The lowdown
2000-01 record: 21-13; 10-6 in Big Ten (4th)
Final Ranking: No. 20 AP
Postseason: Lost to Kent State 77-73 in first round of NCAA Tournament.
Three Questions for 2001-02
1. How effective can Donald Perry be at the point? Will Tom Coverdale take a reduced role now that the Hoosiers have a legit, quick point guard? Will Perry be a scorer or simply a distributor?
2. Can Jared Jeffries handle being the star again after a slow start last season? Will he make up for the 3s the Hoosiers won't get from Kirk Haston? Does he need a secondary player up front to take pressure off of him?
3. Can the Hoosiers finally get more out of Jeffrey Newton and George Leach? Newton has had his moments but Leach has been a disappointment, so far. The Hoosiers need more out of both to make a run at the Big Ten title.
Three Key Facts
1. The Hoosiers open the season on the road at Charlotte (Nov. 18). Indiana will take on host Alaska-Anchorage in the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 21-24). The Nov. 21 game can be seen on ESPN2 (10:30 p.m. ET). They'll also participate in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against North Carolina (Nov. 28). Indiana annual battle with Kentucky is slated for Dec. 22 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, while Rick Pitino brings Louisville into Bloomington on Feb. 9. The home opener is against Notre Dame on Dec. 4, while Ball State is in town Dec. 8.
2. Mike Davis will serve as the head coach for the 2001 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Foreign Tour team this summer. The trip will feature games in England and Ireland from August 8-19.
3. Sophomore Jared Jeffries, whose name was left off the initial list of 2002 Wooden Award candidates, should find himself on the list of the top 50 candidates by the start of the season. As a freshman, Jeffries started in all 34 games, averaging 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Andy Katz's Scenarios
Best case: Win the Big Ten, get a top-four seed and win a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Worst case: Fall to third or fourth in the Big Ten, get off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament and then lose again in the first round.
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Key Players Returning
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Player
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Yr.
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Jared Jeffries
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So.
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F
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6-9/220
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PTS: 13.8 | REB: 6.9 | AST: 2.4
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Tom Coverdale
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Jr.
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G
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6-2/185
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PTS: 10.7 | REB: 3.4 | AST: 4.9
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Jeffrey Newton
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Jr.
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F
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6-9/210
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PTS: 6.1 | REB: 4.8 | AST: 1.3
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Key Losses
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Kirk Haston
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F/C
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6-10/230
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PTS: 19.0 | REB: 8.7 | AST: 1.2
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Indiana Signings
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht.
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High School/College
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Sean Kline
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F
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6-8
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Huntington, Ind./Huntington North H.S.
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Donald Perry
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G
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6-2
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Tallulah, La./Reuben McCall H.S.
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