Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Men's Basketball Practice Report, Nov. 28
11/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On a weekly basis, IUHOOSIERS.com sits down with the Indiana men's basketball team to talk about its preparation and practice for the week. This week, IUHOOSIERS.com talked with senior forward Marco Killingsworth, senior guard Marshall Strickland, junior guard Errek Suhr and head coach Mike Davis. Below are quotes about the team's upcoming game against top-rated Duke on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
Senior Forward Marco Killingsworth
About the team's start and taking that into the match up with Duke
MK: "Everyone is trying to make this into a huge match up, but we have to take this one game at a time. We have to treat this like we are playing Indianapolis or Nichols State and not look at all the ball players but focus on the game. The media is going to hype up the game, but we have to stay focused and take it one game at a time."
Are you doing anything special to prepare for a match up like this?
MK: "We have to take it like we are playing anybody else. We have things that we want to work on and make sure that we execute the things we need to do to win the game."
Senior Guard Marshall Strickland
Talk about your play and focus so far
MS: "I am feeling really good out there. I am knocking down some shots and getting some good looks at the basket. I am staying focused and realize I have to be an outside threat to help our big guys down low."
Talk about the game against Duke, what are you expecting and what will you do against an inside presence like Sheldon Williams?
MS: "It is going to be a game of wills, definitely. We want to make them play our game. If we start letting them set the tempo of the game, we could have some troubles. We have to make them run with us and I think we will have some success."
Talk about the depth and flexibility of this team
MS: "It is a strong point for us. I think that gives us one up on Duke, we are just deeper than they are. We have every guy contributing for us."
What are some of the keys defensively to having success against Duke?
MS: "Definitely slowing a shooter like J.J. Redick down. Redick can really get into a rhythm. If we don't give him clean looks at the basket, I think we can cause some trouble for him."
Junior Guard Errek Suhr
With the campus getting excited, how does the team prepare for a game like this?
ES: "The team has just been taking it one game at a time and approaching every game the same. This week we have Duke. It is a big game for us with Duke coming in No. 1, but really we are going to try and come in with the same intensity we have with every game this season. Today was a good practice and I am pretty excited about the game."
Is it sometimes hard to not get too excited about a game like this?
ES: "Of course we are going to be excited and pumped up for the game, naturally. With Assembly Hall being sold out and the fans going wild and it being a nationally televised game, we are going to be excited. When it comes to being too pumped, we have to trust our offense and our coaches to prepare us for the game."
Does this game compare to last year's game against North Carolina?
ES: "Yeah. I expect it to get crazy in here, maybe even a little bit more. It should be crazy and the whole team is looking forward to it."
What do you do defensively against a team like Duke?
ES: "Play our rules and our game. We are not going to do anything special. If we play our rules and play hard, we will be good."
Head Coach Mike Davis
Talk about Duke and what head coach Mike Krzyzewski has done this season
MD: "Mike [Krzyzewski] is one of the best coaches in the country and no one has stopped him yet. What we are going to try and do is come out and win the basketball game. We are going to go at them as hard as we can. We know they have two All-Americans in J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams on their team, but we are going to try and worry about us and take care of what we need to do. All we are going to do is play like we have been so far this season."
What is the game plan against Duke who does not rely on their bench as much?
MD: "We are just going to play our game. Everybody has a game plan until the game starts. Getting to Duke's bench is hard, they are the best team in the country. I said from day one we were going to play our style of basketball no matter who we play against, that is all we can do."
Talk about the team's preparation
MD: "I am very happy with the team. They are playing hard and working hard. They have the fans all excited about the game. This game is not a `Do or Die' situation for us. It is not a measuring stick for us because we know where we are as a team. What we have to do is have some carry over from day one to now."
