Previewing Arkansas State
11/21/2017 4:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Indiana head coach Archie Miller met with the media to preview Wednesday's game against Arkansas State and Friday's game against Eastern Michigan. Below are the video and transcript of the press conference.
Indiana head coach Archie Miller
Opening Statement:
"We have an interesting week with the holiday on Thursday. But being able to get two games in three days again, it's going to be a quick turnaround. So coming off a Sunday night turnaround and trying to utilize yesterday and today to really prepare ourselves to play against two teams in three days.
"We are probably going to see close to 75 or 80 percent of both games playing against zone defenses. We are trying to get organized offensively and we will get back to work this afternoon. We will continue to try to progress defensively and hopefully on Wednesday night we will be ready to go against an Arkansas State team that is playing very up-tempo and are changing their defenses. We could see a lot of full court press during the game. I expect it to be another hard-fought game."
With more days off between Seton Hall and South Florida and South Florida and tomorrow, have you been able to get more things done in practice?
"Seton Hall was a Wednesday night game and we got back late and the players had Thursday off. We really, really went to work on Friday and Saturday trying to continue to elevate our effort level in practice. We continued to watch the film to see what is right and what is wrong.
"I thought our South Florida performance in terms of watching the film a couple times and communicating with our players, I thought we played pretty hard that game. I thought we competed. Juwan (Morgan) did a really nice job in the second half of igniting our team to play with a little more confidence down the stretch.
"Watching film and taking yesterday and making it a day to be smart with them coming off Sunday night, then today is going to be a hard work. Then we have the game Wednesday, then a day in between our game on Friday. But definitely spending time on ourselves is the most important thing."
You mentioned last week that you went back and watched film from a year ago at this time. What were you looking for when you did that?
"You are looking back and you sort of remember all the good things that happened throughout all the good teams you have had and what they looked like as a finished product. But you sometimes have to go back and watch a November practice from a team a couple years ago and you are going to see the same stuff. Each team is pretty much the same. They are always building. They are always developing. For our team, mentally as a coach, you want to give yourself an image of where you are at compared to previous seasons. We are getting better. We have to continue to find a way to tighten things up as much as we can defensively. Effort can't be negotiable at all and I think that is something we are starting to figure out a little bit. Offensively, we have to continue to get guys to play with confidence. I think that is a big thing – finding guys to zero in on what we are asking them to do and play with great confidence, execute, take care of the ball a little better – all that kind of stuff."
Does it help that when you watch film on these two teams this week, you can compare how they played against teams you have already played?
"Howard played against Arkansas State last night so getting to see them play against them and knowing their personnel and sized of players when you watch them and watching Eastern Michigan play against Arkansas State. But it is early in the season and I think all of these teams are developing. You are playing teams that are on a one-day rest. Arkansas State played last night and they play us tomorrow. Eastern Michigan actually has a week off before they play us and then they play at South Florida on a day in between. So you are sort of jamming games in quickly, but you are seeing them against the same opponents, so to speak, that you are facing so you get a chance to see the talent level and the size and what they are trying to do."
On whether the carryover from practice to games has improved?
"We saw a lot more carryover into Seton Hall and then a lot more carryover into South Florida, in particular on defense. I still don't think we are getting great trust on offense, in terms of guys understanding exactly how we want to play, whether that is uncharacteristic turnovers, lack of execution or things like that. All in all, I think we are starting to get there. We are starting to get a little more carryover.
"We are not getting as much carryover offensively, especially in the first half when you see some of the turnovers, compared to what we are getting on defense. I think the last couple games we are starting to get a clearer picture, defensively, of what it looks like."
On Collin Hartman's status after going through warmups prior to the last game:
"Collin is not doing anything live in practice. He is continuing to do some individual work and some 5-on-0 and non-contact in the half court. We are being patient with him. Groins are something that can be tricky and lingering to the point where it could derail a season. We are just trying to keep him moving towards the big part of the senior season that he knows he is going to have to be ready for with getting into the late non-conference slate against the high-major opponents and then into conference play.
"He's not doing any contact so I assume as of right now he's not going to play against Arkansas State and we will take it day-by-day after Arkansas State. With one day of prep after a game, it can be tricky. Potentially getting him a little more confident in his injury and then our training staff and doctors continuing to take precautions with him. We will hopefully get through this week and see where he's at."
