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WINSTON-SALEM -- The next time ESPN assigns Indiana to play at Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the Hoosiers might want to take their game somewhere else. Like, say, Fairbanks.

Their 24 turnovers suggested the Demon Deacons were far from perfect, but when they didn't give away the ball, they drove, dunked and dominated the visitors 83-58 -- a reasonable facsimile of their 100-67 win over the Hoosiers four years earlier. In all, there were 16 layups or jams, most of them in transition against a program in transition.

"That's our game plan: run, run and run some more," swingman L.D. Williams said after Wake won for the seventh time this season without a loss. "You get up and down the floor and a lot of things can happen."

Indiana (4-3), its roster thinned by attrition and the thick cloud of a previous regime's sins, features nine freshmen. Its first substitute against the Deacons was a guard better known as a member of the university's baseball team. They say Kipp Schulz is a probable draft pick in the summer of 2009, which is nice for Schulz but not particularly germane to coach Tom Crean's first bunch.

"It's a little early for the walk-ons," one heckling Wake student said, greeting Schulz's arrival 90 seconds into the basketball game.

But that's the way it is for a rebuilding program that virtually every observer believes will make it back to national relevance sooner rather than later under the direction of Crean, who has zero tolerance for nonsense. He hit the ejector button on several would-be returning players upon taking the job in the spring, displaying a willingness to accept potentially bizarre consequences.

The Hoosiers hung with the Deacs for 12 minutes, but Wake ultimately fed off Indiana errors to the tune of 26 points off 26 turnovers.

"I think 26 turnovers tells the story," Crean said.

For Wake, the picture was completed by a continuation of the offensive balance that has been its patent and trademark. James Johnson scored 21 points -- none in the game's first 10 minutes -- and his team didn't seem to notice.

"We've got a team this year," Johnson said. "We've got a bench."

Jeff Teague, the Deacs' leading scorer on the year, didn't collect a field goal in the first half, but wound up with 14 points. When he found himself the object of a combination defense, he avoided the temptation to force things.

"I couldn't believe they ran a box-and-one on me," Teague said. "I told L.D. and James to take the shots and make them. They did what they were supposed to do."

The Deacs entered the game ranked fifth nationally in field-goal percentage, and that figure won't take a hit after a 62 percent shooting performance against the Hoosiers. They're going about it the right way: looking inside and settling for the long ball only when it's obviously the right shot.

For IU, the only person, place or thing longer than the night was Al-Farouq Aminu, the Demon Deacons freshman who had 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 27 minutes.

"A tremendous athlete who's just scratching the surface," Crean said. "They're doing a great job of getting those young guys in there and playing quality minutes."

Before the game, Wake announced the departure of forward Jamie Skeen, who has declined the chance to appeal his academically related suspension from the university and will transfer. Deacons coach Dino Gaudio said Skeen would have redshirted if he had succeeded in returning this season. That speaks to the development of the program.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels @news-record.com

INDIANA

FG FT Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Dumes 30 2-5 4-5 0-0 2 3 9

Moore 35 2-5 3-5 2-3 3 2 7

Pritchard 29 1-7 2-4 4-8 3 2 4

Williams 26 4-11 1-2 4-10 1 2 9

Story 22 4-12 1-2 1-2 0 2 10

Finkelmeier 3 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 1 0

Roth 21 4-5 0-0 1-1 0 0 12

Schultz 7 0-2 0-2 0-0 1 0 0

Jobe 8 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 2 0

Taber 19 3-6 1-2 0-3 1 3 7

Totals 200 20-53 12-22 13-30 11 17 58

Percentages: FG .377, FT .545.

3-point goals: 6-19, .316 (Roth 4-5, Story 1-3, Dumes 1-4, Moore 0-1, Schultz 0-2, Williams 0-4).

Team rebounds: 0. Blocks: 0.

Turnovers: 26 (Dumes 7, Story 6, Moore 4, Schultz 2, Pritchard 2, Jobe 2, Taber, Williams).

Steals: 10 (Taber 3, Story 3, Roth 2, Moore, Schultz).

WAKE FOREST

FG FT Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Teague 25 5-9 4-5 0-3 5 3 14

Aminu 26 4-9 4-6 5-9 2 1 12

Clark 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Hale 13 3-5 0-0 0-2 1 2 7

Smith 20 1-2 0-0 0-2 4 0 2

McFarland 14 1-3 2-2 2-6 0 2 4

Lepore 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Johnson 32 8-10 2-2 1-5 4 3 21

McQuilkin 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Walker 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Williams 13 0-0 1-2 0-0 0 1 1

Weaver 1 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2

Hoekstra 16 1-1 0-2 1-5 0 3 2

Woods 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Bitove 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Davis 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 2

Godwin 13 7-9 1-2 0-1 0 3 16

Totals 199 32-52 14-21 9-34 16 18 83

Percentages: FG .615, FT .667.

3-point goals: 5-11, .455 (Johnson 3-3, Godwin 1-2, Hale 1-2, Smith 0-1, Clark 0-1, Teague 0-1, Aminu 0-1).

Team rebounds: 1. Blocks: 7 (Aminu 5, Williams, Johnson).

Turnovers: 24 (Teague 6, Aminu 4, Johnson 4, Smith 3, Godwin 2, Hoekstra, Hale, Williams).

Steals: 13 (Johnson 4, Teague 4, Aminu 2, Godwin, McFarland, Hale).

Indiana 31 27 -- 58

Wake Forest 47 36 -- 83

A--12,454. Officials--Bryan Kersey, Jamie Luckie, Roger Ayers.