Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Indiana vs Maryland
1/4/2020 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Maryland
Jan. 4, 2020
IU Head Coach Archie Miller
Tough afternoon for us, give Maryland a lot of credit. I thought they played really well and made things very difficult for us around the basket. Not being able to score, eventually, sort of overwhelmed us a little bit. It's a fine line on the road. You have to make all the little things kind of go your way when things aren't going well on one end. We played hard for the most part. Our defense kind of hung in there, but some long rebounds and some loose plays really changed the game. It broke it open and then from the breakout point, we weren't able to really make anything happen offensively to hang in there. Then the defense and the offense being able to break the game open and get that type of lead, showed at the 10 minute mark after. It was just too hard to hold off, but we got to keep playing hard. Wednesday night is a big one for us at home. In this league you're in a deep ocean. There's a lot of waves and you have to ride them out and figure out how you group can survive it and keep moving forward. For us, that's the way it is. I can't complain about our guys in their approach and what we're doing. We just got really, really stuck at one stage of the game not being able to score. Coming out of halftime being able to hang in there, again. But a couple of 50-50 plays, and a couple things that just broke their way really broke the game open.
On issues scoring:
"The ball is not going in the basket. Whether it's a layup, a free throw or a wide open shot. At some point you have to be able to put it in the basket. We have enough guys that can do that. Certain teams have to struggle to find their way. We have to get a more quality three in the game. Our back court has to be able to create more off the dribble on those threes. They have to be able to get assists, those are the ones you're going to make when you draw the defense. Not challenge twos. Not 50-50 plays at the basket. It's the ones that break the defense down and your guards are able to create and get more three's that way. We have to go to the line more, and we have to keep going to the line and making it.
Then around the basket, in this league moving forward, from January to February there's not going to be one easy one. Okay, there's no calls. That's not happening. So, you have to be able to finish through contact and put some down. We didn't have that for most part of the night. We shot 26-percent in the first half and 1 for 7 from three, but you're 7 for 23 from two. Not making it at any level. So, if we step up and make it, we can do it. One thing is you can't just over complicate it and make it harder than it is. I just got to keep working at it."
On players rushing and keeping offense simple:
"No, I don't think so. At the end of the day we've gone through some tough stretches offensively, but it didn't impact our defense for a good portion of the game. Our rebounding kind of caved in at one point in time when we did actually did get some stops. They probably got three or four rebounds on two possessions in the game. At some point you have to continue to compete, you have to continue to play tough and play through it. You know, at the 10-minute mark or 12-minute mark and it's a 10-point game or 12-point game, you're right there. Just kind of stay with it. You can't let the floor sort of fall out on a couple plays, and then let it become a problem. Teams change throughout the course of the season. Our team's going through one right now. We have to find a way to get back out of it. We'll do that. The league's a long league season. There's a lot of teams that are going to lose by one or lose by 20. Whatever it is, you have to navigate the road, and that's what we're trying to do right now."
On Maryland's defense:
"You have to give them credit. Their game plan isn't in what it was, but they have a great shot blocker at the basket in Jalen Smith. He impacts a lot. They bring in the big fella (Chol) off the bench now. He impacts some things around the basket and they're long. They're their guards. Darryl, Wiggins. They're long, they're athletic. They do a really good job of keeping their man in front of them for the most part. They stay right in the scene. So, it's tough to score in and around the basket. Our defense didn't create any easy ones. If you look at them, I think seven turnovers. The points off turnovers were 25 to 9. So, on the road you have to find a way to get some easy ones. Our defense didn't create any easy ones as well. But from their defensive standpoint, they had great length to keep them in front. They're not getting too exposed out there. And for us they choose to pack it in at different positions, but we had some good looks. We have some point blank stuff around the basket in both halves. We needed them to go down they didn't. We have to find a way to knock those in as they move forward."
On losing against Wisconsin:
"Two different scenarios. Obviously, losing games is losing games. I don't think you can watch this game at all and say that our defense allowed as many easy baskets or as many easy shots. I think we were in the game for the most part with our defense. Offensively, up until the last four minutes, which doesn't really count offensively, we were 1 for 17 from three. Now on the road, you're not just going to hold teams down and shut them down for periods of time. You have to be able to make some of the open ones and some of the tough ones. That's what teams do to overcome, they make some shots. Maryland's field goal percentage wasn't very good today. When you think about playing at home at 38 percent and 25 from three. With that type of lead do you know how bad you have to be on offense? You would have to score for 10 straight minutes. 38 percent and 25 percent, if you told me coming into the game that Maryland would shoot these percentages at home, you'd probably say, 'We might have a chance to hang in there today.' We did for a while, then it caved in. We'll go from there. There's a lot of room for this team to continue to grow up and figure things out. I do think we'll be a more confident shooting team on Wednesday."
IU Forward Joey Brunk
On the game slipping away at the 36-33 mark:
"We didn't hit as many shots as we needed to today at the free throw line, myself especially. It's tough,nobody likes this feeling but the sun's going to come up tomorrow and we're going to be back at it."
On the big difference in a road game:
"It's tough playing a lot of really good and competitive schools. At home you're there night in and night out shooting, I think that plays into it but give Maryland a lot of credit."
On what the team needs to improve on to make the offense better:
"I think we need to stay confident in what we work on day in and day out. We don't need to force the issue in trying to do things we don't work on. That's how it works. Be confident in ourselves, be confident in our teammates and we have the locker room and that's more than enough to win games."
On if they could have taken advantage in the first half:
"We obviously could have played better. Nothing sticks out in my mind but we could have been more competitive. We're back at it tomorrow."
