Postgame Quotes: Indiana at Rutgers
12/30/2015 3:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Read what Indiana head coach Tom Crean had to say after the Hoosiers 79-72 win at Rutgers.
Opening Statement:
"We had to win the game and then be able to look at it and say 'now we have to go fix these things'. They put us in that situation and it's a good thing. It's much better when you find a way to win the game, which our guys did.
"Rutgers is improving. I hope they believe it, because I see it on film. They're a different team than what they were a year ago. There's no question about it. They have a lot of fire power. If [Greg] Lewis plays like that, they're going to be good. [Jonathan] Laurent is starting to, like some of our freshmen, he's starting to get it. I think they're extremely well-coached. You (have to) be with the pedigree that [Eddie Jordan] has and what he has done. You can see it in their team and we didn't take them lightly.
"We played like a team that's been off nine days. We played like a team that was playing without a key guy, with James. You take out a starter, and one of the elite guards in the country and with what he does scoring is one thing, but you take out the impact that he has on the other team's defense, they always account for him. We turned it over way too much and too many of them were unforced, so we have to get that rectified. But the bottom line is that we found a way to win the game. We had 37 bench points, 51 deflections, we out-rebounded them. They were shooting 28 free throws [a game] and we held them to 11. So those statistics you need to have in a tough basketball game, we we're able to get that."
"We got better today. We found a way to win the game today. There is a lot of things we need to get better at for tomorrow and the next day, but when you come on the road and win in the Big Ten, you're going to take it."
On the play of Max Bielfeldt:
"I was very impressed when you consider the fact that Thomas [Bryant] got into foul trouble in the first five minutes. Rob [Johnson] couldn't score and Nick had three. We got a lot of contributions. That's what a team needs to have. It's like in baseball. The best managers, they find ways to get guys innings. They find ways to get those position players in the game for not just pinch hits, but for two to three innings in right or left field. That's where Ryan [Burton] steps in, O.G. [Anunoby] plays much better. Max isn't one of those guys. He's like a starter for us. The good news is that Max has had some success in the past. He had 22 and 18 in two games last year when he was at Michigan. That helped us, because he had some confidence. To me, he did an excellent job and stayed after it. He had a triple-double for us because he had 11 deflections. The rebounding, the deflections the leadership, all of those things are more exciting than points."
On the scoring run after Rutgers took the lead in the second half:
"Defense. When we got the lead in the first half, we had six-straight stops. It was defense, it was good movement and it was good decisions. I'm sure our turnovers were a little lower in that run. We did not play a great game, and I'm sure Eddie feels the same way. But we found a way to win beside of that and got better inside of that, which is what you want to be able to look at moving forward. So, when we get stops and defensive boards, which we need to improve on, it's as big of a bulls-eye for things we need to improve on then anything moving forward in the Big Ten, then we have a chance to be better."
On what Thomas Bryant has to do to stay in the game:
"We'll watch the tape and I'm sure he'll get better, because he's been in through the games. It's one game and the sky isn't falling. He's still moving. I loved his energy and we'll watch the film and move forward and grow from it. He's coming off of a tremendous game so we'll see what we need to do to improve."
On missing James Blackmon Jr.:
"With James, it's not just the shots he makes and the percentage that he has. He makes the game easier for everyone else because you can never not account for James. Like with Yogi, you (have to) account for him if you're the other team, so that creates openings. There was less space today, and we're going to have to figure that out. It got better in the second half because we moved better and guys made shots and some guys that usually make shots didn't make shots, but that's the beauty of having a group of guys getting confident shooting three's."
On Blackmon's injury:
"It was in the drill. He did not have contact and he just went down wrong."
On the play of Corey Sanders:
"I think he's getting better and better. I think he's going to be a great player if he continues to work and lead his teammates. Seeing him in person and watching all of his shots on film, to me, he has some things that are high level. That step-back move going right, changing direction, cross-over, burst, strength, it's all there. He's going to be a great defender.
"I think they're going to have a really good team. I think we'll look back on this game and know that we were happy and fortunate to get it. I think he's building it. I don't know Eddie that well. I have a lot of respect for him but he's building. If you get Laurent and Sanders, two freshmen, the experience they're receiving, that's really important."