You mentioned after the last game that Josh Newkirk's legs could use a rest. Is he back to 100 percent?
"Yesterday was a lighter day for us. Coming into today, he will practice normally. But we definitely want to keep in mind right now that he's an older guy that has had some knee issues in the past. I think we have to look at him and, every once in a while, take a step back and let his body recover a little bit more. He is not one to pull himself out of very much right now. He is very eager to be in practice and do more. I expect him to be ready to roll today and then be ready to roll tomorrow. I think he is feeling a little bit better coming off the weekend."
How to you handle the holiday with two games in three days around Thanksgiving Day?
"It's unique. It's the first time we have been on campus during the holiday. Usually you are in some type of exempt event where you are playing on Thanksgiving or working on Thanksgiving on the road or returning.
"This is a normal week for us. Practice is normal this week. We don't have classes so we are giving them time in between when we see them in the morning and the afternoon. After Wednesday, clearly Thursday is going to be Thanksgiving but we have one day to prepare for Eastern Michigan and one day to rehash what happened on Wednesday night. We will probably have couple sessions of film with them Thursday morning and then an afternoon workout. And then Thanksgiving will take place with our staff, players and families. You try to enjoy it as much as you can. And then wake up on Friday to be ready to go for an afternoon game and a quick turnaround."
How much does playing an up-tempo team now help for preparation down the road?
"Arkansas State plays very fast. They have a very aggressive, undersized but quick team. They are very mobile. They are using their defense right now to create tempo with pressure – full court pressure – changing defenses in the half-court. And they want to run. If we don't take care of the ball, that's going to be a problem. And then the second thing is handling their push and getting all five guys committed to running back. It is always the first thing we talk about every game.
"We are going to see amazing pace coming up, not only in conference but in the back half of the non-conference slate playing against terrific offensive teams. Being able to defend in transition and stay out of transition defense is huge. It is good offense and taking care of it. But you also have to have a committed team to getting back and we deal with that almost every day.
"Hopefully our offense will get a little better too, where we are playing with good pace. When we have had good stops and some opportunities in transition, we just have not capitalized on them. But we would like to be that team that plays with great tempo."
Is the playing two games in three days a coincidence or did you do that intentionally knowing that it was going to be part of the Big Ten schedule this year?
"We knew we were going to have to do it several times in the Big Ten, which is going to be a grind not only for us for all the teams in the Big Ten. It will be unique. It gives us a little bit of a feel of what two games in three days feels like and what the day in between is like for the players and the staff getting ready on a short turnaround. So it is getting us used to it.
"Two games in three days is a little awkward, at times. It is not a great setup but it's just how things had to work with the amount of games and dates that had to work. Being able to go Wednesday-Friday is probably something that doesn't look great on paper but it will pay dividends in December and January when we have to do it a couple times."
On playing teams in the non-conference from the Sun Belt or Mid-American:
"The Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference have really good players and coaches. When you are talking about non-conference opponents, you are clearly doing two things: strategically with the style of play that can help you down the line if you know something is coming. And then obviously from a strength of schedule standpoint, you are playing teams that you know will win a certain amount of games based on previous seasons or their current team.
"Especially the Mid-American being in the Midwest and being at Dayton and having to play Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan. Those guys have good teams and good coaches. Eastern Michigan plays the second-best zone I have ever seen. Syracuse is clearly one of the most unique defenses that you can go against. And Coach Murphy, who was at Syracuse, has instilled that same concept at Eastern. We played against those guys two or three years ago and it's a bear to go against. It's a very unique zone. So being able to play against Eastern Michigan, that's going to be a tough game.
"Playing the Sun Belt Conference, I was in the old Sun Belt with Western Kentucky. Those teams, whether it is Middle Tennessee or Arkansas Little Rock or the other schools in the conference, they are tough to deal with."
With Eastern Michigan, how do you go about defending James Thompson IV?
"Like everybody, you have to have a team approach. Any time you are dealing with size, there is an awareness level of help and how we have to work to keep it out of there. I think the Seton Hall game clearly taught our staff and our team a tough lesson on how you can't let a good frontcourt player get going. You can't let the team get in a rhythm to get it to him as much as they got it to him. Playing inside-out puts fouls on our frontcourt and that's something we don't like.