Indiana vs. Maryland
Jan. 4, 2020
IU Head Coach Archie Miller
Tough afternoon for us, give Maryland a lot of credit. I thought they played really well and made things very difficult for us around the basket. Not being able to score, eventually, sort of overwhelmed us a little bit. It's a fine line on the road. You have to make all the little things kind of go your way when things aren't going well on one end. We played hard for the most part. Our defense kind of hung in there, but some long rebounds and some loose plays really changed the game. It broke it open and then from the breakout point, we weren't able to really make anything happen offensively to hang in there. Then the defense and the offense being able to break the game open and get that type of lead, showed at the 10 minute mark after. It was just too hard to hold off, but we got to keep playing hard. Wednesday night is a big one for us at home. In this league you're in a deep ocean. There's a lot of waves and you have to ride them out and figure out how you group can survive it and keep moving forward. For us, that's the way it is. I can't complain about our guys in their approach and what we're doing. We just got really, really stuck at one stage of the game not being able to score. Coming out of halftime being able to hang in there, again. But a couple of 50-50 plays, and a couple things that just broke their way really broke the game open.
On issues scoring:
"The ball is not going in the basket. Whether it's a layup, a free throw or a wide open shot. At some point you have to be able to put it in the basket. We have enough guys that can do that. Certain teams have to struggle to find their way. We have to get a more quality three in the game. Our back court has to be able to create more off the dribble on those threes. They have to be able to get assists, those are the ones you're going to make when you draw the defense. Not challenge twos. Not 50-50 plays at the basket. It's the ones that break the defense down and your guards are able to create and get more three's that way. We have to go to the line more, and we have to keep going to the line and making it.
Then around the basket, in this league moving forward, from January to February there's not going to be one easy one. Okay, there's no calls. That's not happening. So, you have to be able to finish through contact and put some down. We didn't have that for most part of the night. We shot 26-percent in the first half and 1 for 7 from three, but you're 7 for 23 from two. Not making it at any level. So, if we step up and make it, we can do it. One thing is you can't just over complicate it and make it harder than it is. I just got to keep working at it."
On players rushing and keeping offense simple:
"No, I don't think so. At the end of the day we've gone through some tough stretches offensively, but it didn't impact our defense for a good portion of the game. Our rebounding kind of caved in at one point in time when we did actually did get some stops. They probably got three or four rebounds on two possessions in the game. At some point you have to continue to compete, you have to continue to play tough and play through it. You know, at the 10-minute mark or 12-minute mark and it's a 10-point game or 12-point game, you're right there. Just kind of stay with it. You can't let the floor sort of fall out on a couple plays, and then let it become a problem. Teams change throughout the course of the season. Our team's going through one right now. We have to find a way to get back out of it. We'll do that. The league's a long league season. There's a lot of teams that are going to lose by one or lose by 20. Whatever it is, you have to navigate the road, and that's what we're trying to do right now."
On Maryland's defense:
"You have to give them credit. Their game plan isn't in what it was, but they have a great shot blocker at the basket in Jalen Smith. He impacts a lot. They bring in the big fella (Chol) off the bench now. He impacts some things around the basket and they're long. They're their guards. Darryl, Wiggins. They're long, they're athletic. They do a really good job of keeping their man in front of them for the most part. They stay right in the scene. So, it's tough to score in and around the basket. Our defense didn't create any easy ones. If you look at them, I think seven turnovers. The points off turnovers were 25 to 9. So, on the road you have to find a way to get some easy ones. Our defense didn't create any easy ones as well. But from their defensive standpoint, they had great length to keep them in front. They're not getting too exposed out there. And for us they choose to pack it in at different positions, but we had some good looks. We have some point blank stuff around the basket in both halves. We needed them to go down they didn't. We have to find a way to knock those in as they move forward."
On losing against Wisconsin:
"Two different scenarios. Obviously, losing games is losing games. I don't think you can watch this game at all and say that our defense allowed as many easy baskets or as many easy shots. I think we were in the game for the most part with our defense. Offensively, up until the last four minutes, which doesn't really count offensively, we were 1 for 17 from three. Now on the road, you're not just going to hold teams down and shut them down for periods of time. You have to be able to make some of the open ones and some of the tough ones. That's what teams do to overcome, they make some shots. Maryland's field goal percentage wasn't very good today. When you think about playing at home at 38 percent and 25 from three. With that type of lead do you know how bad you have to be on offense? You would have to score for 10 straight minutes. 38 percent and 25 percent, if you told me coming into the game that Maryland would shoot these percentages at home, you'd probably say, 'We might have a chance to hang in there today.' We did for a while, then it caved in. We'll go from there. There's a lot of room for this team to continue to grow up and figure things out. I do think we'll be a more confident shooting team on Wednesday."
IU Forward Joey Brunk
On the game slipping away at the 36-33 mark:
"We didn't hit as many shots as we needed to today at the free throw line, myself especially. It's tough,nobody likes this feeling but the sun's going to come up tomorrow and we're going to be back at it."
On the big difference in a road game:
"It's tough playing a lot of really good and competitive schools. At home you're there night in and night out shooting, I think that plays into it but give Maryland a lot of credit."
On what the team needs to improve on to make the offense better:
"I think we need to stay confident in what we work on day in and day out. We don't need to force the issue in trying to do things we don't work on. That's how it works. Be confident in ourselves, be confident in our teammates and we have the locker room and that's more than enough to win games."
On if they could have taken advantage in the first half:
"We obviously could have played better. Nothing sticks out in my mind but we could have been more competitive. We're back at it tomorrow."
Players Mentioned
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