Postgame Quotes: Indiana at Rutgers
2/24/2021 11:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Indiana at Rutgers
Postgame Quotes
Feb. 24, 2021
Indiana Head Coach Archie Miller
Opening statement:
MILLER: Credit to Rutgers. I thought they really, really responded well to our start, and they really wore the back nine minutes of the first half out. We had a hard time functioning. But I thought defensively, and I thought in our first half, our effort level was very, very good at times. In the second half, right from the start, we weren't ready out of halftime, and started with our defense. I think the thing that's disappointing right now is when things don't go well for us, the thing we've kind of hung our hat on and been able to do is really scrap, compete and find a way to make it anybody's game. In our last two second halves, in particular when things haven't gone well, our defense and our just our tightness, our ability to communicate, our response hasn't given us chance in these last two games. And both teams just really opened the floodgates up offensively against us. But a lot of it is a credit to them. I thought their ball pressure was as good as we've seen all year. They disrupted our guards, our entries. But we got off to a good start and I thought our guys prepared well. And I thought defensively, especially the first 12-14 minutes in the first half, we were as good as we've been. We're just going to have to be able to find a way to get that collectiveness back.
On play in the second half recently...
MILLER: I think when things aren't going well, and I would attribute it into both second halves, whether it's a lack of confidence offensively or things start to become difficult for us, our response isn't to run harder, to talk more, to concentrate more, to talk about the things that we can control. And I think in both second halves, which hasn't really been the case all year, teams have been able to go, whether you're up or down, on huge runs without being able to get it stopped. To me, we're letting our defense completely be affected right now by whatever's going on in the game, whether that's a bad play on offense, whether that's a bad stretch on offense, but at the end of the day, we get quiet. And right now is not the time of year to be doing that.
On Armaan Franklin...
MILLER: Armaan aggravated his ankle, foot, Achilles, I'm not sure which one, in the first half of the game and wasn't able to go in the second half, so that's why he didn't play.
On turnovers...
MILLER: I think it's a big part of what we're struggling with right now. We're struggling with the base stuff that we've been good at times this year. Taking care of the ball has become a problem. I thought their pressure really rattled us tonight. We had a hard time functioning cleanly on offense and a lot of it had to do, I thought, was just their ability to pick up the ball and really work. But I think turnovers are hard to defend. We had nine in the first half. And that was a big difference in the first half getting turned around. And I think in the second half, just defensively, we didn't start the second half like we started the game. And I do think when things aren't going well right now, we tend to sort of get more into ourselves and we tend to not get back. We tend right now not to fiercely compete, how we have to do it to stay in the game. There's games this season where we've been now nine at the half, which I think we're about eight or nine in the midpoint of this second half where we found a way to grab a hold of momentum with our defense. You're down at Northwestern, you find a way to get some stops. There's been times where we've really responded well, but here lately, in particular in our last two games, I think when things haven't gone well, we haven't responded with that comeback effort that we need. I think we can get it back. This is a humbling game, a humbling second half for us. I think it's the first time all season long our team has really looked fractured where we didn't know how to compete, what to do. And that goes back to me, I have to figure this out and get our team back up off the mat here because we have a big finish. We have a lot of things at stake. We have a lot of things right in front of us. We've worked very hard to get right there. Got a great opportunity on Saturday at home, but you know it's not going to work in any game that we play the rest of the season if our competitiveness and out concentration when things aren't going well, doesn't come back around."
Postgame Quotes
Feb. 24, 2021
Indiana Head Coach Archie Miller
Opening statement:
MILLER: Credit to Rutgers. I thought they really, really responded well to our start, and they really wore the back nine minutes of the first half out. We had a hard time functioning. But I thought defensively, and I thought in our first half, our effort level was very, very good at times. In the second half, right from the start, we weren't ready out of halftime, and started with our defense. I think the thing that's disappointing right now is when things don't go well for us, the thing we've kind of hung our hat on and been able to do is really scrap, compete and find a way to make it anybody's game. In our last two second halves, in particular when things haven't gone well, our defense and our just our tightness, our ability to communicate, our response hasn't given us chance in these last two games. And both teams just really opened the floodgates up offensively against us. But a lot of it is a credit to them. I thought their ball pressure was as good as we've seen all year. They disrupted our guards, our entries. But we got off to a good start and I thought our guys prepared well. And I thought defensively, especially the first 12-14 minutes in the first half, we were as good as we've been. We're just going to have to be able to find a way to get that collectiveness back.
On play in the second half recently...
MILLER: I think when things aren't going well, and I would attribute it into both second halves, whether it's a lack of confidence offensively or things start to become difficult for us, our response isn't to run harder, to talk more, to concentrate more, to talk about the things that we can control. And I think in both second halves, which hasn't really been the case all year, teams have been able to go, whether you're up or down, on huge runs without being able to get it stopped. To me, we're letting our defense completely be affected right now by whatever's going on in the game, whether that's a bad play on offense, whether that's a bad stretch on offense, but at the end of the day, we get quiet. And right now is not the time of year to be doing that.
On Armaan Franklin...
MILLER: Armaan aggravated his ankle, foot, Achilles, I'm not sure which one, in the first half of the game and wasn't able to go in the second half, so that's why he didn't play.
On turnovers...
MILLER: I think it's a big part of what we're struggling with right now. We're struggling with the base stuff that we've been good at times this year. Taking care of the ball has become a problem. I thought their pressure really rattled us tonight. We had a hard time functioning cleanly on offense and a lot of it had to do, I thought, was just their ability to pick up the ball and really work. But I think turnovers are hard to defend. We had nine in the first half. And that was a big difference in the first half getting turned around. And I think in the second half, just defensively, we didn't start the second half like we started the game. And I do think when things aren't going well right now, we tend to sort of get more into ourselves and we tend to not get back. We tend right now not to fiercely compete, how we have to do it to stay in the game. There's games this season where we've been now nine at the half, which I think we're about eight or nine in the midpoint of this second half where we found a way to grab a hold of momentum with our defense. You're down at Northwestern, you find a way to get some stops. There's been times where we've really responded well, but here lately, in particular in our last two games, I think when things haven't gone well, we haven't responded with that comeback effort that we need. I think we can get it back. This is a humbling game, a humbling second half for us. I think it's the first time all season long our team has really looked fractured where we didn't know how to compete, what to do. And that goes back to me, I have to figure this out and get our team back up off the mat here because we have a big finish. We have a lot of things at stake. We have a lot of things right in front of us. We've worked very hard to get right there. Got a great opportunity on Saturday at home, but you know it's not going to work in any game that we play the rest of the season if our competitiveness and out concentration when things aren't going well, doesn't come back around."
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballFB: Aiden Fisher Media Availability (10/7/25)
Tuesday, October 07
FB: Elijah Sarratt Media Availability (10/7/25)
Tuesday, October 07
FB: Pat Coogan Media Availability (10/7/25)
Tuesday, October 07
Darian DeVries Press Conference
Tuesday, September 30