Saturday, February 11
Ann Arbor, Mich.
6:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Michigan
Miller Time Isn’t All the Time, And It Works
2/11/2023 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miller Kopp continues to defy the naysayers. He keeps showing up, making plays, making a difference, in all things big and small.
The senior swingman is not the catalyst for Indiana's surge back to national prominence entering Saturday's game at Michigan. Not with All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis excelling as few Hoosiers ever have.
Still, Kopp is a tough-minded force willing to do whatever it takes to win. For this, he credits an edge honed by brotherly competitiveness during late-night driveway basketball games.
"I grew up with three brothers. We fought all the time -- in a good way. We played one-on-one, two-on-two basketball. We had the cops called on us a couple times just because there's yelling and screaming and stuff."
Kopp pauses.
"The worst thing my dad did is get us boxing gloves for Christmas one year. That didn't last long.
"That really shaped me. Without my brothers, I'm not who I am today. Even my mom, she works her tail off. She works the hardest in my family. It's in my nature to grind and work and be that dude who is willing to do whatever to win."
It's working. When Kopp thrives on the outside to balance Jackson-Davis's inside dominance, the Hoosiers border on unbeatable.
Just ask Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell. His Scarlet Knights couldn't handle the duo, and then couldn't beat IU on Tuesday night after six straight victories in the series.
"Trayce is the problem," he says. "You've got to double team him, and then the ball gets moved out and (Kopp) is the recipient of the good pass. Trayce had (six) assists, and probably a lot of those were to Miller Kopp, who is a really good shooter and a really good player.
"You have to pick your poison sometimes when you play a post guy like that. That's probably a good combination for Indiana moving forward."
Jackson-Davis doesn't disagree.
"First off, Miller is a competitor. He's going to do whatever Coach (Mike Woodson) asks him to do.
"It's not only hitting shots, but what really stands out is his effort on the defensive end, how he's guarding.
"(Against Rutgers) he was locked in on the defensive end. When you're playing like that on both sides of the ball, you impact the game at a high level."
Kopp doesn't overwhelm with numbers and that's by design in Woodson's balanced attack. He averages 8.3 points on basically six shots a game.
"Miller doesn't get a lot of shots," Woodson says, "but he's efficient. He makes shots when he has to make them. That's huge when you are trying to win."
Nine Hoosiers average at least 5.4 points. Six average between 7.2 and 9.9 points.
Kopp leads IU in 3-point baskets (44) and 3-point attempts (96), and is second in 3-point shooting (45.8% to Trey Galloway's 50.0%) and steals (17 to Jalen Hood-Schifino's 22). He shoots 50.7% overall, and 83.3% from the line.
"When you look at our roster from a scoring standpoint," Woodson says, "we've got a lot of guys that are averaging about seven, eight, nine points a game. That's good. You can't just load up on one guy.
"We know Trayce is the guy, but we've got guys around him that are able to make shots. That was the whole thing coming into this season with the work that we put in this summer shooting a lot."
Jackson-Davis seemingly makes history every game he plays. He's the fifth Big Ten player (and first Hoosier) to total 2,000 points (he has 2,004) and 1,000 rebounds (1.035). The others are Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll, Wisconsin's Ethan Happ, Michigan State's Greg Kelser and Ohio State's Herb Williams.
The No. 18 Hoosiers (17-7 overall 8-5 in the Big Ten) are peaking at the right time. They are 7-1 in their last eight games, with four of those victories coming against ranked teams -- No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 23 Illinois, No. 1 Purdue and No. 24 Rutgers. They also beat No. 18/15 North Carolina in late November.
Woodson calls his team's maturity at an all-time high.
"Our guys believe now, and that's a big part of winning. When we lost those three in a row, we were all searching. As the head of the snake as the coach, I'm searching. I knew what the hell was going on and what we weren't doing. Now we're back doing those things. That's what makes winning fun."
IU can solidify its second-place status in the conference standings with a win at Michigan (14-10, 8-5). Rutgers and Northwestern also are 8-5. Illinois is 7-5. Purdue leads with a 12-2 record.
The Wolverines, who have won three straight, made a season-high 14 3-pointers in Wednesday's win over Nebraska.
Forward Hunter Dickinson has two straight double doubles. He averages 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Jeff Howard averages 15.0 points and has a team-leading 65 three-pointers. Kobe Bufkin averages 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Indiana has lost eight straight regular-season games to Michigan and hasn't won in Ann Arbor since February of 2016. The Wolverines are 10-3 at Crisler Arena.
The Hoosiers are 3-5 on the road.
