Postgame Quotes: Indiana vs. Iowa
12/4/2017 10:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Indiana vs. Iowa
Postgame Quotes
Dec. 4, 2017
Indiana Head Coach Archie Miller
COACH MILLER: Well, good win for our team. Two games in three days in the Big Ten, as everybody had to do it, is an adjustment. And not a lot of time to really prepare for obviously well-coached teams. I thought our team did a great job of bouncing back tonight. Had a number of different guys step up and make a lot of winning plays.
And was really pleased, for the most part, other than the lack of responsibility coming out of halftime. That can't happen against the teams that we're playing. That just can't happen, especially at home. But it was nice to see our resolve. We ended up digging ourselves back out of that hole and were able to finish the game off and for the most part pleased with today's win.
Q. You mentioned the resolve there in the second half. How much of that is just kind of learning how to fix things on the fly. Is this team getting better at that?
COACH MILLER: What was the question?
Q. With the resolve in the second half, how much better is this team maybe getting at fixing things on the fly, being able to work in the moment?
COACH MILLER: Collin is a big part of that. Collin is a leader. He's a fifth-year guy and anytime that your seniors are out there playing well and talking and communicating, good things can happen.
That lineup with him and Juwan was really a big key in the first half. And I thought it was a really big key in the second half of regrouping us.
And I give him a lot of credit in terms of his spunk, his attitude, what not. And I thought, again though, we had a lot of different guys make some plays. I thought Devonte had a really good first half. And I thought Juwan continues to be very consistent with his workman-like approach. To be able to get a double-double here tonight was not easy, but made some really winning, tough plays when we needed him to start that -- after that first four minutes didn't go well, he came around for us.
Q. The moment you got here you've been talking up De'Ron Davis and setting the bar high for him. Where is he in his progress?
COACH MILLER: He's learning to have to be able to do it every night. It's difficult especially when he has some success, I think, against Duke and all of a sudden he has a game not so good against Michigan. We needed him to come back tonight.
I thought he did some good things in the second half when he was able to finish, but just a little bit inconsistent around the basket in terms of finishing. He has such great touch. I'm not sure why he's having that inability. He was 5-for-11 from the floor, didn't shoot past 1 foot. So he's missing some bunnies. And the foul line continues to plague him a little bit.
But all in all, 18 minutes, 13 points, six rebounds in 18 minutes, I think everybody would probably take that. You're always searching for the perfect game. But he's going be a guy that we need. Especially as we move into the next couple of weeks and into Big Ten play, he's got to be able to deliver for us not only at home but on the road as well.
Q. Does he have it in him to finish at the rim, flushing it in traffic?
COACH MILLER: He's not a great above-the-rim guy. He's playing a lot of minutes, so fatigue plays a bit of a role. But for whatever reasons, he's missing some easy bunnies, which he wasn't missing early.
That will come back around. I think that works itself out. We gotta try to get those guys as best we can around the basket, try to finish it home, dunk the ball, don't leave any doubt.
But I think he was shooting close to 70 percent up until maybe the last couple of games. He's done a good job when he's got it down there.
Q. It's 53-50, you guys go on an 18-0 run. Talk about the things you're able to do there.
COACH MILLER: We're able to regroup defensively. I think we were able to regroup defensively. And our defense to offense was pretty good in this game. I think you saw a much faster playing team than we were on Saturday.
And I think the skill level that was out there with Juwan and Collin really spaces the floor. So we were able to get some really good unselfish plays, unselfish passing, and that team got going in transition, and we were able to hold it off.
But it's 41-26 at the half, I believe, and then it was 43-42 right away. That's the thing that bothers you a little bit. But to be able to regroup and come right back and have a good burst about us was good to see.
Q. Juwan, that's two double-doubles in the last six games. Is he just more confident, more assertive?
COACH MILLER: He's very confident. But he's sticking to the script. He's not trying to do anything that he doesn't do every day in practice. If you watch him in practice, it's very workman-like. And what you're seeing in the game is a guy who is duplicating sort of what he does every day, which is a great trait to have.
And he probably hasn't shot the ball from the 3-ball as well as he can. I think he's getting some good looks. Hopefully as the season goes along he's able to stretch us out a little bit. But he's definitely workman-like defensively. Offensively he's doing a lot of good things for us and he's giving us a presence in the rim. Rebounding the ball, he's got four second shots. He gets 10 more rebounds here.
So he's doing really well. And I think he's having a chance here as he heads to January to be one of the more consistent guys in our league, hopefully.