"It is going to be a team approach but it is a quick turnaround so we are going to have to be good at what we do more than having to adjust on the fly to a certain player. We have to be good at what we do and that's when the best teams are really good – when they execute what they do every day."
Indiana head coach Archie Miller
Opening Statement:
"We have an interesting week with the holiday on Thursday. But being able to get two games in three days again, it's going to be a quick turnaround. So coming off a Sunday night turnaround and trying to utilize yesterday and today to really prepare ourselves to play against two teams in three days.
"We are probably going to see close to 75 or 80 percent of both games playing against zone defenses. We are trying to get organized offensively and we will get back to work this afternoon. We will continue to try to progress defensively and hopefully on Wednesday night we will be ready to go against an Arkansas State team that is playing very up-tempo and are changing their defenses. We could see a lot of full court press during the game. I expect it to be another hard-fought game."
With more days off between Seton Hall and South Florida and South Florida and tomorrow, have you been able to get more things done in practice?
"Seton Hall was a Wednesday night game and we got back late and the players had Thursday off. We really, really went to work on Friday and Saturday trying to continue to elevate our effort level in practice. We continued to watch the film to see what is right and what is wrong.
"I thought our South Florida performance in terms of watching the film a couple times and communicating with our players, I thought we played pretty hard that game. I thought we competed. Juwan (Morgan) did a really nice job in the second half of igniting our team to play with a little more confidence down the stretch.
"Watching film and taking yesterday and making it a day to be smart with them coming off Sunday night, then today is going to be a hard work. Then we have the game Wednesday, then a day in between our game on Friday. But definitely spending time on ourselves is the most important thing."
You mentioned last week that you went back and watched film from a year ago at this time. What were you looking for when you did that?
"You are looking back and you sort of remember all the good things that happened throughout all the good teams you have had and what they looked like as a finished product. But you sometimes have to go back and watch a November practice from a team a couple years ago and you are going to see the same stuff. Each team is pretty much the same. They are always building. They are always developing. For our team, mentally as a coach, you want to give yourself an image of where you are at compared to previous seasons. We are getting better. We have to continue to find a way to tighten things up as much as we can defensively. Effort can't be negotiable at all and I think that is something we are starting to figure out a little bit. Offensively, we have to continue to get guys to play with confidence. I think that is a big thing – finding guys to zero in on what we are asking them to do and play with great confidence, execute, take care of the ball a little better – all that kind of stuff."
Does it help that when you watch film on these two teams this week, you can compare how they played against teams you have already played?
"Howard played against Arkansas State last night so getting to see them play against them and knowing their personnel and sized of players when you watch them and watching Eastern Michigan play against Arkansas State. But it is early in the season and I think all of these teams are developing. You are playing teams that are on a one-day rest. Arkansas State played last night and they play us tomorrow. Eastern Michigan actually has a week off before they play us and then they play at South Florida on a day in between. So you are sort of jamming games in quickly, but you are seeing them against the same opponents, so to speak, that you are facing so you get a chance to see the talent level and the size and what they are trying to do."
On whether the carryover from practice to games has improved?
"We saw a lot more carryover into Seton Hall and then a lot more carryover into South Florida, in particular on defense. I still don't think we are getting great trust on offense, in terms of guys understanding exactly how we want to play, whether that is uncharacteristic turnovers, lack of execution or things like that. All in all, I think we are starting to get there. We are starting to get a little more carryover.
"We are not getting as much carryover offensively, especially in the first half when you see some of the turnovers, compared to what we are getting on defense. I think the last couple games we are starting to get a clearer picture, defensively, of what it looks like."
On Collin Hartman's status after going through warmups prior to the last game:
"Collin is not doing anything live in practice. He is continuing to do some individual work and some 5-on-0 and non-contact in the half court. We are being patient with him. Groins are something that can be tricky and lingering to the point where it could derail a season. We are just trying to keep him moving towards the big part of the senior season that he knows he is going to have to be ready for with getting into the late non-conference slate against the high-major opponents and then into conference play.
"He's not doing any contact so I assume as of right now he's not going to play against Arkansas State and we will take it day-by-day after Arkansas State. With one day of prep after a game, it can be tricky. Potentially getting him a little more confident in his injury and then our training staff and doctors continuing to take precautions with him. We will hopefully get through this week and see where he's at."
You mentioned after the last game that Josh Newkirk's legs could use a rest. Is he back to 100 percent?
