home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE


March 3, 2015


Tom Crean


IOWA – 77
INDIANA - 63


COACH CREAN:  We knew the two biggest keys in this game were going to be defensive transition and were going to be the rebounding, and we did a good job.  We played a lot of guys early and we did a good job as the game settled in to do a better job of taking away transition.
But the rebounding, the timely second chance points were the difference.  We have no‑‑ we never had match‑ups in this game that you could feel comfortable saying, okay, we can guard this guy by himself, but a couple times we left to block the shots or left it open for a rebound.
We've just got to do our job.  As simple as that sounds, it's not that simple.  So you just have to stay in there.  If you're digging on the ball, get back to your man.  Blockout, all right, and everybody's got to be involved in the rebounding.
We didn't navigate their screening as well as we needed to a couple of times, and in our coverages and whether we're man or zone, and we've just got to do a better job of getting over the top of screens and controlling the ball better.
Offensively disappointed in our recognition.  There were too many times we're trying to make a play at the rim, but we're not getting any credit for it.  I think they had eight free throws before we ever went to the foul line, right?  I mean, I'm being told we're jumping in.  I wish we were, and I wish I was teaching that.  We've got to do a better job of being able to create, but it's not that much about that.
We get fouled when we're not looking to get fouled.  We get fouled on a back cut.  We get fouled on an offensive board.  We get fouled on a transition drive.  We get fouled on a cut under, a quick pass, something like that.  When we start worrying about the rim more than just touching the paint and getting it kicked, we're not as good.  Troy's recognition of shooting tonight and some of the shots backed out or under the basket, not as good.  He's improved his fundamentals tremendously, though he's got to use those and utilize that the right way.
Yogi missed numerous opportunities to take open shots, and at times looking to make something there that's not there.  We don't‑‑ knowing who to throw the ball into him.  We've got to be creative how we play through that paint and get to the foul line.  So the free‑throw shooting difference was huge, huge, huge.  But the second chance points thing, and then to me when I watch film, we're going to realize we had recognition of not‑‑ we moved the ball pretty good and a couple times we tried to take it down the middle.
They want you to play a game as all big teams do, they want you to play a game at the three‑point line and in, where they don't have to over help and they can use their length.  We've got to play the game outside the three‑point line.  Doesn't mean we have to shoot threes all the time, but it does mean we have to get the game moving, and we did that at times.  We didn't do it at other times.
Unfortunately, they got too many easy baskets and got into the game and we had trouble getting back from that.  Both teams were going for their 20th win.  They got theirs.  We want to go get ours on Saturday now.  We have to bounce back in a hurry and ready for a team that's extremely tough, extremely physical.  We knew this was this kind of week.  We're not going to magically match‑up better, so we've just got to match up smarter, and we've got to match up and just do our job, like I said.  When that shot comes up and keep people off the glass as best we can.

Q.  You said recurring themes throughout the last ten, 11 games, has it been different things in different games?
COACH CREAN:  Well, yeah.  I still think the one thing if there is a recurring theme, we get disappointed at times when we're not making shots, and that's a maturity thing.  You know, every young player goes to it to a degree and then you have to grow out of it.  Tonight it wasn't as much of that but it was the recognition of what was there.  We were very conscious of moving the ball.  Our thing sometimes we're trying to make something happen.
Yogi's trying to create things for his team, and sometimes he's just got to shoot the ball.  We're so cognizant of that ball being spaced and getting in that paint that every once in a while our big thing has always been one dribble sooner, right?  Be ready to shoot it.  Then when they close at you, hard shot fake it.  We spend so much time on that.  We've just got to get that recognition down.  Tonight it wasn't as much about one more pass.  It was being ready to shoot the ball.
I mean, this is a team that you've got to get some assists against, and this needed to be a night where we needed to get some shoots.  But it's different things, Bob.  Some of it is just Hanner comes back and then we lose Collin.  These type of deals.  We don't have any room for error on that line, and that's why Jordan Fuchs came in and didn't do a bad job at all.  We have to play Stan in that position and play small.
We've got to keep being creative around the basket.  But the bottom line, if there is one thing that hurts us is when we're giving up second‑chance points.