Q. To follow up about Juwan, you talked about him as a guy that you really felt could thrive with the way you wanted to play, even going back to the spring and summer. Is this kind of player at least at a basic level you had in mind of what he could bring?
COACH MILLER: Yes, without question. He's rebounding the ball better than I ever anticipated. That's a pleasant surprise.
He's embraced the rebounding, the effort plays. He's getting to the foul line with a decent average. And I think the inside/out game that he's able to play with De'Ron is good. But he's also able to play with Collin. So you have two guys out there that can move around a little bit.
You can see they're kind of free flowing when those two guys are out there; they know how to play with one another. Definitely, Juwan, we're asking him to do a lot of different things, but he's definitely a guy I think with the way we play can be successful.
Q. Now that you've done it, how do you like playing Big Ten games in early December, and how strange will it be not to play another league game until January?
COACH MILLER: I think that it's inevitably going to be the staple of our league from this point forward. I think you'll see multiple weeks of December Big Ten games. That way they can really space the inventory out in January and February where your coaches and your players have a routine and a rhythm.
But early in December you could see a couple of these, maybe four games happening. And I think it's great.
Playing a Big Ten game here early, you get tested. You're on the road and you're at home. It's kind of one of those deals where you've got to have that bounce-back mentality. It's tough to do. But I like it.
I think it's going to be great for our league as we continue to push forward with 20 games. But make no doubt, two games in three days, one on the road and one at home, is difficult for your players.
The recovery and prep is very hard. Everyone has to do it, so I guess it's even in that regard, which is good. But I think it's something that will be good for our league down the road; we'll get used to it. No problem playing a conference game right now.
Q. There in the first half you guys were kind of sluggish there early. Devonte kind of got you going. How pleased were you with the minutes you guys had off the bench?
COACH MILLER: He was very good tonight. Devonte had one of his most consistent games, especially in the first half. I thought he made some really tough plays for us defensively.
He was pretty good off the ball. Got a couple of good loose ball steals, a couple of deflections which got us going. It was very, very good to see with Devonte.
Devonte is going to be a guy that he just kind of hangs in there, keeps going, keeps concentrating. I think he's a guy that can show he's a lot more than what he has than the last five or six games. Maybe regain a little bit that he had early in October when he was starting the season. But pleased with Devonte. I thought he helped us win the game in a big way tonight.
Q. Looked like it was Juwan that actually called the timeout at the end of that run. How much has he stepped up as a leader so far this season?
COACH MILLER: Quietly. Juwan is a guy that's, like I said, he's brought his lunch pail almost every day that he's been here. Not many days he hasn't shown up and given great effort.
I think he's a guy on our team everyone's looking at to get the job done on every given night. And if you look at sort of how he's playing, I think he's become a key figure in terms of our stability.
We need him on the floor. He gives us a presence offensively and he gives us a presence defensively. He can guard multiple positions, and he's rebounding the ball well. So I also think he's very comfortable. He understands exactly what we're asking him to do, and he's prepared to do it.
Q. You talked a moment ago about scheduling, have to go back to non-conference games. Louisville up next. Early impressions about that matchup?
COACH MILLER: I haven't seen them as much. I know they're very big and very talented. Going to Louisville will be a difficult challenge.
Their defense and their size is something that clearly is a concern for us. I think offensively being able to play on the road and not turn it over is a huge deal.
But, like I said, we basically had two clunkers on the road. We're 0-for-2 right now on the road and we haven't played well in either game, really. I think the goal is to regroup.
We finally have some chance here for a week where we can practice a little bit and get better at some of the things we're struggling at, which is good, and then heading to Louisville and trying to play as hard as we possibly can against a really good team.
Q. 10 turnovers tonight, seems like overall the turnover percentage from the team perspective is trending downward.
COACH MILLER: Trending downward, yeah. First half turnovers, I think we had seven in the first half. And some of them were just catching the ball under the basket, some sloppiness in terms of catching.
But I think we're taking care of the ball, specifically in the second half I thought we took care of it much better. And we want to be a team that plays no more than 10, 11 turnovers a game.
I think if we're at that range, if we're not turning it over, you know, to our guys' credit, we're scoring some points. But we can't squander seven possessions in the first half.
But it's trending downward for sure. I think a lot of it is just decision-making, and we're not trying to hit the home run as much as we used to with the one-hand bounce pass or the one-hand baseball pass. I think we're starting to eliminate some of those.
