Hoosiers enhance Davis' record

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- It felt more like a coronation, Mike Davis' coronation, than a celebration Wednesday night in Assembly Hall.

With eight members of the Hoosiers' all-century team watching, Davis' Hoosiers strung together their most complete game of the season.

Indiana hit 51.9 percent of its field goals, 29 of 31 free throws, outrebounded Minnesota by a 2-to-1 margin and the Hoosiers rolled to an 89-53 rout of Minnesota.

"Every game I've coached has felt like a job interview," said Davis, Indiana's interim coach. "And I think the last two went pretty well."

It certainly seemed that way Wednesday night when the Hoosiers played flawlessly.

Kirk Haston scored 21 points, Jared Jeffries had 14 and Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby each had 12.

The Hoosiers (18-11, 9-6 Big Ten) outrebounded Minnesota 48-24, scored a season-high 89 points, even tied a school record by making 25 consecutive free throws during a stretch of two games.

They posted their largest victory margin in a Big Ten since 1993 and won back-to-back Big Ten games by 30 points for the first time since 1992.

The interview went so well that as the game drew to a close in what could have been his final home game, the students chanted "We want Davis."

And the honorees on the all-century team reiterated the students' point.

"To (IU President) Myles Brand, (athletic director) Clarence Doninger and the board of trustees, we all err," said Kent Benson, a former star who played on Bob Knight's 1976 national championship team. "They mishandled the firing of Coach Knight. It wasn't the firing, it was the way it was handled. I encourage you not to compound that error by not naming Mike Davis the coach."

The crowd roared with approval, even louder than it had when the Hoosiers were dismantling Minnesota on the floor.

For Davis and his Hoosiers, it certainly was a night to remember.

"It's just an honor even being in the same room as those types of players," Coverdale said, referring to the honorees.

For the Golden Gophers (17-11, 5-10), however, it was a nightmare to forget.

The ugly tale of the tape showed a season-low 27 percent field-goal percentage.