GAME NOTES: The seventh-ranked Indiana Hoosiers take a break from Big Ten play this weekend, as they welcome the Connecticut Huskies to Bloomington for an intriguing matchup at Assembly Hall. Kelvin Sampson's team has lost just once this season, that being an 80-65 setback against Xavier on November 24th. Since then, the Hoosiers have reeled off 13 straight wins, including a 65-43 pasting of Iowa on Wednesday. The Hoosiers are also a perfect 12-0 at home this season and have strung together 29 consecutive wins on their own floor. Jim Calhoun's Huskies are 13-5 on the year and 4-3 in Big East action. UConn comes into this contest with a small two-game win streak in tow, having knocked off nationally- ranked Marquette (89-73) and Cincinnati (84-83) in the last six days. This is just the eighth all-time meetings between these two prolific programs, with UConn clinging to a 4-3 series advantage. The Huskies have won three of the last four meetings, but it was Indiana that took last year's meeting, a 77-73 decision in Hartford.

UConn may not be among the nation's elite programs anymore, but the team certainly has the offensive firepower to compete with anyone. The Huskies are one of the top scoring teams in the Big East this year, averaging 80.9 ppg, on a healthy .468 shooting. In addition, the team is winning the rebounding battle by 6.7 caroms per game. The scoring depth is vast, with all five starters currently boasting of double-digit averages. Forward Jeff Adrien is the best of the bunch. He has converted exactly half of his shots this season (91-of-182) and paces the team in both scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg). He gets help down low from center Hasheem Thabeet (11.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, team-high 70 blocks) and forward Stanley Robinson (10.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg). The backcourt consists of shooting guard Jerome Dyson (14.3 ppg) and point guard A.J. Price (14.0 ppg, 6.2 apg), although Dyson has recently been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. It took everything UConn had this week to earn a one- point win at Cincinnati, as the team shot an efficient .533 from the floor and .865 from the free-throw line (32-of-37). In fact, the biggest difference in the game came at the charity stripe, as the Bearcats only knocked down 13-of-20 attempts. Thabeet and Dyson led the offensive charge, pouring in 22 and 20 points, respectively, on a combined 12-of-18 shooting. Price added 13 points and doled out five assists, while Adrien netted 12 points to go with seven rebounds.

The Hoosiers have shown the ability to adapt to an opponent's style of play this season, winning games at both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. It certainly makes things easier when you are shooting .492 from the floor as a team and rolling up nearly 80 points per game (79.4). However, the defensive effort cannot go unnoticed either, with Indiana holding foes to a mere 61.8 ppg, on under 40 percent shooting (.395). This year, there have been a number of freshmen across the nation who have emerged as true stars. Eric Gordon is certainly one of them. The 6-4 youngster is a scoring machine for Indiana this season, shooting .493 overall and .413 from the floor, while leading the Big Ten in scoring at 22.1 ppg. Senior forward D.J. White has been equally dominant down low, with a double-double average of 17.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per outing. Other youngsters making significant contributions include freshman Jordan Crawford (11.6 ppg) and sophomore Armon Bassett (10.3 ppg). The Hoosiers used their best defensive effort of the season this week to push their current win streak to 13 games. Indiana forced Iowa into 20 turnovers and held the Hawkeyes to a miserable .341 shooting performance in the 22-point romp. White, Gordon and Jamarcus Ellis outscored the entire Iowa team, as White finished with 19 points, followed by Gordon's 17 and Ellis' 12.

This one could be a barn-burner with both teams going up and down the floor, matching basket for basket. However, the Hoosiers definitely have the advantage of playing at home.