"On the road, it's hostile," freshmen Malik Reneau says. "You've got the fans talking against you. It's crazy. You have to cut all that negative energy out. Try to do what Coach Woodson is saying, and just perform."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miller Kopp continues to defy the naysayers. He keeps showing up, making plays, making a difference, in all things big and small.
The senior swingman is not the catalyst for Indiana's surge back to national prominence entering Saturday's game at Michigan. Not with All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis excelling as few Hoosiers ever have.
Still, Kopp is a tough-minded force willing to do whatever it takes to win. For this, he credits an edge honed by brotherly competitiveness during late-night driveway basketball games.
"I grew up with three brothers. We fought all the time -- in a good way. We played one-on-one, two-on-two basketball. We had the cops called on us a couple times just because there's yelling and screaming and stuff."
Kopp pauses.
"The worst thing my dad did is get us boxing gloves for Christmas one year. That didn't last long.
"That really shaped me. Without my brothers, I'm not who I am today. Even my mom, she works her tail off. She works the hardest in my family. It's in my nature to grind and work and be that dude who is willing to do whatever to win."
It's working. When Kopp thrives on the outside to balance Jackson-Davis's inside dominance, the Hoosiers border on unbeatable.
Just ask Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell. His Scarlet Knights couldn't handle the duo, and then couldn't beat IU on Tuesday night after six straight victories in the series.
"Trayce is the problem," he says. "You've got to double team him, and then the ball gets moved out and (Kopp) is the recipient of the good pass. Trayce had (six) assists, and probably a lot of those were to Miller Kopp, who is a really good shooter and a really good player.
"You have to pick your poison sometimes when you play a post guy like that. That's probably a good combination for Indiana moving forward."
Jackson-Davis doesn't disagree.
"First off, Miller is a competitor. He's going to do whatever Coach (Mike Woodson) asks him to do.
"It's not only hitting shots, but what really stands out is his effort on the defensive end, how he's guarding.
"(Against Rutgers) he was locked in on the defensive end. When you're playing like that on both sides of the ball, you impact the game at a high level."
Kopp doesn't overwhelm with numbers and that's by design in Woodson's balanced attack. He averages 8.3 points on basically six shots a game.
"Miller doesn't get a lot of shots," Woodson says, "but he's efficient. He makes shots when he has to make them. That's huge when you are trying to win."
Nine Hoosiers average at least 5.4 points. Six average between 7.2 and 9.9 points.
Kopp leads IU in 3-point baskets (44) and 3-point attempts (96), and is second in 3-point shooting (45.8% to Trey Galloway's 50.0%) and steals (17 to Jalen Hood-Schifino's 22). He shoots 50.7% overall, and 83.3% from the line.
"When you look at our roster from a scoring standpoint," Woodson says, "we've got a lot of guys that are averaging about seven, eight, nine points a game. That's good. You can't just load up on one guy.
"We know Trayce is the guy, but we've got guys around him that are able to make shots. That was the whole thing coming into this season with the work that we put in this summer shooting a lot."
Jackson-Davis seemingly makes history every game he plays. He's the fifth Big Ten player (and first Hoosier) to total 2,000 points (he has 2,004) and 1,000 rebounds (1.035). The others are Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll, Wisconsin's Ethan Happ, Michigan State's Greg Kelser and Ohio State's Herb Williams.
The No. 18 Hoosiers (17-7 overall 8-5 in the Big Ten) are peaking at the right time. They are 7-1 in their last eight games, with four of those victories coming against ranked teams -- No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 23 Illinois, No. 1 Purdue and No. 24 Rutgers. They also beat No. 18/15 North Carolina in late November.
Woodson calls his team's maturity at an all-time high.
"Our guys believe now, and that's a big part of winning. When we lost those three in a row, we were all searching. As the head of the snake as the coach, I'm searching. I knew what the hell was going on and what we weren't doing. Now we're back doing those things. That's what makes winning fun."
IU can solidify its second-place status in the conference standings with a win at Michigan (14-10, 8-5). Rutgers and Northwestern also are 8-5. Illinois is 7-5. Purdue leads with a 12-2 record.
The Wolverines, who have won three straight, made a season-high 14 3-pointers in Wednesday's win over Nebraska.
Forward Hunter Dickinson has two straight double doubles. He averages 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Jeff Howard averages 15.0 points and has a team-leading 65 three-pointers. Kobe Bufkin averages 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Indiana has lost eight straight regular-season games to Michigan and hasn't won in Ann Arbor since February of 2016. The Wolverines are 10-3 at Crisler Arena.
The Hoosiers are 3-5 on the road.
"On the road, it's hostile," freshmen Malik Reneau says. "You've got the fans talking against you. It's crazy. You have to cut all that negative energy out. Try to do what Coach Woodson is saying, and just perform."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
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