Mar 14, 2003 3 min read

CHICAGO (AP) – A look at their past gave the Indiana Hoosiers new hope for their future. Inspired by a tape of their victory over Oklahoma in last year’s Final Four, the Hoosiers played their best game in months Thursday, routing Penn State 77-49 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

“It just reminded us to where we got last year,” said senior Tom Coverdale, who had 13 points. “I think it showed the younger guys what it showed us, also. When we play team basketball like we did tonight and we play defense like we did, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Throw in the Hoosiers’ desire for a little revenge, and Penn State (7-21, 2-15 Big Ten) never stood a chance. Indiana (19-11, 9-8) now plays third-seeded Michigan in the second round Friday.

“I thought today was our best game in a long, long time,” Indiana coach Mike Davis said.

Their most well-rounded, too. The Hoosiers shot 52 percent, had a 37-28 rebounding edge and dished out 23 assists. Jeff Newton set the tone with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.

George Leach added 11 points and four blocks, while Marshall Strickland had 10 points and six assists.

“I wanted to show the players the difference between this basketball team and the team last year,” Davis said of why he showed the video.

“The biggest difference was that last year we played really good team basketball.”

Everyone else was in such a groove it didn’t even matter that leading scorer Bracey Wright was scoreless for the first 30 minutes of the game. Wright finished with seven points, well below his average of 17.1.

“They had a game plan: Try to pound the ball inside, try to milk Newton,” said Deforrest Riley, who finished with 11 points, one of only two Nittany Lions in double figures.

“They saw he was hot and they stuck with him. That’s the only reason why Bracey (didn’t score).”

After losing to Maryland in the NCAA championship game last year, the Hoosiers started this season with such promise. They climbed as high as No. 6 in the country, and were among the early favorites to win the Big Ten.

But Indiana stumbled badly in conference play, with no loss more stunning than its 74-66 defeat at Penn State just five days ago. It was only the second loss to Penn State in 22 meetings, and it snapped the Hoosiers’ 11-game winning streak over the Nittany Lions.

The loss also put a damper on Indiana’s NCAA hopes. With a .500 Big Ten record, the Hoosiers likely need a good run this week to secure a bid.