So you can’t bring yourself to watch what could very well be a depressing end to Brett Favre’s Monday night magic act? Fortunately, you have options. ESPN2, which really hasn’t been the same since Kiana Tom left BodyShaping, has the game between the No. 18 Indiana Hoosiers and the Atlantic 10’s own Charlotte 49ers.
The Hoosiers got a slap in the face when they were embarrassed by Duke and then lost to Indiana State, but they bounced back nicely with a huge 79-53 win over Kentucky. Mind you, that was when the Wildcats were down in the mouth thinking that center Randolph Morris was going to be out for the entire year. The ‘Cats pasted Louisville on Saturday when they found out otherwise.
The win over Kentucky was still huge for Indiana, and especially for coach Mike Davis, who was 0-5 against the Wildcats before last week’s triumph. Monday’s matchup against Charlotte could mark another turning point for the Hoosiers, as sophomore power forward D.J. White is expected to play in his first game since breaking his left foot in the preseason.
White is one of the emerging studs in the college ranks. The 6-9, 230-pound Tuscaloosa native scored 13.3 points per game as a rookie to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, and was a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection before injuring his foot on Nov. 4 against St. Joseph’s. Davis has called White one of the best players in the conference. Although White dressed against Kentucky, Davis made sure to keep him out of action to protect the team’s future star.
Davis may have found another piece to this year’s puzzle in Auburn transfer Marco Killingsworth. The senior forward destroyed Kentucky with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, marking his third 20-10 game of the season. Killingworth’s emergence in White’s absence gives Davis the problem all coaches love to have: how to get both these bruisers on the floor at the same time. Swingman Robert Vaden, another top sophomore in the Big Ten, could find himself swung back to a guard position. For now, Davis is reportedly planning on limiting White’s minutes against Charlotte.
The 49ers are coming off a tough 80-77 loss at home against Valparaiso to fall to 5-4 on the season. The overnight line in Las Vegas had this matchup as a pick ‘em.
by Shawn Sillinger 