Q.  (No microphone) was that offensively?
COACH CREAN:  You're ahead of me on looking at the numbers.  I don't have them.  I haven't had a chance to look at that yet.  Some we just point blank missed, I do remember those.  There was a lot of physicality around the basket.  So we've got to watch the film to see what that really looks like.  But, again, you have the privilege of being able to look at the numbers, you know, and you've got to down when you walk in.  I don't have that down yet.  I have to really watch the film before I can really assess that better.  I'm sorry.

Q.  What was the message being sent to the players?
COACH CREAN:  Well, I'm not sure message as much as five guys in the end of the game need to come in and deal with it together and Hanner's a starter.  So I'd love to tell you it was some deep subliminal message, but it really wasn't.

Q.  What do you do from here?
COACH CREAN:  We get ready for our next practice, and get ready for Michigan State.  We don't stay locked into the numbers of the past, we stay locked into what's present.  I don't think you expect me as a coach to walk in there and talk about all that.  Yeah, so I don't want to put it in my head.
We got better.  We had a really, really good week, less than a week of practice and really got better with it.  It just didn't show as many times as it needed to tonight unfortunately, and we'll just turn around and get ready to do it again.  That is the key.

Q.  What is the plan in the half court?  It seems like there was a lot of standing around until maybe the final ten seconds and then there is a sense of urgency.
COACH CREAN:  I don't agree with that.  We're running actions to get movement, our chin action, and we're trying to get the courts spaced.  I think when you're playing against big teams, you've got to play through those corners, okay?  And that's a matter of getting movement, getting those guys going.
They want to stand and protect one another, okay?  So there's got to be movement.  Now when we're standing, that's not good, but some of those actions are just to keep it moving and then be able to create something when we're driving and kick.  So I'm sure there were a couple of those that looked that way tonight, but that's not by design.  Design is making sure the ball is open, especially if we're shooting it too quick.  There were times where we didn't shoot it quick enough, so we'll go back and see if we can learn from the film.

Q.  Is there a frustration level to losing to Northwestern and Iowa at home?
COACH CREAN:  We didn't play Northwestern at home.

Q.  No, Purdue.
COACH CREAN:  Okay.  Is there what now?

Q.  Is there a frustration level?
COACH CREAN:  No, we just want to keep getting better.  I'm not big on frustration.  I think you better grow out of frustration once you get past the fifth or sixth grade.  I really do.  I think urgency, anger, energy, all those are different buzz words.  Frustration is not a word I'd use.
We're practicing really hard, really well.  We're tuned in.  These guys want to win.  They're playing extremely hard.  We're playing against‑‑ we don't have, especially the size teams whether it be Purdue and whether it be‑‑ we don't have much room for error in those situations.  Go down the list of what we don't have, whether it be Devin or Collin and those type of things, we just don't.  So we've got to be that much more hustle game, the blockout game, those kind of things have got to be really good.  Now I'm not big on the frustration thing.

Q.  Can you talk about the level of frustration from the fan base?
COACH CREAN:  I'm really kind of concerned about the team.  I think that would be the most important thing to me is making sure that we continue to play as hard as we can possibly play, to play with energy, to play with efficiency.  That's pretty much where the thoughts go.  The thoughts go with your team and what you need to do to make them better.  That's where I would be.  That's where I would put my energies.

Q.  You obviously don't want to look past Michigan State?
COACH CREAN:  Then don't ask.  We're not going to look past Michigan State.  We're all about getting ready for the next game, and that's what the focus would be.

Q.  How much stock do you put into momentum from game to game?
COACH CREAN:  Not very much.  I think it's a matter of rhythm, and is your energy level high, things like that.  Ours was.  That wasn't what did it.  What did it was they were a little tougher on the glass.  At times they got‑‑ how many lay‑ups and dunks did they miss?  You have those numbers.  I don't have it.  You just counted ours?  That's good.  I don't think they missed that many.
I think to me they probably made more easy baskets.  That's what's got a lot to do with momentum in a game is who is getting the most easy baskets and they got more than we did tonight.  So that's usually how most games work.  So that's the biggest thing.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297