Q. There was a period in the first half where Devonte was checking Jack Nunge defensively, 6'11". How crucial was it for you to have Freddie and (indiscernible) some of the bigs to come along and help you potentially?
COACH MILLER: Yeah, it's difficult, because Nunge in their system is playing more of a perimeter role. So they have two true front court players on the floor and they move him out there. It's the gift of size you're dealing with. But that's the hands we were dealt.
So we'll try to guard those -- you're going to see Louisville, the size of Louisville on the perimeter is about as good as it's going to get.
We're a little undersized. I think Zach helps us. If you put Zach out there for 12 to 15 minutes, he's a bigger body. He really plays hard. I think those are really key minutes that Zach's able to give us.
I think eventually maybe some point in time making Justin a true wing guy that he is, but playing some of those guys could be important. It's a concern for our team as we keep playing bigger teams that if we're not able to defend or rebound, there's got to be a counter to that. And I think right now the counter has been Zach. And I think Zach has done a nice job. When we've given him the opportunity he's helped us with.
Indiana Players – Collin Hartman and Juwan Morgan
Q. I guess for either of you, can you walk us through maybe the differences that you could see in real time between the way Iowa started that first half and maybe the way you were able to take them out of it; I think you put together something like a 18-4 run, after they got it within one point. What was different?
COLLIN HARTMAN: I think it was mindset. I think having five games in three days is a mindset. I think coming out at halftime is a mindset.
It's you don't have a lot of physical time to prepare, change much. You just can change your mentality.
So I think that's the biggest thing, that we had that little lull there and we came in and changed our mindset after the timeout and got them back rolling.
JUWAN MORGAN: Three games in five days.
COLLIN HARTMAN: Whatever. You know what I meant. We had a quick turnaround.
Q. With the two runs you each had in each half, is there something you said, too, about the way you guys played defensively, just lock in on that end of the court?
JUWAN MORGAN: I think we bought into what we had had to do to pull the win out. I think it was five guys out there playing for each other. I think that's what you saw tonight when those runs were happening. We're at our best when we're in best transition. And (indiscernible) get stops, and I think we pulled those out.
Q. Talk about Devonte Green's play a little bit in the key run when you guys were up.
COLLIN HARTMAN: Devonte is a spark plug. That's what I can tell you. He's very explosive and he can do some crazy things and just kind of makes you look at it kind of weird. But he's explosive and he can really help us when he's playing simple and playing solid basketball, as you can see. So we love that when we get it out of him and we need that moving forward.
Q. Juwan, it's your second double-double in six games and fifth game in double figures. Are you trying to be more assertive on offense?
JUWAN MORGAN: I guess you could say that. Not so much as forcing, trying to create things off the dribble or anything, but it's just getting other teammates open. And if they're getting open looks -- although I know they think it's going in, I always think it's a miss -- and just getting on the glass, things like that, create all the opportunities for me.
Q. You're one of the better teams in the country at getting to the free-throw line. I imagine you want to be shooting a little bit better there. But I think you finished plus 11 there tonight and plus 16 in attempts. What's helping, I guess, you guys get fouled so much?
JUWAN MORGAN: Just attacking the offensive board. That's where a lot of fouls come from. Just getting in the right position and making them have to grab you and keep you off the glass. And also just setting good screens. When you're setting good screens people are just trying to fight through and knocking you off the course and the refs are calling those fouls. And I think it's just being in the right place at the right time.
Q. To go along with that, De'Ron had a pretty good stroke at the line last year. I think he shot like 75 percent on free throws. But obviously struggling right now. At what point does it become mental, and how do you get past it as a player?
COLLIN HARTMAN: That's all it is -- repetition and just not thinking about it, just shooting the ball. He's not a bad free throw shooter. He can make them in practice and stuff. I think he just -- you gotta keep working at it and just keep his mindset. And he's thinking about it too much and just step up to the line and knock it down.
Q. You mentioned calling that timeout early in the second half after they were on that run. What was the message, I guess, at that point in the game from coach?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Just that we weren't playing hard. We came out and had a mental lapse. And just thought that since we were up we kind of relaxed. And at this level in the Big Ten you can't relax because you can lose that lead as you saw in a blink of an eye.
I think it was just a mental lapse. And we just weren't playing hard. We weren't playing Indiana basketball and we weren't playing for each other.
So just relocking in and having the will to play for each other, really, got us refocused and towards the way we were playing at the end of the first half.
