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Indiana hosts Western Carolina

Dec 15, 2007 - 3:15 PM Western Carolina (3-5) at No. 14 Indiana (8-1) 8:00 pm EST

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (Ticker) -- No. 14 Indiana puts the nation's fourth-longest home winning streak on the line Saturday when it faces Western Carolina for the first time in school history.

Indiana has won 23 consecutive games at Assembly Hall, trailing only Memphis (36), Brigham Young University (36) and Notre Dame (25) for the longest winning streak at home.

The Hoosiers enter Saturday's contest on a four-game winning streak - including an impressive 70-51 triumph over Kentucky last Saturday. Freshman sensation Eric Gordon, who ranks eighth in the nation with 24.3 points per game, missed the contest with a bruised lower back.

Gordon is expected to play against Western Carolina but coach Kelvin Sampson is concerned about the Catamounts four-guard lineup.

"A team like Western Carolina ... concerns me because they have four perimeter guys," Sampson said during his weekly press conference. "That is why we have to get better in our zone. We have got to get better in a lot of areas. There will be teams in our league that play like Western with four guards and one post. And we are going to try and have to match up with them. Every game is a challenge."

Western Carolina snapped a three-game losing streak with an 84-64 win over North Carolina Central on December 5.