On the mentality of the MSU game after missing out on the Big Ten championship
Yeah, I mean, it's still a huge rivalry game. Obviously, they took it to us the second half here at Chrysler. So, I don't think there's any worry about motivation at all for our guys. We've obviously dropped a couple in a row. We've got to start playing good basketball. Our guys know that. It'll be fun. It'll be an awesome environment. I'm sure they'll probably have some sort of ceremony for winning the championship. They deserve what an incredible year they've had. One of the best three weeks of college basketball I've ever seen. So, no, we're excited to get up there and hopefully play good basketball.
On the keys to get a more favorable result
Sure, I think every opponent they've played all year said the same thing and struggled with the same thing. Obviously, the transition offense and the offensive class, just like for the last 30 years. They're great at it. They really hurt us with it in the first half of our game here at Chrysler. In the second half, they put on a shooting mirage of threes that really separated late in that game. We've got to do those two things first and foremost. They've also shot the ball really well the last two weeks.
On what he hopes the team has learned from the first loss
I think we're going to be more motivated than ever. You can't replicate their transition offense and their offensive rebounding in practice. Now they've gone against it for 40 minutes. We have 40 minutes of film. We can show them and just come right in play.
On how to work on confidence in shooting with college players
The repetition, you've got to see the ball go in. I've just walked over here now from the practice facility. A couple of guys in there shooting this morning already. We're going to practice here in a couple of hours. Obviously, just keep getting game reps. Keep working on them. I think if we can do some of the other things, we're focused on running back on defense, getting great blockouts, getting the ball moving side to side. I think it kind of takes your mind off the shooting. That way you're not so focused, so tense when you catch it. I think we've got to focus on the little details that we can really control. We've got open shots. Just let muscle memory take care of itself. We have good players. We have good shooters. We're confident.
On wanting his players to shoot the ball and not play with hesitation
Sure. We just want to play basketball, read closeout. It's something they've done their whole lives, something they've done at a high level as recently as two or three weeks ago. If they're open, every single one of our guys in play have shown they can make threes at a high level. Just read closeouts. If you're open, shoot it. If you're not, drive it. Try to get two on the ball. Get two open teammates. Quick decisions. Nothing groundbreaking. Just feel like I think if our focus is on smaller things that we can control, then I think we'll take the pressure off making it missing and even trying to make the perfect play every time we touch the ball. Yeah, I think we're close. I thought the second half we showed. I think we were 5-0, I think we were 3-2 in the second half. We showed some good offensive production that second half against Maryland. I'm optimistic.
On whether he feels that teams are playing off U-M more which makes driving to the basket difficukt
Sure, yeah, yeah. We're seeing more physicality defensively. We're seeing guys are being guarded a little bit different based on three-point shooting percentages, which is totally common in college basketball. We do the same thing. So, yeah, guys, again, we can play really good basketball whether the threes are flying in or not. Obviously, it makes it a lot easier if they're flying in. But, yeah, we're definitely having to make some adjustments offensively based on how we're being guarded. And, you know, if we can step up and shoot with confidence, that can change our foot.
On the range of emotions watching the MSU-Iowa game
Yeah, it was interesting. We definitely were watching, you know, obviously rooting for Iowa for obvious reasons. And, you know, Iowa was awesome the first 25 minutes or so, 28 minutes. And then Michigan State just kind of does what they always do, kind of rinse and repeat, you know, started getting out transitions, started getting a free throw line. That's one thing I think is a little overlooked with them is how good they are. I think they shot 27 free throws in the second half, if I'm not mistaken. That's a big, big part of their offense. And then now you add in the three-point shooting that they've had the last couple weeks, and all of a sudden that's an extremely dangerous offense. But, yeah, no, you know, Michigan State deserved a win. They won the league. They 100% deserved it. But we play them on Sunday. We got nothing to lose. You know, they really have nothing to lose. It should be a fun game. Both teams should play free and wide open. And hopefully everybody will have a little more confidence going into the O.C. I didn't want to make that implication because, obviously, you wanted to be playing for a Big Ten championship.
On whether he feels the pressure is off and to go play basketball
Sure, sure. Yeah, no, the last, you can see it in our play. I think offensively, you know, maybe particularly shooting the ball, you know, the last two months every game's been huge. You know, fighting for a conference championship. And credit to our guys. They put us in this situation. You know, they gave us these opportunities to be playing big games in March. And so this is really the first time in a long time where you feel like, let's just go and play basketball. We don't have to be tense about anything. We're going to get the double bye. You know, we're going to finish second or tied for second. Not a huge difference there. You know, let's just go have fun. It's a rivalry game. We've had an awesome year. We've got a lot to be proud of. Let's get a little momentum headed to Indianapolis.
On whether he’s had a chance to reflect on the season
Not very recently, to be honest. We've had a hell of a run of just game, you know, game, two days off, game, two days off. It's been a gauntlet here at the end of the season. So not a ton of reflection, but certainly wouldn't ask about it when you get a chance to think about it. I mean, to be sitting here second in the Big Ten, I mean 18 of the best programs in college basketball, especially considering the circumstances in the spring and a whole new roster. I mean, we have a lot to be extremely, extremely proud of. And, you know, obviously we didn't reach our goal to win a Big Ten regular season. We were a fall just short. But we got a ton to play for, a chance to win a rivalry game, a chance to win a conference championship, and that we played well enough to lock ourselves in this tournament, as we know.
