BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Verdell Jones III said the longest losing streak he can remember being a part of prior to this season was two games. Fellow freshman Matt Roth guessed his personal streak was three.

As the Indiana University basketball team attempts to snap a 10-game losing skid today, a team that has 10 freshmen or sophomores on its roster is trying to deal with another new experience.

"It has been real hard especially in the last couple of games where we've come so close to winning and played our hearts out and just came up a little short," Jones said. "This is something that's new for all of us. Most of us came from top-ranked programs either in the country or in the states we played in."

Added Roth: "It's just something that none of us have ever been a part of before."

With 10 consecutive losses, IU (5-14, 0-7 Big Ten) is already in the record books for the second longest losing streak in school history. A loss today would be No. 11, tying the 1944 Indiana team for the record. Making matters worse for Indiana is the Hoosiers will be facing an Ohio State (14-5, 4-4) team that beat IU 18 days ago 77-53.

Indiana coach Tom Crean said his team has changed since that first meeting. A 67-63 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, followed by a 77-75 defeat at Northwestern on Wednesday has Crean believing his team is much closer to picking up its first victory.

"We have to come out and have a battle mentality because (Ohio State coach) Thad (Matta) will certainly have them ready," Crean said. "The coaches in this league aren't going to overlook Indiana. They don't want to be the first (to lose to IU). I know that. I've been down that road before. They're not going to let their team take it lightly.

"They know they're going to have to come in here and play us, but we have to do a better job influencing how the game is played."

Crean said it is not hard to keep the Hoosiers motivated.

"If you saw our practices, you wouldn't be able to walk in there and have any idea what our record is," Crean said. "You definitely wouldn't think that we hadn't won a game in a long time."

Roth said staying positive is not a problem, and there could be a plus side down the road.

"I think in the long run it's going to be beneficial for us. If we do lose a couple of games in a row sometime in the future, having had this experience will make us better people and better players," he said.