Indiana University Athletics
Previewing the Big Ten Tournament
3/13/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2013
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A number of players met with the media on Wednesday to talk about the Big Ten Tournament taking place at the United Center this weekend. Below is a little bit from each of the players that were available.
On being named Sporting News National Player of the Year:
"It is an amazing feeling and a blessing. I could not have done it without my teammates. I'm glad they look at me as that and I appreciate the award. I am just looking forward to the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament."
On how this tournament is different than other tournaments since Indiana is the No. 1 seed:
"My first two years we were playing on Thursday. This year we have a bye and don't have to play until Friday so it shows how much hard work we have put in this season. To pull out that tough win at Michigan was huge for our program and huge for our team. At the same time, we want to accomplish so much more and the Big Ten Tournament is the first step."
On not having a lot of experience in the Big Ten Tournament:
"I think we just need to take it one game at a time and treat each game like it's your last. It's win or go home. We don't have a lot of experience in the Big Ten Tournament but if we take it one game at a time and realize if we don't win we go home, it will be hard for us to lose."
On how this tournament is different than other tournaments since Indiana is the No. 1 seed:
"You know that you are going to go out and whoever you are playing is going to give you a really good game because you are playing someone in the Big Ten. I don't know if it's an advantage or disadvantage but we can just control what we can. We have just been trying to practice to get ready for whoever we might play."
On how practice changes when you don't know the opponent:
"It helps that we played both of the teams obviously. We won't know until they finish their game so we have been studying the concepts of each team and going hard in practice."
On playing either Illinois or Minnesota, both teams that beat Indiana during the regular season:
"You never like to lose and you like to `get back' or however you want to look at it. But we are just taking it the same way that we always have. We got better after those losses to both teams and come back play well afterwards. We have to go into this tournament with that mindset."
Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell
On playing in his first Big Ten Tournament:
"I can't wait for it really. I am ready to go out and play in an NBA arena. It's going to be fun to play up there against some of the best competition in the country. For my first Big Ten Tournament, it is going to be a great experience."
On how the team prepares without knowing who the opponent will be:
"At this point, we prepare by film and studying because we have lost to both teams that we could potentially play. We have to go back to those two games that we lost and see where we went wrong and try to fix those in practice. I know the coaches are going to prepare us well and we will work on different things to give us the advantage. Those are just a few things that we need to do."
On the things that both Illinois and Minnesota do that the team can work on now in practice to prepare:
"They are both very good teams. Both have great coaches and great players. They can shoot it very well and they offensive rebound very well. Those are just a couple of similarities."
On the preparation for the Big Ten Tournament:
"We haven't been in this situation before (with a first round bye), so practice has kind of been a little different because we have been going over both team's plays and players. We don't know who to prepare for exactly, but we are still getting better every day. It is a lot of fundamental stuff so far this week. Once we find out who we play we will be ready to go."
On the most important thing to take away from this upcoming weekend:
"I think it would be to play well. If you can play well in the Big Ten, then your success should be a little higher in the NCAA Tournament. Who knows what is going to happen, it is tournament time. A lot of things go right for teams and a lot of things go wrong for teams. We want to be able to go out there every night and play the way we have been playing, play strong, play physical and play Indiana basketball. We will see what happens from there. If we stay confident, good things will happen from there."
On a new mentality now that you are in the postseason:
"Yeah, we like to switch it up. Being at a neutral site is a little different than the typical home and away. We are preparing for it the same way as always and we have the same mental focus and preparation."
On preparing on the common aspects of Illinois and Minnesota:
"They are both very good teams. They have proven that all year. Obviously they have their strengths - they are a good offensive rebounding team and the set screen well. It is something we have been preparing for and we will continue to do so."
On whether fatigue factors in with the possibility of playing three games in three days:
"We obviously don't play a stretch like that during the regular season, but we have played AAU games where it was three or four games in one day. I don't think it will bother us too much."
On the difference between neutral site games as opposed to home-away games:
"It is a little bit different. It is a neutral environment so there isn't as much of a home court environment either way. I think all of us have played in pro arenas; they are a little different than college arenas. I don't think that will effect us too much."