Q. Juwan, how whas De'Ron's game changed since he got in better shape this season?
JUWAN MORGAN: I think those go hand in hand. When his body changes, his game changed. He's able to more fluidly. As you can see, when he's -- he's a player for a longer stretches when he's not fouling, and the move he has on the block are just second to none in my opinion, except probably me. (Laughter).
But, yeah, he's just incredible once he gets the ball on the block and he makes plays for others and I think it's just great when he's killing like that.
Q. Collin, on Juwan, what do you feel he's a lot better at this year than maybe he was last year that's helping him with the double-doubles and things we see him doing?
COLLIN HARTMAN: I think he's playing with a lot more confidence. And he's relentless on the boards. When you play with that confidence and you're relentless, it's hard to deny. He's obviously a great athlete to start. When you add the hustle and the mentality to the athleticism, it's tough to stop, it really is. And I think that's the biggest thing is his mentality and being relentless.
Q. Collin, two games in a row you've played more minutes. Are you ready for it? Are you comfortable playing that many minutes and ready to go full swing?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Yeah, just trying to day-by-day, that's kind of how I'm taking it right now and staying with the doctors and Tim Garl and just doing rehab and prehab just so nothing else happens. It's a never ending grind but it's part of the job, part of playing basketball, and it's fun because I get more playing time staying healthy.
Q. I know no one asked you if you wanted to do it or not, but two Big Ten games in the first nine, now that you've done it, what were your thoughts on that?
JUWAN MORGAN: It was kind of weird, really. But just being able to -- I think it's also helpful getting that type of physicality and toughness, especially going on the road in the first game. I think that just really helps having that kind of gut check in the middle of the season to see where you're at. I think that's a really good thing.
Q. I know you guys -- winning always helps, you seem a lot looser tonight just sitting in here, seem a lot more relaxed. Is that because you're getting more accustomed to the play (inaudible) Archie is looking for and things are coming around?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Yeah, like you said, everything is better when you win. But I think we are coming together as a team, learning from film sessions. And the quick turnaround is more mental.
So just seeing the film and seeing what we can get better at is always good. And I think a lot of guys are buying in and part of that is a lot of the older guys like Rob and Josh and J-Mo and myself and even the young guys, Al, really buying in and pushing forward.
Q. Collin, people talked about that timeout early in the second half, they had that run, but do you feel like this team as a whole maybe can see the problems that it needs to fix in real time maybe in a way it couldn't even just a couple weeks ago, particularly on defense?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Yeah. And I think that we can always get better at fixing things on the fly, finding out when we're not playing hard and even when there's a dead ball like a foul or anything where there isn't a timeout, huddling up and getting them together and say, look, we're playing terrible right now -- lock in, fix this, this and this and we're good or just fix this and we're good.
So it's just being able to adjust and that will come with maturity and playing more games in the Big Ten. We'll learn how to adjust on the fly and really shorten those runs that other teams have, because there's always going to be runs; you just gotta be able to make them as short as possible.
Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery
On the last sequence in the first half where Durham got the follow-up layp:
"Yeah, that's unacceptable."
What was the one that made you so mad?
"Well we didn't execute and then we didn't run back."
Brady Ellingson and Maishe Dailey - what did you like about that combination?
"Well 8 assist no turns. They were moving the ball a lot better in the beginning. We're not moving the ball at all. We're trying to do it all on our own. Their defense was good. They were up into us and you can't do it on your own. You have to move it and you have to screen and you have to get it swung. You have to go in and out and we did that the second half. That's why we got back into the game."
Did it lapse back into that in the second half?
"No, we missed some shots. The big turnover there, after the one timeout, Tyler got stripped. It was a big play in the game. I thought they kept the pressure on. We had some consecutive misses and they run on those pretty well."
At times where the offense was stagnating, what do you think is the reason for that?
"The guys try to do it on their own."
Is that something you've seen building?
"Not it's a usual tendency when your team is struggling. If you're a player, you want to go in and make a play and try. There's a right time and a wrong time. There's a right way and wrong way. And our decision making in that area hasn't been good."
What was your message to Bohannon?
"He's got to be able to execute the play at the end of the half and it wasn't really his fault. The pass was deflected, but we got to be able to get a shot there. We either go down ten or thirteen, not fifteen, but I thought we didn't move the ball in the first half. He's part of the reason. Isiah struggled in that area. Tyler Cook struggled in that area. That's unfortunate."
Indiana went on multiple 10-0 and 18-0 runs throughout the game, is that somewhat a product of playing in Assembly Hall or a young team?
