Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Player Quotes vs. Michigan State
2/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2006
Recap
Box Score
Indiana Head Coach Quotes
Michigan State Head Coach Quotes
Indiana vs. Michigan State
February 26, 2006
Indiana Player Quotes
Sophomore Robert Vaden
On playing loose the last part of the season:
RV: "I think I am playing a little more free, pushing everything out of my mind trying to get a win so we can get to the tournament. That's our main goal right now. (Today) It felt like we were playing as a team like we did earlier in the year. We were making the extra pass getting more assists than we usually do. We played team defense and got some big stops and made some big shots."
On pressure to win for seniors final home game:
RV: "We just went out there and tried to play because it was our seniors' last game. We were just trying to send them out of here with a bang."
Junior Errek Suhr
On getting a crucial steal late in the game:
ES: "I was matched up on (Maurice) Ager, and he had been having a lights-out game. I didn't even really look at the ball very much, because I knew the ball was coming to him, I just tried to read him and just face guard him when their big guy came to set a screen on me, because I knew the ball was going to him. To be honest, the ball just kind of landed in my hands because I was in the right position."
On his confidence level:
ES: "Confidence wise I don't think anything has changed. Once again I just want to thank Coach Davis for giving me the opportunity to play and try to make a difference. I owe everything to him, and for him to let me stay in at the end of the game to try and make plays for the team I am really grateful."
On the team's goal of the NCAA Tournament:
ES: "We have been thinking about the NCAA Tournament all season. We have never stopped. It's just a matter of us getting the wins we need, and this certainly looks good on a resume. We have two more road games, and if we can win those, I think that puts us in pretty good shape. That would give us 17 wins going into the Big Ten Tournament."
Senior Marshall Strickland
On taking command of the game early:
MS: "I think we started well. We got off to a good start offensively, hit our rhythm early, and I think our defense was pretty good too. We really executed out defensive game plan, and it carried over."
On the emotion of senior day:
MS: "There is a lot of emotion. This was my last home game, same for Coach Davis and all the other seniors, let alone the fact that this was a win we needed for our NCAA Tournament hopes. There was a lot of emotion surrounding this game, and I think guys stepped up."
On thanking his sister (Marche) for stealing her free-throw shooting form:
MS: "She shot about 90 percent for her career at Maryland, and after my sophomore year I changed my form a little bit and modeled it after her. It paid off."
