Indiana might have lost the best point guard in the Big 10 Conference to graduation in Yogi Ferrell, but if the seasons first two games are any indication, it has regained perhaps the conferences most explosive scorer.Back from a torn right ACL he suffered last December, 6-foot-4 junior guard James Blackmon Jr. has scored 26 and 23 points in wins over Kansas and UMass Lowell, respectively. Blackmon is canning 55.2 percent of his field goal tries, including an impressive 9-of-17 on 3-pointers.Whats more, Blackmon has enjoyed 20-point halves in both games. He victimized Kansas in the second half and extra period of a 103-99 overtime win at the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, then picked up where he left off in the first half of Wednesdays 100-78 pounding of UMass Lowell with another 20 points.So Blackmon, Jr. will be in the spotlight again Saturday night when the sixth-ranked Hoosiers continue the Indiana Classic at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., against Liberty.I think theres a confidence when they look at him, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said of Blackmon. James is a lot more explosive than what he was. Hes playing with more force. Hes playing downhill more. Hes covering more ground.I think the fact that hes moving the ball, that hes getting better defensively, thats a really good thing. To come back from an injury like that and to be a better athlete than he even was and be stronger like he is, that takes a little time for him to get used to.Blackmons presence forces opponents to respect him from 25 feet and in, leading to more scoring opportunities for teammates like 6-10 center Thomas Bryant (14 points per game, 7.5 rebounds), 6-8 forward OG Anunoby (14 points, 5.5 rebounds) and 6-3 point guard Robert Johnson (13 points, 3.5 assists).Indianas offense has been clicking on nearly all cylinders so far, canning 50 percent of its field goal attempts and nearly 45 percent on 3-pointers (26-of-58). Its ability to either get to the rim or create open 3s can test any defense.Liberty (1-1) will counter with a defense the Hoosiers have battled before -- the pack line scheme created by Dick Bennett and still run by the likes of Wisconsin and Virginia. Fourth-year coach Ritchie McKays squad held up-tempo VCU to 64 points in a five-point home loss Tuesday night.I thought everyone came in and battled, and you have to play well on the defensive end to have a chance, McKay said to the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance. And we had a chance.The Flames are expected to challenge Winthrop for the Big South Conference title with the return of four starters, plus the arrival of 6-7 freshman forward Brock Gardner. McKay, in his second stint as Liberty coach, said Gardner is the best player he has landed there since signing Seth Curry in 2008.Former Marquette guard John Dawson, a 6-2 senior, is the teams leading scorer at 14.5 points per game. Libertys tallest starter is 6-5, 255-pound forward Myo Baxter-Bell, which will put it at a serious disadvantage inside against the likes of Bryant and Anunoby.It is Indianas second game in the Indiana Classic and Libertys first. The Flames will host UMass Lowell, Mississippi Valley State and Central Penn in their other games in the event. The Hoosiers visit Fort Wayne and host Mississippi Valley State next week to finish their games in the event.Best Site Buy China Jerseys . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Cheap Jerseys Review . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. http://www.cheapjerseysreview.com/ . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. NFL Jerseys From China . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Replica Jerseys China . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe.Just for little while, it seemed the almost impossible was becoming the merely unlikely.As Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed resisted for 50 overs, it seemed England really might be able to defy India in the sort of conditions English players grow up to fear. The last 10 overs - and most of all, that last ball - were a harsh way to wake from the dream.This has been an odd game. Whatever happens on the final day - and victory for India remains highly likely - England will leave Visakhapatnam encouraged by their performance. There seems every chance that this will turn out to be that most British of things: a heartening defeat. Really, it might be the most heartening defeat for years.Why? Because theyve proved (to themselves as much as any of us watching) that they can compete in such conditions. Theyve shown that they have the character and skill to cope with losing the toss and playing against good bowlers in turning conditions. And, just as importantly, theyve shown they can claw their way back into games from unpromising situations. You could make a strong argument that they have had the best of days three and four. Its just the damage inflicted on days one and two was too deep.They have learned several useful lessons, too. They have learned, or been reminded, they cannot afford even half a bad session in such circumstances. So the loss of their first five first-innings wicket before the end of the second evening - a couple of them to somewhat