"Yesterday was a lighter day for us. Coming into today, he will practice normally. But we definitely want to keep in mind right now that he's an older guy that has had some knee issues in the past. I think we have to look at him and, every once in a while, take a step back and let his body recover a little bit more. He is not one to pull himself out of very much right now. He is very eager to be in practice and do more. I expect him to be ready to roll today and then be ready to roll tomorrow. I think he is feeling a little bit better coming off the weekend."
How to you handle the holiday with two games in three days around Thanksgiving Day?
"It's unique. It's the first time we have been on campus during the holiday. Usually you are in some type of exempt event where you are playing on Thanksgiving or working on Thanksgiving on the road or returning.
"This is a normal week for us. Practice is normal this week. We don't have classes so we are giving them time in between when we see them in the morning and the afternoon. After Wednesday, clearly Thursday is going to be Thanksgiving but we have one day to prepare for Eastern Michigan and one day to rehash what happened on Wednesday night. We will probably have couple sessions of film with them Thursday morning and then an afternoon workout. And then Thanksgiving will take place with our staff, players and families. You try to enjoy it as much as you can. And then wake up on Friday to be ready to go for an afternoon game and a quick turnaround."
How much does playing an up-tempo team now help for preparation down the road?
"Arkansas State plays very fast. They have a very aggressive, undersized but quick team. They are very mobile. They are using their defense right now to create tempo with pressure – full court pressure – changing defenses in the half-court. And they want to run. If we don't take care of the ball, that's going to be a problem. And then the second thing is handling their push and getting all five guys committed to running back. It is always the first thing we talk about every game.
"We are going to see amazing pace coming up, not only in conference but in the back half of the non-conference slate playing against terrific offensive teams. Being able to defend in transition and stay out of transition defense is huge. It is good offense and taking care of it. But you also have to have a committed team to getting back and we deal with that almost every day.
"Hopefully our offense will get a little better too, where we are playing with good pace. When we have had good stops and some opportunities in transition, we just have not capitalized on them. But we would like to be that team that plays with great tempo."
Is the playing two games in three days a coincidence or did you do that intentionally knowing that it was going to be part of the Big Ten schedule this year?
"We knew we were going to have to do it several times in the Big Ten, which is going to be a grind not only for us for all the teams in the Big Ten. It will be unique. It gives us a little bit of a feel of what two games in three days feels like and what the day in between is like for the players and the staff getting ready on a short turnaround. So it is getting us used to it.
"Two games in three days is a little awkward, at times. It is not a great setup but it's just how things had to work with the amount of games and dates that had to work. Being able to go Wednesday-Friday is probably something that doesn't look great on paper but it will pay dividends in December and January when we have to do it a couple times."
On playing teams in the non-conference from the Sun Belt or Mid-American:
"The Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference have really good players and coaches. When you are talking about non-conference opponents, you are clearly doing two things: strategically with the style of play that can help you down the line if you know something is coming. And then obviously from a strength of schedule standpoint, you are playing teams that you know will win a certain amount of games based on previous seasons or their current team.
"Especially the Mid-American being in the Midwest and being at Dayton and having to play Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan. Those guys have good teams and good coaches. Eastern Michigan plays the second-best zone I have ever seen. Syracuse is clearly one of the most unique defenses that you can go against. And Coach Murphy, who was at Syracuse, has instilled that same concept at Eastern. We played against those guys two or three years ago and it's a bear to go against. It's a very unique zone. So being able to play against Eastern Michigan, that's going to be a tough game.
"Playing the Sun Belt Conference, I was in the old Sun Belt with Western Kentucky. Those teams, whether it is Middle Tennessee or Arkansas Little Rock or the other schools in the conference, they are tough to deal with."
With Eastern Michigan, how do you go about defending James Thompson IV?
"Like everybody, you have to have a team approach. Any time you are dealing with size, there is an awareness level of help and how we have to work to keep it out of there. I think the Seton Hall game clearly taught our staff and our team a tough lesson on how you can't let a good frontcourt player get going. You can't let the team get in a rhythm to get it to him as much as they got it to him. Playing inside-out puts fouls on our frontcourt and that's something we don't like.
"It is going to be a team approach but it is a quick turnaround so we are going to have to be good at what we do more than having to adjust on the fly to a certain player. We have to be good at what we do and that's when the best teams are really good – when they execute what they do every day."
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