Indiana shows it can play in transition

BY RODERICK BOONE | roderick.boone@newsday.com

9:11 PM EDT, March 20, 2008

RALEIGH, N.C. - They say few things differ now other than the face they had become so accustomed to seeing is no longer around. The game plan hasn't been tweaked much.

But when Indiana forced Kelvin Sampson to resign last month after the NCAA uncovered major recruiting infractions, the players had no clue what to expect. Would the Hoosiers still run the same system? What kind of rotation would interim coach Dan Dakich utilize? Would he be strict or use more of a hands-off approach?

Well, their questions have been answered and Thursday, before Indiana (25-7) hit the RBC Center court to prepare for Friday night's first-round matchup with Arkansas (22-11) in the East Regional, the players seemed at ease .despite the tenuous situation they've faced since Sampson's Feb. 22 departure.

"I think we are comfortable with what Coach Dakich has done," forward D.J. White said. "He's come in and done a good job. And he pretty much hasn't changed anything. We are still doing the same things."

Still, it was a huge transition, one that had to take place on the fly since the Hoosiers had already played 26 games. Sure, Dakich was on Sampson's staff and that made things somewhat easier. But not as much as you would think.

"If you go 20-something games into the season and all of the sudden what happened happened, I think it's a huge adjustment in a number of ways to the players," said Dakich, who played at Indiana under Bob Knight from 1982-85. "And I always try to equate what I would have done had it happened to me with Coach Knight while I played here. It would have been very difficult for me ... But these players jumped right into it."

Dakich coached Indiana to wins in his first two games, but the Hoosiers lost three of their last four. And although they've limped to the finish line, they feel their chances of making noise in the NCAA Tournament are as good as anyone's.

"We got seeded No. 8, but we're a team that if we are playing good, we can beat anybody," sophomore guard Armon Bassett said. "So hopefully we can get it back rolling."

Friday night could be a swan song for many at IU. White, Indiana's second-leading scorer behind Eric Gordon at 17.3 per game, is a senior and won't be back. Gordon, a freshman, is considered an NBA lottery pick and is likely bound for a big payday in the pros. Plus, there are rumblings Indiana already has a short list of coaching candidates -- with Scott Skiles among them -- to replace Dakich. So Indiana might have a different look next year.

That's the furthest thing, though, on the Hoosiers' minds. "As everyone knows we've had a lot of transition this year," White said. "And we've got a chance to end the year special. So it starts night."