"I think that helps a little bit. I think the energy level in this building is always really good. They
Postgame Quotes
Dec. 4, 2017
Indiana Head Coach Archie Miller
COACH MILLER: Well, good win for our team. Two games in three days in the Big Ten, as everybody had to do it, is an adjustment. And not a lot of time to really prepare for obviously well-coached teams. I thought our team did a great job of bouncing back tonight. Had a number of different guys step up and make a lot of winning plays.
And was really pleased, for the most part, other than the lack of responsibility coming out of halftime. That can't happen against the teams that we're playing. That just can't happen, especially at home. But it was nice to see our resolve. We ended up digging ourselves back out of that hole and were able to finish the game off and for the most part pleased with today's win.
Q. You mentioned the resolve there in the second half. How much of that is just kind of learning how to fix things on the fly. Is this team getting better at that?
COACH MILLER: What was the question?
Q. With the resolve in the second half, how much better is this team maybe getting at fixing things on the fly, being able to work in the moment?
COACH MILLER: Collin is a big part of that. Collin is a leader. He's a fifth-year guy and anytime that your seniors are out there playing well and talking and communicating, good things can happen.
That lineup with him and Juwan was really a big key in the first half. And I thought it was a really big key in the second half of regrouping us.
And I give him a lot of credit in terms of his spunk, his attitude, what not. And I thought, again though, we had a lot of different guys make some plays. I thought Devonte had a really good first half. And I thought Juwan continues to be very consistent with his workman-like approach. To be able to get a double-double here tonight was not easy, but made some really winning, tough plays when we needed him to start that -- after that first four minutes didn't go well, he came around for us.
Q. The moment you got here you've been talking up De'Ron Davis and setting the bar high for him. Where is he in his progress?
COACH MILLER: He's learning to have to be able to do it every night. It's difficult especially when he has some success, I think, against Duke and all of a sudden he has a game not so good against Michigan. We needed him to come back tonight.
I thought he did some good things in the second half when he was able to finish, but just a little bit inconsistent around the basket in terms of finishing. He has such great touch. I'm not sure why he's having that inability. He was 5-for-11 from the floor, didn't shoot past 1 foot. So he's missing some bunnies. And the foul line continues to plague him a little bit.
But all in all, 18 minutes, 13 points, six rebounds in 18 minutes, I think everybody would probably take that. You're always searching for the perfect game. But he's going be a guy that we need. Especially as we move into the next couple of weeks and into Big Ten play, he's got to be able to deliver for us not only at home but on the road as well.
Q. Does he have it in him to finish at the rim, flushing it in traffic?
COACH MILLER: He's not a great above-the-rim guy. He's playing a lot of minutes, so fatigue plays a bit of a role. But for whatever reasons, he's missing some easy bunnies, which he wasn't missing early.
That will come back around. I think that works itself out. We gotta try to get those guys as best we can around the basket, try to finish it home, dunk the ball, don't leave any doubt.
But I think he was shooting close to 70 percent up until maybe the last couple of games. He's done a good job when he's got it down there.
Q. It's 53-50, you guys go on an 18-0 run. Talk about the things you're able to do there.
COACH MILLER: We're able to regroup defensively. I think we were able to regroup defensively. And our defense to offense was pretty good in this game. I think you saw a much faster playing team than we were on Saturday.
And I think the skill level that was out there with Juwan and Collin really spaces the floor. So we were able to get some really good unselfish plays, unselfish passing, and that team got going in transition, and we were able to hold it off.
But it's 41-26 at the half, I believe, and then it was 43-42 right away. That's the thing that bothers you a little bit. But to be able to regroup and come right back and have a good burst about us was good to see.
Q. Juwan, that's two double-doubles in the last six games. Is he just more confident, more assertive?
COACH MILLER: He's very confident. But he's sticking to the script. He's not trying to do anything that he doesn't do every day in practice. If you watch him in practice, it's very workman-like. And what you're seeing in the game is a guy who is duplicating sort of what he does every day, which is a great trait to have.
And he probably hasn't shot the ball from the 3-ball as well as he can. I think he's getting some good looks. Hopefully as the season goes along he's able to stretch us out a little bit. But he's definitely workman-like defensively. Offensively he's doing a lot of good things for us and he's giving us a presence in the rim. Rebounding the ball, he's got four second shots. He gets 10 more rebounds here.
So he's doing really well. And I think he's having a chance here as he heads to January to be one of the more consistent guys in our league, hopefully.
