Newton, Moye return home for a title shot

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jeff Newton and A.J. Moye are going home to Atlanta. They hope to return to Indiana with the Hoosiers' sixth national championship.

The two reserves have already played a big part in the team's success, helping it reach the Final Four for the first time in a decade.

"Both guys, when they come in, make us a better basketball team," coach Mike Davis said Tuesday. "Both guys could easily start for us, but I decided to go the other route. When they come in, there's no drop-off."

The 6-foot-9 Newton, who played at Mays High School in Atlanta, is Indiana's first big man off the bench, usually in place of 6-8 Jarrad Odle. He's averaging 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds and has blocked a team-high 65 shots, more than a third of the team's total.

The 6-3 Moye, who played at Westlake High School, will come in at guard and could get extra playing time if Tom Coverdale's injured ankle doesn't heal before the Hoosiers' semifinal Saturday night against Oklahoma in the Georgia Dome.

Moye is averaging 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds and always seems to be scrapping somewhere around the ball. The sure-handed sophomore also has the lowest ratio of turnovers to minutes played among all the Indiana regulars.

Freshman Donald Perry would get the start if Coverdale can't go, but Moye, Perry, Dane Fife and Kyle Hornsby could be used interchangeably at guard.

The Hoosiers (24-11) will look for big games from Moye and Newton against the Sooners (31-4), who will be favored Saturday.

But being an underdog isn't new for Indiana.

The Hoosiers upset top-seeded Duke 74-73 in the South Regional semifinals, then beat Kent State 81-69 on Saturday for a trip to Atlanta.