TOUGH TIMES IN INDIANA: HOOSIER COACH? IT MIGHT NOT BE DAVIS.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN College Basketball 

Indiana was supposed to be over the ugliness the day Bob Knight left campus. No more bullying, no more chair throwing and no more feuding within the program.

Instead, another revolting chapter is unfolding, and the outcome is inevitable, be it after this season, or the next, or the following one.

Hoosiers coach Mike Davis likely will be out as coach sooner rather than later, always thinking he got a raw deal. And the favorite to land the job will be former Knight pupil and current Iowa coach Steve Alford.

Indiana fans have long clamored for Alford, who led the Hoosiers to the NCAA title in 1987, to return to Bloomington and restore the pride of the program. Forget about Davis taking Indiana to the Final Four in 2002, because nearly everyone in Indiana has.

Davis' comments during the Big Ten weekly media conference call this week told of the situation, and how he views himself, as an Alabama graduate, coaching in the Hoosier state.

``Indiana needs to have one of their own,'' Davis said. ``They need to have somebody that's played here so they can embrace him. They need that. I'm not upset about it, not disappointed about it. I think they need that. I really do, because these players deserve better.''

Davis missed Saturday's 70-67 loss to Iowa because of illness, but it didn't keep some Hoosiers fans from booing their team, and cheering Alford. There was also a group of protesters who wore black shirts.

``When you think about it, it still doesn't make any sense,'' Davis said. ``I've been under fire for the last couple of weeks, by not just fans but by media. And we (were) one game out of first place during that time, and we were ranked in the top 20 during that time. It's getting to a point where what sense does it make when you're one game out?''

Davis said he didn't understand why he was constantly asked about his job security after every loss when Indiana was in contention for the Big Ten title.

``If we were five games out, six games out, you'd probably have an argument,'' Davis said. ``I know a lot of teams around the country being one game out of first and ranked, but it's really, really taken an affect on our players. Not just this year, but every year I've been here, because it doesn't matter what I do ... it's still the same.

``I'm very disappointed in it, and not just for me, but for the players. They deserve more.''

Davis has hardly been universally accepted since replacing Knight in 2000, despite delivering the school's only Big Ten championship since 1992. That came in Davis' Final Four year, when he also was roundly criticized for his running of the program.

He is the first coach in school history to begin his career with three straight 20-win seasons, and he has three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and has averaged 19.2 wins per season in his six-year career.

``It's incredible that my job has been discussed for six years,'' Davis said. ``It doesn't make sense.''

But the players also deserve better from Davis, who seems ready to give up on his Hoosiers - who fell to 13-9 after a loss to Penn State on Wednesday - despite four weeks remaining in the season.

Davis' first priority is to his players, especially since he recruited them, and his message is that in the face of adversity, it is all right to crumble.

No wonder Indiana has lost six of its last seven games.

--Pac-10 update: It was an interesting week in the Pac-10, where Stanford's NCAA hopes took a sizable hit with losses at California and Gonzaga, where Arizona coach Lute Olson re- instated Chris Rodgers, and Oregon State coach Jay John suspended guard Jason Fontenet.

Stanford (12-9) won eight of nine before losing to Cal and Gonzaga within three days, but those wins were within Pac-10 play, and the conference, despite the grandstanding of some, isn't at the same level it was four or five years ago.

In Arizona, the question is whether Olson would have brought Rodgers back if Jawann McClellan didn't suffer a season-ending injury. One glimpse at the Wildcats' ragged, undisciplined style of play, and it was a no-brainer Rodgers would return.

And then there is John, who took exception to it being reported that Fontenet was suspended. Instead, Fontenet, who is from Phoenix, didn't travel with the Beavers to the Arizona schools, but, according to John, wasn't suspended.

Bill Clinton should be proud.

--Snow job: With two recruits visiting campus, his job security in question, a big game approaching and a blizzard forecast for days, Rutgers coach Gary Waters elected to travel to the Midwest for his induction into the Kent State Hall of Fame and risk missing Sunday's home game against Marquette.

Waters, predictably, was snowed in, so first-year assistant Fred Hill Jr., whose father is the Scarlet Knights' baseball coach, took over. And remarkably, Waters said he was surprised to encounter a firestorm of controversy and criticism when he returned to New Jersey after missing Rutgers' 91-84 win over Marquette.

Waters later apologized to his team, saying he made several flight arrangements to get back for the game. But his actions bring up questions of his commitment to Rutgers, whether he knows he is already on the way out, and how everyone but him in the New York metropolitan area knew a storm would cripple the area, but he did not.

And on top of that, the Scarlet Knights may not even reach the 12-team Big East tournament.

``The one thing I can say,'' Waters told The Home News-Tribune, ``is I'm not a coach that's running around not monitoring my kids, allowing them not to graduate, letting them drink alcohol. If the only thing I do wrong is go to an awards ceremony, then I'm not all bad.''

Hill Jr., by the way, is considered the heir apparent to take over the program. He was the lead recruiter at Villanova before moving to Rutgers.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 6 boxes

Photo:

(1) Embattled Indiana coach Mike Davis suggested recently that someone else might be better suited to coach the Hoosiers.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

(2) no caption (college basketball player)

Box:

(1) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

(2) THEY SAID IT

(3) PLANTING THE SEEDS

(4) RUMOR MILL

(5) NUMBERS GAME

(6) THIS WEEK'S BEST BET