Q. To follow up about Juwan, you talked about him as a guy that you really felt could thrive with the way you wanted to play, even going back to the spring and summer. Is this kind of player at least at a basic level you had in mind of what he could bring?
COACH MILLER: Yes, without question. He's rebounding the ball better than I ever anticipated. That's a pleasant surprise.
He's embraced the rebounding, the effort plays. He's getting to the foul line with a decent average. And I think the inside/out game that he's able to play with De'Ron is good. But he's also able to play with Collin. So you have two guys out there that can move around a little bit.
You can see they're kind of free flowing when those two guys are out there; they know how to play with one another. Definitely, Juwan, we're asking him to do a lot of different things, but he's definitely a guy I think with the way we play can be successful.
Q. Now that you've done it, how do you like playing Big Ten games in early December, and how strange will it be not to play another league game until January?
COACH MILLER: I think that it's inevitably going to be the staple of our league from this point forward. I think you'll see multiple weeks of December Big Ten games. That way they can really space the inventory out in January and February where your coaches and your players have a routine and a rhythm.
But early in December you could see a couple of these, maybe four games happening. And I think it's great.
Playing a Big Ten game here early, you get tested. You're on the road and you're at home. It's kind of one of those deals where you've got to have that bounce-back mentality. It's tough to do. But I like it.
I think it's going to be great for our league as we continue to push forward with 20 games. But make no doubt, two games in three days, one on the road and one at home, is difficult for your players.
The recovery and prep is very hard. Everyone has to do it, so I guess it's even in that regard, which is good. But I think it's something that will be good for our league down the road; we'll get used to it. No problem playing a conference game right now.
Q. There in the first half you guys were kind of sluggish there early. Devonte kind of got you going. How pleased were you with the minutes you guys had off the bench?
COACH MILLER: He was very good tonight. Devonte had one of his most consistent games, especially in the first half. I thought he made some really tough plays for us defensively.
He was pretty good off the ball. Got a couple of good loose ball steals, a couple of deflections which got us going. It was very, very good to see with Devonte.
Devonte is going to be a guy that he just kind of hangs in there, keeps going, keeps concentrating. I think he's a guy that can show he's a lot more than what he has than the last five or six games. Maybe regain a little bit that he had early in October when he was starting the season. But pleased with Devonte. I thought he helped us win the game in a big way tonight.
Q. Looked like it was Juwan that actually called the timeout at the end of that run. How much has he stepped up as a leader so far this season?
COACH MILLER: Quietly. Juwan is a guy that's, like I said, he's brought his lunch pail almost every day that he's been here. Not many days he hasn't shown up and given great effort.
I think he's a guy on our team everyone's looking at to get the job done on every given night. And if you look at sort of how he's playing, I think he's become a key figure in terms of our stability.
We need him on the floor. He gives us a presence offensively and he gives us a presence defensively. He can guard multiple positions, and he's rebounding the ball well. So I also think he's very comfortable. He understands exactly what we're asking him to do, and he's prepared to do it.
Q. You talked a moment ago about scheduling, have to go back to non-conference games. Louisville up next. Early impressions about that matchup?
COACH MILLER: I haven't seen them as much. I know they're very big and very talented. Going to Louisville will be a difficult challenge.
Their defense and their size is something that clearly is a concern for us. I think offensively being able to play on the road and not turn it over is a huge deal.
But, like I said, we basically had two clunkers on the road. We're 0-for-2 right now on the road and we haven't played well in either game, really. I think the goal is to regroup.
We finally have some chance here for a week where we can practice a little bit and get better at some of the things we're struggling at, which is good, and then heading to Louisville and trying to play as hard as we possibly can against a really good team.
Q. 10 turnovers tonight, seems like overall the turnover percentage from the team perspective is trending downward.
COACH MILLER: Trending downward, yeah. First half turnovers, I think we had seven in the first half. And some of them were just catching the ball under the basket, some sloppiness in terms of catching.
But I think we're taking care of the ball, specifically in the second half I thought we took care of it much better. And we want to be a team that plays no more than 10, 11 turnovers a game.
I think if we're at that range, if we're not turning it over, you know, to our guys' credit, we're scoring some points. But we can't squander seven possessions in the first half.
But it's trending downward for sure. I think a lot of it is just decision-making, and we're not trying to hit the home run as much as we used to with the one-hand bounce pass or the one-hand baseball pass. I think we're starting to eliminate some of those.
Q. There was a period in the first half where Devonte was checking Jack Nunge defensively, 6'11". How crucial was it for you to have Freddie and (indiscernible) some of the bigs to come along and help you potentially?
