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BLOOMINGTON – Armon Bassett figured his injured ankle was at 60 percent.
Still, he decided to give it a go for Indiana on Sunday against Illinois. In the end, the point guard hurt the Illini.
The sophomore, who had played just three minutes in the Hoosiers’ first two Big Ten games, scored 11 points in Indiana’s 62-58 victory. He made 3 of 4 three-pointers as IU won its 10th straight game.
He expects to be about 80 percent tonight when IU plays at Minnesota.
The No. 9 Hoosiers (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) will be shooting to extend their winning streak at a place where they’ve struggled in recent years.
The Golden Gophers (12-3, 2-1) have won seven of the last eight home games in the series.
To reverse the trend, IU will need Bassett.
The top three-point shooter in the Big Ten played three minutes in the conference opener Jan. 2 at Iowa because of loose bone chips in his left ankle. He didn’t play at all Jan. 8 at Michigan.
It wasn’t until late last week that he was cleared for the Illinois game.
“Armon plays with a lot of confidence,” IU coach Kelvin Sampson said.
“He got in the mix a little more each day. He was a little tentative on Thursday, a little bit better on Friday and a little better (Saturday).
“He’s been in this type of situation before.”
Bassett gave the Hoosiers a lift off the bench, playing 18 minutes against the Illini. All 11 of his points came in the second half.
“I had some open shots, and I knocked them down,” Bassett said afterward.
He scored IU’s final five points.
“He made some big shots down the stretch,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “His threes were huge. Those were backbreakers.”
The biggest one came when Eric Gordon tried to squeeze a pass between two Illinois defenders in the lane. The ball was deflected to the left corner, where Bassett caught it and launched a three-pointer, putting the Hoosiers ahead 60-55.
Right time. Right place. Right guy.
Bassett is averaging 10.4 points a game and is shooting 50 percent (23 for 46) from three-point territory.
Beyond the numbers, his return should serve as a calming influence in a pressure situation for a team that at times Sunday rushed shots.
“When Armon was in there, we executed a little better,” Sampson said.
That was the case on both ends of the floor. After shooting 48 percent from the floor in the first half, the Illini shot 33 percent in the second half.
“Our teams have always competed hard. That’s the thing that Armon brought to the table,” Sampson said. “He made some threes (against Illinois), his confidence was high and aggressive. His point of attack on defense, when he was out there, we were good defensively.
“… Armon started almost every game last year. He knows how to handle some things.”
lpope@jg.net
