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Young Hoosiers weighing future
By Mark Ambrogi, Special to CNNSI.com Many Indiana basketball fans are still reeling from the loss of legendary coach Bob Knight before the season. Now there's concern that their two best players are considering leaving early for the NBA. Freshman forward Jared Jeffries and junior center Kirk Haston said they will weigh their options after the season. "I'm going to have to figure out what the rules are [about testing the market] so I don't get myself in a bind,'' Jeffries said. "But I do want to figure out what's out there and what my options might be." His mother, Cecelia Jeffries, said she supports whatever decision her son makes. "But I told him, 'If you're smart, you'll stay at IU at least another year,'' she said. "I'm a mom and I'll support him no matter what he does, but I really want him to be stronger, and I told him that.'' His dad, Tom Jeffries, said he needs to be stronger both physically and mentally. "If he was in a position to be a top five pick and get the max [maximum rookie salary], I'd tell him he should go ahead,'' Tom Jeffries said. "He can get the degree later and he will get the degree later. But if you're not in that position, spend another year or two. Don't listen to what all those flesh-peddlers and so-called friends tell you. I'll tell him the truth. And I'd tell him he's not ready.'' Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said he was surprised that Jeffries is already considering the NBA. "Obviously, he's an exceptional player and we know that opportunity is going to await him, but you just don't want to see young kids continue to jump early,'' Ellerbe said. Haston sounds like he is leaning toward staying. "I hate to rule anything out,'' Haston said. "I just want to keep playing like I am so I'll have options. I want to be part of a great team, which is one of the things I haven't been a part of. If we make a great run this year, it's scary to think what we can possibly have next year.'' Haston is averaging 20.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in league play.
Fading hopes?The NCAA tournament hopes of Minnesota and Purdue are all but history. And, surprisingly, Iowa is rapidly becoming a bubble team. All three teams have been floored by injuries. Minnesota and Purdue each lost two key starters. Iowa lost one, but it was leading scorer Luke Recker, who is likely out for the season with a fractured kneecap. Iowa coach Steve Alford started three freshmen in an attempt to give his team a spark on Wednesday night. It didn't work, as host Michigan rolled to a 50-32 halftime lead en route to a 95-85 victory over No. 25 Iowa. Freshman guard Brody Boyd scored a season-high 23 for the Hawkeyes and another freshman, Glen Worley, matched his season-high of 11. But the move failed to light a spark under veterans Ryan Hogan (0-for-6) and Duez Henderson (0-for-4). "I thought our freshmen gave us a great deal of positives," Alford said. "But our vets didn't give us the production we needed. It's a dilemma. We'll have to see what vets want to play.'' It was the Hawkeyes' (17-7, 6-5) third consecutive loss. They were upset by Northwestern on Saturday. It was the Wildcats' first regular-season conference win since beating Penn State on Feb. 6, 1999, snapping a string of 32 losses in a row. "We have to figure out how we're going to get that confidence back, and how we can get our kids to play with that same swagger that they had,'' said Alford, whose team plays at Michigan State on Sunday. "That's hard when the guy [Recker] that has pretty much brought you to each dance isn't leading the swagger.''
Gophers embarrassedMinnesota guard Terrance Simmons was disgusted by his team's showing in an 82-62 loss to visiting Penn State. It was the Gophers' (16-9, 4-8) worst home loss since a 21-point defeat to Texas Southern early in the 1994-95 season. "It's embarrassing, for the first time we laid down and quit,'' Simmons said. "We've always prided ourselves on fighting back. I know guys were tired. I know guys were very tired, but that's no excuse. If we play like we played [Wednesday], we won't win another game in the Big Ten.'' Minnesota forward Dusty Rychart was disappointed in his team's competitiveness, too. "Penn State just wanted it more,'' he said. "Once we cut it to five, we stopped doing the things that helped us get the lead down that far. "We've lost games over the course of the year, but none of them have been as embarrassing as this.'' It was Penn State's first victory at Minnesota after eight consecutive losses. "I like this place and I enjoy playing here. It feels great to finally win here -- especially to play well and win so convincingly,'' said Penn State senior guard Joe Crispin, the league's top scorer.
Bad-luck BoilersAfter being blown out in three consecutive games by ranked opponents (Michigan State, Wisconsin and Illinois), Purdue looked as if it would sneak out with a victory over Ohio State on Wednesday night. After Carson Cunningham hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with nine seconds to go, Buckeyes guard Brian Brown dribbled down the court. "I was just hoping the shot would hit the rim and bounce out and the son of the buck was an air ball. Holy cow,'' Purdue coach Gene Keady said. Instead, Will Dudley grabbed the miss and scored at the buzzer. "I knew it was good. I just wish our scorekeeper had a quicker finger [on the buzzer],'' said Keady, whose team lost its fourth consecutive game to fall to 13-10 and 5-7 in the Big Ten. Purdue suffered a 21-point loss to Illinois on Saturday, the worst home loss in the 34-year history of Mackey Arena. "But I can't complain about the kids' efforts,'' said Keady, who never sugarcoats anything.
Wolverines in syncFor a rare time, Michigan was both patient and on-target in Wednesday's upset of Iowa. "We made a lot of extra passes tonight," said Gavin Groninger, who scored 19 points. "We moved well without the ball. We ran our sets, which is something the coaches have been trying to get us to do all year. And when we do that, things are good." All five Michigan starters were in double figures. The Wolverines shot 54 percent from the field Michigan (10-13, 4-8) hosts Minnesota, Purdue and Northwestern before closing the conference season at Michigan State on March 3.
Worth notingMichigan guard Maurice Searight remains suspended indefinitely for missing a practice. But Searight has been practicing with the team. "He could possibly play Saturday," Ellerbe said. ... Illinois continued its march toward a Big Ten title with a last-second upset of Wisconsin. Marcus Griffin had the game-winning shot to finish with 18 points. In the previous two outings, Griffin, who had been struggling with a tailbone injury, had two points against Michigan State and eight against Purdue. "Griff had a coming-out party,'' Illini coach Bill Self said. Said Griffin, "I wouldn't say I was struggling. I just haven't been making any shots. It felt so good to finally knock one down.''
Mark Ambrogi covers the Big Ten for The Indianapolis Star. Check back each Friday for his latest CNNSI.com Insider.
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