soft strokes - was a setback from which they have never been allowed to recover. The footwork has to be more certain; the techniques more solid. They cannot afford a bad hour here.And, while there are no easy answers to dealing with Virat Kohli - he has looked magnificent in this series - England will reflect on the chance he offered when on 56 in the first innings and know that, had they been better organised and had a better fielder than Adil Rashid in position for the hook trap, the whole complexion of this game might have been different. It was a fleeing moment, certainly, but that may well prove to be as good an opportunity as England find in this series. If they are going to win, they have to seize such moments.They may rue the tenth-wicket stand of 42 they conceded on Sunday, too. A target of 363 in 160 overs would, perhaps, have been scarcely less daunting in practical terms. But in terms of morale? Final-wicket stands drain and dispirit like little else. While England hardly bowled a poor delivery in the first 100 minutes or so of the day, when they took six for 64, they may reflect that, just for a few minutes, they then allowed their concentration to drift and were punished for it.Generally, though, since Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes resumed on the third morning, there has been much to admire about this England performance. Stuart Broad has never bowled better in India, Rashid has never bowled better in Test cricket and, for all the praise lavished upon Indias spinners, Rashid and Moeen Ali have better bowling averages and strike rates than R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at this stage in the series.But perhaps it was the performance of Hameed that provided most cause for encouragement. For the second Test in succession, Hameed demonstrated a calm temperament in an unhurried display that belied his 19-years. It took an almost impossible ball, one that kept horribly low, to dismiss him.These were desperately tough circummstances for Hameed.dddddddddddd On a pitch offering turn and, most pertinently, variable bounce, he was tested in just about every way a batsman can be tested. Indias seamers examined his discomfort against the short ball and Indias spinners examined his ability to play the turning ball.His struggles against short-pitched bowlingt will have had fast bowlers around the world taking note. Whatever he achieves in the next few weeks, it is inevitable now that Hameed will be on the receiving end of many bouncers when he comes up against West Indies, South Africa and Australia. And they will almost always be directed at him on quicker, livelier tracks than this.There was talk of this potential weakness before he arrived in India. He was troubled by Surreys fast bowlers (Stuart Meaker and Mark Footitt) in the English summer and by Taskin Ahmed in Bangladesh.Here he was struck on the hand by the first delivery he faced - he later received treatment on his little finger, but the England camp played down any serious damage - after taking his eye off a fine, head-high bouncer from Mohammed Shami and took two more deliveries in the rib area. He wore a chest guard in this innings, but he may have a bruise or two for the rest of this week.But, whether he had been hit or not, he was right back in line for the next delivery. And whether hit or not, he was right forward to the next delivery as required. Theres no question of courage with Hameed, he is just learning to deal with that line of attack. The challenge confronting him might be compared to that confronting Ben Stokes and spin. Stokes overcame that challenge; how Hameed manages may well define how far he progresses in international cricket.There were, in all, nine deliveries that might reasonably be described as bouncers directed at Hameed. While his inclination seems to be to sway out of the way, he also ducked once and played the ball from in front of his face straight into the ground on other occasions. Short-leg was never in business and the two men out for the hook seemed utterly redundant. It was painful, but he survived.The manner in which he dealt with spin was even more impressive. Having been dismissed in Rajkot by Ashwin bowling around the wicket, he has resolved to watch the ball harder and be even more precise in his foot movement. He leaves the ball well outside off stump and gets further forward than most to smother the spin.While other batsmen - and not just young batsmen - might have become uncomfortable with the slow rate of scoring, Hameed looked supremely unworried. And while other batsmen might have allowed the match situation to play on their mind, Hameed seemed to enjoy the prospect of five sessions of crease occupation. Where else would he rather be?Every day, in every way (it was Hameed who was most insistent that England should utilise their review which resulted in KL Rahul being given out) he seems to be growing more comfortable with this level and the environment of the England team. This was a terrifically tough day and he came through it bruised but unbowed. It was another step forward in his development.It is for such reasons that, whatever happens on Monday, England will leave Visakhapatnam with spirits and heads high. They are learning and improving all the time. ' ' '