Opening Statement:
"We had to win the game and then be able to look at it and say 'now we have to go fix these things'. They put us in that situation and it's a good thing. It's much better when you find a way to win the game, which our guys did.
"Rutgers is improving. I hope they believe it, because I see it on film. They're a different team than what they were a year ago. There's no question about it. They have a lot of fire power. If [Greg] Lewis plays like that, they're going to be good. [Jonathan] Laurent is starting to, like some of our freshmen, he's starting to get it. I think they're extremely well-coached. You (have to) be with the pedigree that [Eddie Jordan] has and what he has done. You can see it in their team and we didn't take them lightly.
"We played like a team that's been off nine days. We played like a team that was playing without a key guy, with James. You take out a starter, and one of the elite guards in the country and with what he does scoring is one thing, but you take out the impact that he has on the other team's defense, they always account for him. We turned it over way too much and too many of them were unforced, so we have to get that rectified. But the bottom line is that we found a way to win the game. We had 37 bench points, 51 deflections, we out-rebounded them. They were shooting 28 free throws [a game] and we held them to 11. So those statistics you need to have in a tough basketball game, we we're able to get that."
"We got better today. We found a way to win the game today. There is a lot of things we need to get better at for tomorrow and the next day, but when you come on the road and win in the Big Ten, you're going to take it."
On the play of Max Bielfeldt:
"I was very impressed when you consider the fact that Thomas [Bryant] got into foul trouble in the first five minutes. Rob [Johnson] couldn't score and Nick had three. We got a lot of contributions. That's what a team needs to have. It's like in baseball. The best managers, they find ways to get guys innings. They find ways to get those position players in the game for not just pinch hits, but for two to three innings in right or left field. That's where Ryan [Burton] steps in, O.G. [Anunoby] plays much better. Max isn't one of those guys. He's like a starter for us. The good news is that Max has had some success in the past. He had 22 and 18 in two games last year when he was at Michigan. That helped us, because he had some confidence. To me, he did an excellent job and stayed after it. He had a triple-double for us because he had 11 deflections. The rebounding, the deflections the leadership, all of those things are more exciting than points."
On the scoring run after Rutgers took the lead in the second half:
"Defense. When we got the lead in the first half, we had six-straight stops. It was defense, it was good movement and it was good decisions. I'm sure our turnovers were a little lower in that run. We did not play a great game, and I'm sure Eddie feels the same way. But we found a way to win beside of that and got better inside of that, which is what you want to be able to look at moving forward. So, when we get stops and defensive boards, which we need to improve on, it's as big of a bulls-eye for things we need to improve on then anything moving forward in the Big Ten, then we have a chance to be better."
On what Thomas Bryant has to do to stay in the game:
"We'll watch the tape and I'm sure he'll get better, because he's been in through the games. It's one game and the sky isn't falling. He's still moving. I loved his energy and we'll watch the film and move forward and grow from it. He's coming off of a tremendous game so we'll see what we need to do to improve."
On missing James Blackmon Jr.:
"With James, it's not just the shots he makes and the percentage that he has. He makes the game easier for everyone else because you can never not account for James. Like with Yogi, you (have to) account for him if you're the other team, so that creates openings. There was less space today, and we're going to have to figure that out. It got better in the second half because we moved better and guys made shots and some guys that usually make shots didn't make shots, but that's the beauty of having a group of guys getting confident shooting three's."
On Blackmon's injury:
"It was in the drill. He did not have contact and he just went down wrong."
On the play of Corey Sanders:
"I think he's getting better and better. I think he's going to be a great player if he continues to work and lead his teammates. Seeing him in person and watching all of his shots on film, to me, he has some things that are high level. That step-back move going right, changing direction, cross-over, burst, strength, it's all there. He's going to be a great defender.
"I think they're going to have a really good team. I think we'll look back on this game and know that we were happy and fortunate to get it. I think he's building it. I don't know Eddie that well. I have a lot of respect for him but he's building. If you get Laurent and Sanders, two freshmen, the experience they're receiving, that's really important."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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