On the physicality of the Big Ten and how to construct a roster in the Big Ten as GM
Yeah, good questions. The environments have been awesome, you know. Obviously we're in mid-major basketball the last six years. You know, there's not too many environments that compare to, you know, the places we've got at Purdue, at Indiana, at Wisconsin, obviously Sunday, you know. At UCLA, it was decorated as a program in this college. Basketball was a divided game. At Rutgers, it was a great environment. Just all the time I had there. In Nebraska, you keep going. I mean, those road games have been tough, and we've done a remarkable job in them. So that's been really cool. Yeah, you know, the size and the physicality, and obviously bumping up, you know, leads and winning the best league or two in the country. You know, I mean, the caliber of players. The pace, maybe. I think Big Ten kind of has a, I would call it a bad reputation of being a slow kind of drudge, knock down, drag out. But they seem to play fast. I mean, Michigan State, you know, Oregon, Wisconsin now. Historically, they've been a more methodical team. They're flying down the court. I mean, I guess that's probably the best answer. You know, Penn State's obviously Nebraska. You know, a lot of us have moved to these really fast-paced, high-octane offenses, which I know Big Ten doesn't necessarily have that reputation. But this year, it's been impressive. And then as far as roster construction, as college coaches, it's part of our job to always have an eye on the future. And obviously, our attention is on the here and now and doing everything we can in today's practice to prepare us for Sunday and next week to prepare us for the tournament. But you always have an eye on the future. And so certainly, you know, recruiting, we're going to have a lot of really good players to replace. And so recruiting high school guys, recruiting board guys here about two weeks away will be a huge priority. Hopefully, we're still playing.
On whether Danny Wolf is stepping up as a leader with his experience
Sure, yeah, yeah. No, we've challenged some guys, particularly Trey and Danny have taken to that challenge. I think Will is kind of a natural leader. Vlad is very much a lead-by-example guy. Namaari is kind of the same way. I think Trey and Danny are stepping up vocally. I think we saw that. I know they're watching the camera copy back from Maryland. You can see Trey and Danny vocally stepping up. And they have been behind closed doors as well. So really happy to see that. And I think that can really help turn the tide for us here.
On what gives him confidence that the team can flip the switch come tourney time
I think just really what I just said about I think some leaders have emerged, some toughness, some, you know, like I said, we play better offense the second half of the Maryland game. Obviously, there are some glaring turnovers that we have to tighten up on. But we know we're a really good basketball team. We've shown we're a really good basketball team. The last week, two weeks, hasn't been our best. But these things turn quickly. You know, Michigan State lost 3-4 and now going on a historic run the last few weeks. So I think hopefully going up there Sunday, playing in an awesome environment with more or less nothing to lose. Hopefully we can get a little confidence back and I don't see any reason why we can't play our best basketball in the next month.
On the preparation needed for big environments
Yeah, I think our guys know what to expect. I mean, I think we'll work on some more hand signals and different things. Tactically, because we know vocal communication is going to be very difficult. Yeah, I think we've got a ton of reps at it this year. This is our 10th. Like I said, every environment's been awesome. So I don't expect that to bother our guys much. I think we're prepared for it. Nonverbal cues, we kind of get tight enough. It'll be fun to go up there and compete with them.
On Sam Walters’ absence impacting the rotation
Sure, yeah, no, we miss Sam a lot. The obvious is the three-point shooting dip. That's his gifts. I know he's a player with his ball and his eyes. Certainly missing that has contributed to kind of a little slump. Rubin, too, I mean, he obviously missed a couple games, but even the last couple, I think anybody, that was kind of a show of himself. I think he lost 11 pounds a week. Those are two huge, huge pieces for us that whether they start or they come off the bench, they helped us win a lot of games throughout the season. It's given opportunities to some young guys. Obviously, you don't win. Guys got to step up, and we got to play a little bit better. We got to tighten up, but I think Ruben's on the mend. I know Sam's doing everything he can to make it back and join us and help for the stretch run. I think hopefully the experience Justin and Elgin have gotten, getting some extra minutes, hopefully will benefit on Sunday and go into the postseason.
On Jace Richardson
Sure, yeah, Jace, he's a special player. He's a really, really good player. I think the Oregon game was kind of his breakout when he had a chance to start, and he's just taken it and ran with it. Really happy for him. We know his family, having his family well, great family, great people. Happy for him, but we got to find a way to shut him down or at least contain him on Sunday. He's one of the better freshmen in the league. Honestly, I think Robbie Hummel mentioned on the telecast a couple times, we need to be talking about him as a potential all-conference player, not just an all-freshman guy.
On Sam Walters’ injury status moving forward
Yeah, so it's something behind the scenes he had dealt with basically, I want to say since we played Arkansas over in New York, I think. This has been kind of lingering. I think it hit a tipping point. I can't remember the exact date, maybe about a month ago or so. I think it's slowly getting better. Some days are better than others. We're hoping to get him back. With backs, obviously, it's difficult. We want to be cautious. Obviously, our first priority is his long-term health. But I know he's working, doing what he can to get back, and we're certainly supporting that.
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