No. 15 Hoosiers Tighten Big Ten Race With Win Over No. 14 Purdue

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. _ Kelvin Sampson has coached Indiana within range of the Big Ten mountaintop. Will he last long enough to get the Hoosiers there? On Tuesday night, at least, it didn’t matter. Indiana beat arch-rival Purdue 77-68 and championship possibilities are everywhere.

The No. 15 Hoosiers (22-4) are 11-2 in the conference and are a Saturday victory at Northwestern away from matching No. 14 Purdue’s 12-2 mark. Wisconsin also is 11-2 and plays at Illinois Wednesday night.

"These kids have a lot to play for," Sampson said.

They just might not play it with Sampson. NCAA allegations of major violations could result in his suspension or firing or resignation by the end of the week, although Sampson and players said they expected him to continue coaching.

The uncertainty didn’t faze the Hoosiers during Assembly Hall victories over then No. 10 Michigan State and Purdue in the last four days. Forward D.J. White said it won’t the rest of the way.

"That hasn’t crossed our minds," he said. "It’s the last thing on our minds. When we’re on the court we’re all focused." White gets much of the credit. He dominated Purdue with 19 points and 15 rebounds in 36 minutes. Not bad for a guy playing with a sprained left knee.

"We’re trying to win a championship," he said, "and my job is to keep our guys focused. I lead by example and the guys are following me. No distractions are bothering us." IU lived up to its Big Ten-leading free throw reputation at a rocking Assembly Hall. It made 30 of 34 free throws, including 17 of 18 in the final six minutes when the Boilers (21-6) had closed to 57-55.

Purdue, the conference’s second-best free throw shooting team, stumbled to 11-of-22 from the line. Add 34.7 percent field goal shooting and losing the rebound battle by 16 and the result was the end of its 11-game winning streak.

"We gave a good effort," coach Matt Painter said, "but the ball didn’t go down." Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon basically matched his Big Ten-leading scoring average with 22 points, including 13 from the free throw line. Guard Armon Bassett showed the Hoosiers are more than a two-man team with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Even Kyle Taber, the former walk-on forward from Evansville who does all the little things, had a career-high six points. That included the first dunk in his three Hoosiers years.

"I was open and I had to throw it down," he said.

Forget zone defense. Both teams defended from mouthwash range and the result was back-and-forth first-half drama that produced nine lead changes.

Purdue quieted the sold-out Assembly Hall crowd by bolting to a pair of six-point leads before IU settled down. A late surge gave the Hoosiers a 32-29 halftime lead.

The Hoosiers attacked the rim to open the second half and quickly zipped to a seven-point lead. Purdue missed contested two-footers. White dunked with impunity.

IU pushed ahead by 10, then 12. Purdue cut it to two with six minutes left before the Hoosiers’ free throw barrage clinched it. That was huge for White, who wasn’t about to let his knee injury prevent him from playing.

"There were a lot of things riding on this game and I wanted to be a part of it," he said. "We have the chance to do something special here."