Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Men's Basketball Practice Report, Feb. 3
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2006
Complete Connecticut Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 21/22 (AP/Coaches) Indiana men's basketball team held open practice on Feb. 3 in preparation for its upcoming game against the No. 1/1 Connecticut Huskies. IU will host Connecticut on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 1 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on CBS and can also be heard on the IU Radio Network. The following are quotes from practice.
Senior guard Marshall Strickland
On the high energy at practice in preparation for Saturday's game:
MS: "We are excited. It is another chance at a top-ranked team. It is rare that you get those opportunities, and I think that we are going to take advantage of it."
On what the Hoosiers need to do to have success against Connecticut:
MS: "We are really going to need to box out and keep them off the glass. If we can get the ball into transition, I think that we are a quicker team than they are which will allow us to run by their longer players and get some open shots."
Junior guard Roderick Wilmont
On playing a non-conference game in the middle of the Big Ten season:
RW: "In the long run, I think that it is going to help us. When the tournament comes up and we have to play a good team, it is not going to be as much of a surprise because we have been playing good teams all season. These games are going to help us, just like the Duke game helped us. I think that the Duke game helped us prepare for the UConn game. Knowing how that game went, guys will not be as nervous for Saturday's game."
On the differences between starting and coming off of the bench:
RW: "The same energy that I have brought coming off of the bench I need to bring at the beginning of the game. Coach Davis wants the team to bring a lot of energy at the beginning instead of having to work harder if we get down to get back into the game."
Senior forward Sean Kline
On the fans at tomorrow's game:
SK: "I think that they can have an impact on the outcome of the game. They did in the Duke game. Just from an atmosphere standpoint and energy wise, the team feeds a lot off of the crowd."
On how the Hoosiers look to keep Connecticut off of the boards:
SK: "Blocking them out is going to be the key and making a conscious effort to block them out every time. A lot of teams get in trouble because they are scared of UConn's length, but anybody can block anybody out if they put the effort in and know the positioning on the floor."
On what the team learned from last year's game against Connecticut:
SK: "They are beatable. We had them down 13 points in the second half and then our defense had a lapse. If we come with the effort to play defense and execute on offense, then we should be right in the game."
Head Coach Mike Davis
On the win against Northwestern:
MD: "We just played a good game. Sometimes people get caught up in losing games. We lost two road games against Iowa and Minnesota. We need to play well at home and on the road. A loss is a loss, but we just need to be focused. I think the (Northwestern) game was more for our confidence, which is the last thing you want to be working on at this point in the season. We still are doing well in the conference and have a chance to win the conference. How many teams only have three losses at this point in conference play? You can't write a team off because they go on the road and lose. We need to play our game. We need to get out there and play the way we know we can play."
On No. 1 Connecticut:
MD: "You watch these guys play and definitely see why they are one of the best teams in the country. They have six, seven, eight guys you really need to focus on. If one guy isn't playing well, they can go to someone else for a big play. They play hard, hit the offensive glass, block a lot of shots and play well in transition. They are a scary team to watch on tape. We are going to have to play really well to stay in the game against these guys."
On last year's game at Connecticut:
MD: "We are a different team this year. I think we may have surprised them the way we played against them last year. We played North Carolina and lost to them and didn't play well against Western Illinois and Indiana State. I think they probably saw us on tape after those games and thought that they could handle us pretty easily. They are a different team than last year. They have guys this year that are really playing hard. They have one of the best point guards in the country. He is an unbelievable passer, is tough off the dribble and is much better this year than last year."
