Indiana University Athletics
Davis Practice Quotes
1/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
January 30, 2003
Bloomington, Ind. -About Louisville
"Louisville is a great team. In order for us to have a chance we need to play the way we did in practice today and even harder."
About the pressure that they will put on
"It is difficult to prepare for them, but to me you prepare for a team like this from day one in practice by working the guys, have the guys take care of the basketball, make your guys get in triple threat position, make your guys aware of what is going on, space everything out. The problem is when you play a team like this, it is that there is no way that you can prepare in only three days."
Is it a good time to play a team like Louisville on the road?
"It is not a good time for us to play anybody on the road, I can tell you that. The road has been mean to us this year, last year it was good to us in conference play. I look at it as you've got to grow sometimes and you are going to take your lumps sometimes. The Ohio State game was bad, the Purdue game was bad, the Michigan State was better, but it wasn't great, only better. So hopefully we can learn a lot and grow a lot from the Louisville game."
With success, can it be a gigantic springboard as far as the confidence factor is concerned, playing a team, winning on the road and beating a high RPI ranked team?
"It would be great for us if we did, but for me it won't be a make or break situation for us because we do have more conference games and that is more important to us. This game is important for the fact that we are playing a really good basketball team. But it is not a make or break thing."
What about Bracey?
"I think that practice was too hard for Bracey today. He started practicing and then he got on the bike. It was too intense for him. His back tightened up a little bit. I am just going along like we aren't going to have him."
How key is patience Saturday, especially in the half court?
"Patience is key in this game, but if there is an open look, you have to take it in this game. If we get an open shot against Louisville, we need to take it."
Today in practice you talked about the team being selfish, has that been a problem all year?
"I think so. Early last year we won games because we would make the extra pass. How many times this year have you seen us make the extra pass that you are used to seeing us make? Now guys are getting the ball and just shooting it or dribbling it or trying to make moves. I have watched the film and that is not the way we should play. We should pass the ball to the open player. Our shooting percentage is low, way, way, way low and that is because we are shooting more contested shots."
Is that a product of being a little too selfish or not being aware?
"Like I said, selfish. I am aware if someone is open, it is whether or not I want to pass to them or not. If a guy shoots a contested shot and someone else is wide open, well that's being selfish."
"I think that we are playing hard at times, but we got more open looks in the beginning of the year and we got more open looks last year, and we are running the same offense and same guys are still open but you can't catch it and look for your shot, you have to catch it knowing that the guy is going to cover you and then you have to pass it to your teammate."
Do you think that you need to tighten things up around the perimeter?
"We need to tighten up everywhere. Michigan State killed us in the paint, guys driving and making layups. You can say as a fan, that `they were hot, they were on,' but it was us, our defense was really bad."
Wednesday, August 12
Wednesday, August 12
Tuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11