INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana should be getting used to all this.

Students lining up in chilly temperatures long before tip-off so they can see America’s No. 1 team play at Assembly Hall. A nationally televised game that will become the focal point of the college basketball universe for one day. And the Hoosiers vying again for the Big Ten lead.

On Saturday, it’s all about facing Michigan.

“It’s going to be a big game, and I really can’t wait for it,” freshman guard Kevin Ferrell said.

Nobody in Bloomington can.

After stumbling in December against Butler and again early in conference play against Wisconsin, the Hoosiers (18-2, 7-1) have been trying to play their way back to the No. 1 spot they held through the first month of the season. A win Saturday might finally get them back on top, and Indiana is playing its best basketball of the season.

National player of the year candidate Cody Zeller broke out of his two-game shooting funk Wednesday night, dominating the middle against Purdue. Not surprisingly, his inside presence opened things up for the Hoosiers’ 3-point shooters, who knocked down a season-high 12 against the Boilermakers. Indiana’s vastly improved defense continues to play well, too, ranking 12th nationally in defensive field goal percentage (37.3).

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