10 So. 4.0 6.8 rebounds and six assists on Sen- pushed him around, and limited G-Austin Thornton 6-5 Sr.3.4 5.1 ior Day,helping No. 11 George- Indiana’s6-foot-11 freshman cen- G-Keith Appling 6-1 So. 3.0 11.7 town beat No. 20 Notre Dame 59- ter to four points in his Big Tende- G-Branden Dawson 6-6 Fr.4.7 8.7 41 on Monday night in aKey but. Zeller managed just five shot Reserves — Brandon Wood, G, 6-2, game for Big East tournament attempts, three rebounds and had Sr., 8.2 pts.; Derrick Nix, F, 6-9, Jr., 7.8; seeding. four fouls. Russell Byrd, F, 6-7, Fr., 1.6; Brandan Clark finished with 13 points But Indiana coach TomCrean Kearney, G, 6-5, Fr., 1.2. and six rebounds, while Sims is quick to point out that Zeller had 12 points and five assists. showed three days later that he No. 18 Indiana (22-7, 9-7) While they have led the way all was aquick study,too. In the New Pos.-Player Ht. Yr.Rb. Pts. season for Georgetown (22-6, Year’sEve game with Ohio State, F-Christian Watford 6-9 Jr.5.3 11.6 C-Cody Zeller 6-11 Fr.6.5 15.4 12-5) on aroster with 10 fresh- Zeller had 14 points and handled G-Victor Oladipo 6-5 So. 5.4 11.2 men and sophomores, there was the physical play at ahigher level. G-Jordan Hulls 6-0 Jr.2.6 11.2 plenty of help from the young- “Ithink the big thing we saw F-Will Sheehey 6-6 So. 3.1 8.5 sters, as usual. from Cody from game one to Reserves — Derek Elston, F, 6-9, So., 5.0 Greg Whittington contribut- game two was how and quick and pts.; Verdell Jones III, G, 6-5, Sr., 7.6; Tom ed 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting, willing he was to adapt and figure Pritchard, F, 6-9, Sr., 1.4; Matt Roth, G, including 3of3on3-pointers, things out and then he carried 6-3, Sr., 4.6; Daniel Moore, G, 5-10,Sr., and another freshman, Otto Por- those things right into the Ohio 0.1; Remy Abell, G, 6-4, Fr., 3.0; Austin ter,had 10 rebounds. State game,” Crean said. “Ithink Etherington, F, 6-6, Fr., 1.4; JeffHoward, Notre Dame (20-10,12-5) lost what has happened over aperiod F, 6-8, So., 0.0; Raphael Smith, G, 6-2, Fr., its second straight following a of time is that Cody has shown 0.0; Taylor Wayer,G,5-11, So., 0.0; Kori school-record, nine-game Big that the more physical you are Barnett, F, 6-5, Sr., 0.5. East winning streak. It made 3of with him the better he is going to game but you watch the film and 17 3-point attempts, after going 4 be. Idon’tthink that affects him. I you see how he affects the game for 31 in aloss at St. John’son think he relishes it.” with his help defense, with his de- Saturday. Georgetown senior Jason Clark drives on NotreDame’sEric Atkins on Obviously,all eyes will be on flections, with his activity and his Both the Hoyas and Fighting Monday night. EVAN HABEEB/US PRESSWIRE Zeller tonight when No. 18 Indi- running and his passing.” Irish are in the running for atop- ana (22-7, 9-7 Big Ten) plays host Michigan State coach TomIzzo four seeding and adouble-bye followed by Marquette, Baylor UConn, which has gone 3-4 to No. 5Michigan State (24-5, said his team is facing its toughest into the quarterfinals of the con- and Ohio State. during Calhoun’smedical leave 13-3). Avictory tonight would en- week of the season. After facing ference tournament. George- Creighton is the week’slone for spinal stenosis, plays at able the Spartans to clinch the Indiana today,the Spartans play town finishes its pre-tourna- newcomer,returning to the Providence on Tu esday. outright Big Tenchampionship. host to Ohio State on Sunday. ment schedule by playing at No. rankings at No. 25 after two Michigan State was assured a As for facing IU, he said he 8Marquette on Saturday,while weeks out of the poll. The Blue- Women share of the title on Sunday when thought Indiana