College Basketball Roundup : Garrett Gets Message, Sparks Indiana

Dean Garrett began Tuesday night’s game at Bloomington, Ind., on the bench, but he finished with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 7 blocked shots as No. 5 Indiana beat Eastern Kentucky, 103-75.

Garrett, the Hoosiers’ starting center until Tuesday night, scored just 2 points in 22 minutes against Washington State Saturday night, but Indiana Coach Bob Knight said the senior wasn’t in his “doghouse.”

“I don’t have a . . . doghouse. I have a birdhouse. If you fly you get in the birdhouse and you get to play,” Knight said.

“You don’t put guys on the bench. You put other guys in the game that deserve to play.”

Garrett became the second Indiana starter to be benched this year. Senior guard Keith Smart was held out for the first 30 minutes of the Vanderbilt game after a poor performance in the previous game, an overtime loss to Kentucky.

Garrett made 9 of 11 from the floor and seven of eight free throws for Indiana.

“The greatest motivator,” said Eastern Kentucky Coach Max Good, “is the bench.”

Indiana is 6-1; Eastern Kentucky is 3-2.

Michigan State 78, Illinois Chicago 64--Senior forward Carlton Valentine scored 22 points as the Spartans rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit at East Lansing, Mich.

Also helping key the Michigan State comeback was Spartan senior center George Papadakos, who scored a career-high 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and freshman forward Steve Smith, who scored a season-high 19 points.

Michigan State is 4-1; Illinois Chicago fell to 2-5.

Southern Mississippi 88, Clemson 85--Forward Derrek Hamilton and guard Casey Fisher scored 22 points each to lead the Golden Eagles to a nonconference victory at Clemson, S.C. All five starters scored in double figures as the Golden Eagles took a 26-point lead before holding off a Clemson rally.

Southern Mississippi is 2-0; Clemson is 5-1.