Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Men's Basketball Practice Report, Jan. 31
1/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 22/21 (AP/Coaches) Indiana men's basketball team held an open practice on Tuesday, Jan. 31, as the team prepares for a home conference game against Northwestern. The Hoosiers will host the Wildcats on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN Plus and can also be heard on the IU Radio Network. The following quotes are from practice.
Senior Guard Marshall Strickland
On practice over the last two days:
MS: "We have gone really hard the last couple of days in practice. I thought they have been really good for us. Guys have really been going after each other, and hopefully, it carries over to the game."
On Northwestern being difficult to prepare for:
MS: "They definitely are a difficult team to prepare for especially with the short amount of time. They run their offense really well, and they make passes that other teams won't and take more risks with the ball. I think it is just an adjustment we have to make."
On the difficulty of simulating Northwestern's offense in practice:
MS: "It is tough to learn their offense in a couple of days. Our red team has done a real good job of making as hard of cuts as they do, but there is not any simulating the way they do it."
Junior Guard Roderick Wilmont
On what the team learned from the Minnesota game:
RW: "There are a lot of teams losing on the road, and you just have to find a way to pull out a win. We did not bring any type of fight or energy at the beginning of the game. On Wednesday, we need to bring that energy from the beginning."
On the mood of the team:
RW: "It is not the same. I think guys are a lot more focused. We just lost two games on the road. We need to get these wins at home. Guys are more focused, more aware and more alert than they usually are."
Head Coach Mike Davis
On being patient against Northwestern:
MD: "We just have to play our style of basketball. Northwestern is a team that their system is different from anyone we will play against. Defensively, your rules are really out the door because if you overplay the wing or they will backdoor cut you. You can't be soft with them, but you can't overplay them either."
On winning two home games this week boosting the team's confidence:
MD: "One win is what we need and that is to be 5-3 in the Big Ten. The game on Saturday is a non-conference game and what we are focused on now is being in the hunt in the conference. We don't have to worry about who beats who because teams are going to beat each other. That is one thing we are trying to work on now is where our mindset is. We lost two road games last week. The season isn't over. We have to go out and play our style of basketball."
On practice this week:
MD: "It has been good. I was disappointed in practice on Monday because we had more practice than we deserved to have. Because after you play a game, you shouldn't be able to practice as hard as we did on Monday. It has been pretty good."
