Here's What Indiana Players Said After Indiana's Game Against Maryland
CHICAGO — Indiana beat Maryland in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, winning 70-60 to advance to the semifinals.
The Hoosiers are 22-10 on the season now and will play Penn State on Saturday afternoon at the United Center in Chicago.
After the win over Maryland, Indiana players Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau all met with the media. Here is the transcript of their press conference.
QUESTION: What was different particularly at the defensive end for you guys those last maybe 12, 15 minutes of the game?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think that we really just got into them, started at half-court. We pressured on the ball. Guards did a really good job setting stuff up. We were trying to get them away from the baseline. Going toward the baseline, we wanted everything middle, sending everything back middle, and I thought we did a really good job on that.Honestly, we were just staying in front of guys. Especially Jahmir Young. He got his for the most part, but I thought we did a really good job on him. Same with Donta Scott. His back-downs and post-ups, we were challenging shots and doing an excellent job of hitting as well.
Q: Malik, your thoughts. Your game tonight, you were really productive. Why do you think you were so effective tonight?
MALIK RENEAU: Just being able to come off the bench and be a spark plug for my team. Knowing when I'm in there, just being able to help out on the defensive side. And on the offensive side, just relieving the stress off the guys, especially Trayce and Race, and just going in there and rebounding too.
Q: Malik, obviously earlier in the season you were a little more prone to fouling defensively. Tonight with Race in foul trouble, you were really able to play effective defense without fouling. How have you been able to improve at defending without fouling?
RENEAU: Just trusting Coach, being able to trust me on the court too, and my teammates giving me that confidence to play how I want to play. Just being tough and not letting the other team score.
Q: Trayce, how much of your performance on both sides tonight was just the comfort you have in this environment that is the Big Ten Tournament and that you've done it so many times?
JACKSON-DAVIS: Honestly, I felt in the first half I didn't play well, playing up to my standard that I should have been. I thought I was sluggish to start, and I think that had to do with the travel and just not playing for four days because you've got the Big Ten schedule, we're playing every three days and always on the go. Having that time off, I felt like we had to get our legs under us. After we did in the second half, I thought we played really well. We were making good plays, hitting shots, and doing stuff of that nature.
Q: Trayce, you guys have been behind in the second half in a lot of games this year and come back and gotten victories, something that certainly didn't happen that much during your first three years. You're getting a lot of good plays from everybody too. Obviously these guys aren't freshmen anymore, but to get back through second halves like you guys have lately, how good does that feel just to be the type of team that closes out games?
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, you're right. We did have a problem with that in the past, but just what we've been doing now, what we've been doing lately and the fight from this team, everyone's on the same page, everyone's engaging. We came here for one reason, that's to win a championship, and I think everybody understands that. We're going to play as hard as we can to get that done.
Q: Malik, you've played with Jalen the longest of anybody on the roster. When did you first see him kind of develop the poise that he has in big-time moments?
RENEAU: From day one, when we first got to Montverde, me and him were teammates, and we developed just practicing against all the big-time players we had on the Montverde team. So we just developed the habit of becoming a winner and to always leave it out on the court every time we play.
Q: Jalen, Tom spoke to it a little bit with his question, but can you speak to the poise offensively that you guys had to have as well to get back into the game after some on again/off again first half, to get back into it in the second half?
HOOD-SCHIFINO: We knew it was going to be a tough game. Obviously it's the Big Ten Tournament, and it's going to be close games, games of runs. For us, we just had to stay poised offensively and defensively. I feel like we played a good game tonight. We were able to get the ball inside to Trayce and Malik. They were able to work. Guys hit big shots, and I was able to get to my spot. Overall, we played a solid game.
Q: For any of you guys, talk about the boost that Miller provided with that three-pointer from the baseline in the early stages of the second half, to not only get you guys going, but the fans going on a Friday night.
JACKSON-DAVIS: Absolutely. Miller is huge for our team. Not only does he hit big shots, but at the same time he's also playing as hard as he can on the defensive end of the floor, and I think that's something he doesn't get enough credit for.Honestly, I'm always wanting him to shoot. Our team is always wanting him to shoot. Coach Woodson yells at him every day he needs to shoot the ball more, so he's trying to get them up.
Q: Malik, what is it like to guard Trayce in practice?
RENEAU: It's tough. Just knowing that he's an All-American. He got a variety of moves, and he just goes hard every time he plays.
Q: Trayce, you guys get a chance to play Penn State. Obviously you're going to remember that game after they shot 18 threes. What do you got to do different? What do you need to do different tomorrow so that doesn't happen again?
JACKSON-DAVIS: We've just got to listen to Coach Woodson and our defensive philosophy. We know what we need to do in order to be in the game. We've just got to be able to guard the three-point line and stay in front of them on drives.
Q: Trayce, when Malik's playing like that in the paint, how much pressure does that take off you when he's getting the offensive rebounds, put-backs, things like that?
JACKSON-DAVIS: Absolutely. I think me and Malik complement each other very well. When he's playing his game, I'm just watching him, like he's a freshman but he's doing his thing out there.Props to him because sometimes it's hard coming off the bench, especially you're cold, but he comes off, and like you said, he gives us a spark. We needed it a lot tonight.
Q: For Jalen, can you just take us through that three-pointer you hit right at the end there and just how that play developed in your mind and what was going through your mind as that play developed.
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Race got the rebound, and when he passed it to me, I looked at the clock, and it was obviously ticking down. So I knew I had to get a shot up. Just instinct, and I hit a little step back and hit the three, so it was good.
Q: Trayce, having been here for so long, having done this, played so many games at so many different places, what does that mean for the fan base to travel as well as it does? Because they were well represented in the stands tonight.
JACKSON-DAVIS: I believe we have the best fans in the country, and it just shows. It felt like a home game out there, and it got super loud.We love playing for them. We love our Hoosier nation, and we've just got to keep grinding and keep doing our thing and taking it one game at a time.
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- GAME STORY: Indiana came roaring back in the second half once again, overwhelming Maryland on Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals and winning 70-60 at the United Center in Chicago. Trayce Jackson-Davis led the way with 24 points, but got plenty of help from freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau as well. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana erased a seven-point second-half deficit and beat Maryland in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday. Here's the full video of the postgame press conference with Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson, plus the transcript. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana defeated Maryland 70-60 behind 24 points from Trayce Jackson-Davis to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Check out the best pictures from the Hoosiers' victory at the United Center. CLICK HERE
- WATCH TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS' BLOCK: Trayce Jackson-Davis rejected Donta Scott's layup attempt, which led to a strong finish from Jalen Hood-Schifino on the other end. CLICK HERE
- WATCH TRAYCE TO KOPP: Indiana star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis hung in the air to make a slick pass to Miller Kopp for an easy layup in transition. CLICK HERE
- HOW TO WATCH SATURDAY: The Indiana Hoosiers advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, where they'll play Penn State on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, the latest on the point spread, the coaching matchup, series history, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