was playing Notre Dame closes at home jays, winners of four straight, »Virginia-Wise 83, Pikeville Ohio State lost to Wisconsin. some of its best basketball of the against Providence on Friday. replace New Mexico, which 47: The host Cavaliers (9-20) As for IU, the Hoosiers are season as the Hoosiers have won »IUSoutheast 98, Cincin- moved in last week for the first scored the first 13 points and looking to post their third victory five of their last six. He said the nati Christian 63: The No. 14- time this season at No. 18,then never looked back in beating the this season over atop five ranked two players who have stood out ranked Grenadiers (24-7, 12-1) fell out after losing two games. Bears (4-27) in the opening team. In December,Indiana have been Victor Oladipo and got off to aslow start but opened Florida State, the third round of the Mid-South Confer- knocked off No. 1Kentucky and Zeller. a52-39 first-half lead on the way ranked team to lose two games ence Tournament. then-No. 2Ohio State in athree- “Ithink Zeller has really im- to the KIAC championship last week, dropped from 15th to »IUSoutheast 81, Alice week span. proved his game,” Izzo said. “The game. 22nd. Lloyd 57: The Grenadiers (25-7, In the 16 games since that Big way he runs the court now,and 9-2) used swarming defense to Tenopening 80-65 loss at Michi- he’ssomuch better with the ball UK, Syracuse followed Calhoun surgery force 10 second-half turnovers gan State, Zeller has only been in the post. And he’sbecome a by Kansas successful and pull away from the Lady Ea- held to single digits in scoring much better passer and he gets Kentucky and Syracuse are University of Connecticut gles (11-21, 6-5) and advance to twice. Once was aroad game at the ball out. And Oladipo has the top two teams in The Associ- coach Jim Calhoun has under- the KIAC finals. Wisconsin and the other was Sun- stepped his game up enormous- ated Press’ Top25for afifth gone what the school says was »No. 18 St. John’s54, No. 12 day on the road at Minnesota. He ly.” straight week, while Kansas successful surgery to address Georgetown 45: Amber had seven points in IU’s69-50 vic- Twoplayers that could impact moves up to aseason-high No. 3. the spinal condition that has Thompson grabbed 15 rebounds tory over the Gophers. the game tonight in different Kentucky received 63 first- forced him to miss the Huskies’ and the Red Storm used their ad- Crean said ameasure of how ways are Michigan State’s6-9 ju- place votes from the 65-member past seven games. vantage on the boards to beat the far Zeller has come, however,isto nior Derrick Nix and IU sopho- national media panel Monday The school says the two-hour host Hoyas in the regular-season look at how he influenced Sun- more guard Will Sheehey.Nix, with Syracuse getting the other surgery was performed Monday finale for both teams. day’sgame at Minnesota without who had 14 points off the bench in two. at Beth Israel Medical Center in Da’Shena Stevens, Shenneika having abig scoring game. the first meeting, is questionable Kansas, Duke, Michigan New York and involved remov- Smith and Brown scored 12 “Cody is unique,” Crean said. with an arch injury.Hedidn’t State and North Carolina all ing adisc fragment that had points each for the Red Storm “I’ve never been around afresh- practice Sunday and Izzo isn’t moved up one place to be third been pressing on aspinal nerve. (21-8, 13-3 Big East), who won man who is so good at impacting sure if he’ll play today.And Shee- through sixth. Missouri, which The surgeons then decom- their eighth in arow.Sugar the game from so many different hey didn’tplay the first time IU lost twice last week, dropped pressed the area around the Rodgers led Georgetown (22-7, ways.