Postgame Quotes: Indiana at Minnesota
1/6/2018 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Indiana at Minnesota
Postgame Quotes
January 6, 2018
Indiana head coach Archie Miller
Opening statement...
"A couple guys really stepped up with the opportunity given to them in the absence of a couple players today. I was really proud of Justin Smith, he really stepped up and played today for us on both ends. That was by far the best game of his career. I think Juwan and Rob were also fantastic. Freddie in his 15 minutes was really important, especially in the first half with the way he rebounded the ball for us. Most importantly we had a group that came to battle, and I'm proud of them."
On Robert Johnson's performance…
"He was just very aggressive and in attack mode. That was a big, big thing coming off of the Wisconsin game. We're searching for our guards to be more aggressive. We just haven't been able to show the firepower in our backcourt this season; we haven't had enough consistency. So we're just urging those guys to attack as best we can and I thought they did that for the most part. Rob stepped up though. Six defensive rebounds is really big; seven assists for him is obviously a high. He played big, had big finishes at the end, had big free throws, and that's what a senior does. I'm so proud of him. He's a great kid, works his butt off, and it was great to see him break through with a big game."
On Justin Smith's defense and career-high scoring night…
"Justin's quick and he has a good lower body, that's his strength. [Jordan] Murphy didn't play much in the first half with foul trouble, which was big for us. Obviously in the second half he still got his 18-and-10, he's a tough cover, but he's doing that against everybody. But Justin did a good job as a true freshman playing against one of the premier guys in our league right now. I thought he did a good job, held his own against a tough cover."
Zach McRoberts' impact on the win…
"Winning plays. Deflections. He had four steals and a couple big ones when we needed it. He deflected one on a break and had a big drop off to Justin which got some momentum back. He got an offensive rebound late in the game and drew a foul on the guy, that was a big play as well. Seven rebounds, three assists, didn't turn it over and four steals. That's what he does, he helps us win the game."
Indiana Players
Junior Forward Juwan Morgan
On making up for the absence of injured players…
"It was a huge sense of urgency and we had a 'next man up' mentality. The show doesn't stop because we're missing a few actors. We just had to keep going, and as we did that we just stuck together and kept getting a war by war, and that was the end result."
On Justin Smith's performance as a starter…
"He was huge today, knocking down shots and getting big boards. I think he played really well on the defensive end. We gave him a heavy task of guarding Jordan Murphy and I think he did really well. He was just holding his own, and he didn't play like a freshman today."
Senior Guard Robert Johnson
On his career-high scoring performance…
"First I want to give thanks and glory to God for this opportunity. But I just think that it was having the mindset of coming out aggressive. I knew in the first half I took a couple ill-advised shots at times on reads, but I wanted to come out with an aggressive mindset to do what I could to help the team win."
Freshman Forward Justin Smith
Making an impact in the starting lineup…
"Once De'Ron [Davis] went out, we had that 'next man up' mentality like Juwan said. So I just had to step in and play my game, fill the role, and do whatever it takes to win."
Improvements to his game since arriving at Indiana…
"Shooting, for one, I've gained a lot more confidence in that. I'm also more comfortable and confident in our defense. When I was playing a lot earlier in the year, some of our switches and rotations were pretty difficult and I was still trying to grasp those. But now that I have a better understanding of everything I'm playing much better."
Postgame Quotes
January 6, 2018
Indiana head coach Archie Miller
Opening statement...
"A couple guys really stepped up with the opportunity given to them in the absence of a couple players today. I was really proud of Justin Smith, he really stepped up and played today for us on both ends. That was by far the best game of his career. I think Juwan and Rob were also fantastic. Freddie in his 15 minutes was really important, especially in the first half with the way he rebounded the ball for us. Most importantly we had a group that came to battle, and I'm proud of them."
On Robert Johnson's performance…
"He was just very aggressive and in attack mode. That was a big, big thing coming off of the Wisconsin game. We're searching for our guards to be more aggressive. We just haven't been able to show the firepower in our backcourt this season; we haven't had enough consistency. So we're just urging those guys to attack as best we can and I thought they did that for the most part. Rob stepped up though. Six defensive rebounds is really big; seven assists for him is obviously a high. He played big, had big finishes at the end, had big free throws, and that's what a senior does. I'm so proud of him. He's a great kid, works his butt off, and it was great to see him break through with a big game."
On Justin Smith's defense and career-high scoring night…
"Justin's quick and he has a good lower body, that's his strength. [Jordan] Murphy didn't play much in the first half with foul trouble, which was big for us. Obviously in the second half he still got his 18-and-10, he's a tough cover, but he's doing that against everybody. But Justin did a good job as a true freshman playing against one of the premier guys in our league right now. I thought he did a good job, held his own against a tough cover."
Zach McRoberts' impact on the win…
"Winning plays. Deflections. He had four steals and a couple big ones when we needed it. He deflected one on a break and had a big drop off to Justin which got some momentum back. He got an offensive rebound late in the game and drew a foul on the guy, that was a big play as well. Seven rebounds, three assists, didn't turn it over and four steals. That's what he does, he helps us win the game."
Indiana Players
Junior Forward Juwan Morgan
On making up for the absence of injured players…
"It was a huge sense of urgency and we had a 'next man up' mentality. The show doesn't stop because we're missing a few actors. We just had to keep going, and as we did that we just stuck together and kept getting a war by war, and that was the end result."
On Justin Smith's performance as a starter…
"He was huge today, knocking down shots and getting big boards. I think he played really well on the defensive end. We gave him a heavy task of guarding Jordan Murphy and I think he did really well. He was just holding his own, and he didn't play like a freshman today."
Senior Guard Robert Johnson
On his career-high scoring performance…
"First I want to give thanks and glory to God for this opportunity. But I just think that it was having the mindset of coming out aggressive. I knew in the first half I took a couple ill-advised shots at times on reads, but I wanted to come out with an aggressive mindset to do what I could to help the team win."
Freshman Forward Justin Smith
Making an impact in the starting lineup…
"Once De'Ron [Davis] went out, we had that 'next man up' mentality like Juwan said. So I just had to step in and play my game, fill the role, and do whatever it takes to win."
Improvements to his game since arriving at Indiana…
"Shooting, for one, I've gained a lot more confidence in that. I'm also more comfortable and confident in our defense. When I was playing a lot earlier in the year, some of our switches and rotations were pretty difficult and I was still trying to grasp those. But now that I have a better understanding of everything I'm playing much better."
Players Mentioned
Guard
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Guard
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Forward
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