COACH MILLER: Yeah, it's difficult, because Nunge in their system is playing more of a perimeter role. So they have two true front court players on the floor and they move him out there. It's the gift of size you're dealing with. But that's the hands we were dealt.
So we'll try to guard those -- you're going to see Louisville, the size of Louisville on the perimeter is about as good as it's going to get.
We're a little undersized. I think Zach helps us. If you put Zach out there for 12 to 15 minutes, he's a bigger body. He really plays hard. I think those are really key minutes that Zach's able to give us.
I think eventually maybe some point in time making Justin a true wing guy that he is, but playing some of those guys could be important. It's a concern for our team as we keep playing bigger teams that if we're not able to defend or rebound, there's got to be a counter to that. And I think right now the counter has been Zach. And I think Zach has done a nice job. When we've given him the opportunity he's helped us with.
Indiana Players – Collin Hartman and Juwan Morgan
Q. I guess for either of you, can you walk us through maybe the differences that you could see in real time between the way Iowa started that first half and maybe the way you were able to take them out of it; I think you put together something like a 18-4 run, after they got it within one point. What was different?
COLLIN HARTMAN: I think it was mindset. I think having five games in three days is a mindset. I think coming out at halftime is a mindset.
It's you don't have a lot of physical time to prepare, change much. You just can change your mentality.
So I think that's the biggest thing, that we had that little lull there and we came in and changed our mindset after the timeout and got them back rolling.
JUWAN MORGAN: Three games in five days.
COLLIN HARTMAN: Whatever. You know what I meant. We had a quick turnaround.
Q. With the two runs you each had in each half, is there something you said, too, about the way you guys played defensively, just lock in on that end of the court?
JUWAN MORGAN: I think we bought into what we had had to do to pull the win out. I think it was five guys out there playing for each other. I think that's what you saw tonight when those runs were happening. We're at our best when we're in best transition. And (indiscernible) get stops, and I think we pulled those out.
Q. Talk about Devonte Green's play a little bit in the key run when you guys were up.
COLLIN HARTMAN: Devonte is a spark plug. That's what I can tell you. He's very explosive and he can do some crazy things and just kind of makes you look at it kind of weird. But he's explosive and he can really help us when he's playing simple and playing solid basketball, as you can see. So we love that when we get it out of him and we need that moving forward.
Q. Juwan, it's your second double-double in six games and fifth game in double figures. Are you trying to be more assertive on offense?
JUWAN MORGAN: I guess you could say that. Not so much as forcing, trying to create things off the dribble or anything, but it's just getting other teammates open. And if they're getting open looks -- although I know they think it's going in, I always think it's a miss -- and just getting on the glass, things like that, create all the opportunities for me.
Q. You're one of the better teams in the country at getting to the free-throw line. I imagine you want to be shooting a little bit better there. But I think you finished plus 11 there tonight and plus 16 in attempts. What's helping, I guess, you guys get fouled so much?
JUWAN MORGAN: Just attacking the offensive board. That's where a lot of fouls come from. Just getting in the right position and making them have to grab you and keep you off the glass. And also just setting good screens. When you're setting good screens people are just trying to fight through and knocking you off the course and the refs are calling those fouls. And I think it's just being in the right place at the right time.
Q. To go along with that, De'Ron had a pretty good stroke at the line last year. I think he shot like 75 percent on free throws. But obviously struggling right now. At what point does it become mental, and how do you get past it as a player?
COLLIN HARTMAN: That's all it is -- repetition and just not thinking about it, just shooting the ball. He's not a bad free throw shooter. He can make them in practice and stuff. I think he just -- you gotta keep working at it and just keep his mindset. And he's thinking about it too much and just step up to the line and knock it down.
Q. You mentioned calling that timeout early in the second half after they were on that run. What was the message, I guess, at that point in the game from coach?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Just that we weren't playing hard. We came out and had a mental lapse. And just thought that since we were up we kind of relaxed. And at this level in the Big Ten you can't relax because you can lose that lead as you saw in a blink of an eye.
I think it was just a mental lapse. And we just weren't playing hard. We weren't playing Indiana basketball and we weren't playing for each other.
So just relocking in and having the will to play for each other, really, got us refocused and towards the way we were playing at the end of the first half.
Q. Juwan, how whas De'Ron's game changed since he got in better shape this season?
JUWAN MORGAN: I think those go hand in hand. When his body changes, his game changed. He's able to more fluidly. As you can see, when he's -- he's a player for a longer stretches when he's not fouling, and the move he has on the block are just second to none in my opinion, except probably me. (Laughter).
But, yeah, he's just incredible once he gets the ball on the block and he makes plays for others and I think it's just great when he's killing like that.
Q. Collin, on Juwan, what do you feel he's a lot better at this year than maybe he was last year that's helping him with the double-doubles and things we see him doing?
COLLIN HARTMAN: I think he's playing with a lot more confidence. And he's relentless on the boards. When you play with that confidence and you're relentless, it's hard to deny. He's obviously a great athlete to start. When you add the hustle and the mentality to the athleticism, it's tough to stop, it really is. And I think that's the biggest thing is his mentality and being relentless.
Q. Collin, two games in a row you've played more minutes. Are you ready for it? Are you comfortable playing that many minutes and ready to go full swing?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Yeah, just trying to day-by-day, that's kind of how I'm taking it right now and staying with the doctors and Tim Garl and just doing rehab and prehab just so nothing else happens. It's a never ending grind but it's part of the job, part of playing basketball, and it's fun because I get more playing time staying healthy.
Q. I know no one asked you if you wanted to do it or not, but two Big Ten games in the first nine, now that you've done it, what were your thoughts on that?
JUWAN MORGAN: It was kind of weird, really. But just being able to -- I think it's also helpful getting that type of physicality and toughness, especially going on the road in the first game. I think that just really helps having that kind of gut check in the middle of the season to see where you're at. I think that's a really good thing.
Q. I know you guys -- winning always helps, you seem a lot looser tonight just sitting in here, seem a lot more relaxed. Is that because you're getting more accustomed to the play (inaudible) Archie is looking for and things are coming around?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Yeah, like you said, everything is better when you win. But I think we are coming together as a team, learning from film sessions. And the quick turnaround is more mental.
So just seeing the film and seeing what we can get better at is always good. And I think a lot of guys are buying in and part of that is a lot of the older guys like Rob and Josh and J-Mo and myself and even the young guys, Al, really buying in and pushing forward.
Q. Collin, people talked about that timeout early in the second half, they had that run, but do you feel like this team as a whole maybe can see the problems that it needs to fix in real time maybe in a way it couldn't even just a couple weeks ago, particularly on defense?
COLLIN HARTMAN: Yeah. And I think that we can always get better at fixing things on the fly, finding out when we're not playing hard and even when there's a dead ball like a foul or anything where there isn't a timeout, huddling up and getting them together and say, look, we're playing terrible right now -- lock in, fix this, this and this and we're good or just fix this and we're good.
So it's just being able to adjust and that will come with maturity and playing more games in the Big Ten. We'll learn how to adjust on the fly and really shorten those runs that other teams have, because there's always going to be runs; you just gotta be able to make them as short as possible.
Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery
On the last sequence in the first half where Durham got the follow-up layp:
"Yeah, that's unacceptable."
What was the one that made you so mad?
"Well we didn't execute and then we didn't run back."
Brady Ellingson and Maishe Dailey - what did you like about that combination?
"Well 8 assist no turns. They were moving the ball a lot better in the beginning. We're not moving the ball at all. We're trying to do it all on our own. Their defense was good. They were up into us and you can't do it on your own. You have to move it and you have to screen and you have to get it swung. You have to go in and out and we did that the second half. That's why we got back into the game."
Did it lapse back into that in the second half?
"No, we missed some shots. The big turnover there, after the one timeout, Tyler got stripped. It was a big play in the game. I thought they kept the pressure on. We had some consecutive misses and they run on those pretty well."
At times where the offense was stagnating, what do you think is the reason for that?
"The guys try to do it on their own."
Is that something you've seen building?
"Not it's a usual tendency when your team is struggling. If you're a player, you want to go in and make a play and try. There's a right time and a wrong time. There's a right way and wrong way. And our decision making in that area hasn't been good."
What was your message to Bohannon?
"He's got to be able to execute the play at the end of the half and it wasn't really his fault. The pass was deflected, but we got to be able to get a shot there. We either go down ten or thirteen, not fifteen, but I thought we didn't move the ball in the first half. He's part of the reason. Isiah struggled in that area. Tyler Cook struggled in that area. That's unfortunate."
Indiana went on multiple 10-0 and 18-0 runs throughout the game, is that somewhat a product of playing in Assembly Hall or a young team?
"I think that helps a little bit. I think the energy level in this building is always really good. They
Players Mentioned
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