VIDEO: Here’s What Miller Kopp Said After Indiana's Loss at Rutgers
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Indiana senior forward Miller Kopp had a big night, making five three-pointers, but the rest of his teammates struggled in a 63-48 loss at Rutgers to open the Big Ten season. Kopp finished the night with a season-high 21 points.
It was the first loss of the year for the Hoosiers (7-1), but it was the sixth-straight time that they've lost to Rutgers, which seems to own this series now.
Here's what Kopp said after the game:
QUESTION: They get 13 offensive rebounds the first 13 minutes. You guys don't normally give up stuff like that. What do you think happened there?
MILLER KOPP: ''We just got punched in the mouth to start the game. Our first-shot defense was good in the half court, but we've got to box out and they just crashed and got extra possessions. They did that really well."
Q: You got off to a good start shooting yourself. You were trying to keep things in the mix there. Were you looking to get more going too from everybody else? It just seemed like everybody was getting stuck. You guys weren't handling the double-team as well as you usually do.
KOPP: "They junk it up a lot. I think it's safe to say that was part of their plan and they did a good job of it. For me personally, I was just trying to shoot the ball when I was open and make the right play. As a team, we have to be better offensively and we are definitely going to get better at that. They did a good job of speeding us up a little bit."
Q: As somebody who is trying to read double teams and the way they are playing the post, could you see anything different in how they were reacting to what they were trying to do off of that double team?
KOPP: "Well, you know a lot of it wasn't even double teams it was more than that. It was like all five guys were almost sinking the paint. Sometimes it came from the cutter, sometimes it came from the feeder, sometimes it came from O side, sometimes back side. So, they switched it up a lot in terms of just reading it ,we just need to make sure our spacing is good."
Q: You guys played really well up until today. What do you take from the loss to be able to fix as quickly as you can by Wednesday?
KOPP: "More than anything, I think it's just mental. I think it's a mentality thing. For everybody. No one wants to lose, but maybe it's what we needed. Earlier in the season to have something like this to keep everybody fired up and to let everybody know, myself included, that anybody can beat anybody. So the lesson is probably that and there is more come from watching the film too."
Q: How much do you guys miss Jalen Hood-Schifino with his ability to make plays when things break down?
KOPP: "A lot, he is such a great player and he brings an extra element, as you mentioned, of ball handling and stability. But at the same time, we trust everybody with the ball and I thought Trey did a good job tonight with that. So, we really miss him and want him back, but I do — and everyone on the team agrees — we do trust everybody."
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- GAME STORY, RUTGERS TOPS INDIANA: Indiana struggled to shoot the ball and got whipped on the boards in a 63-48 loss to Rutgers on Saturday in their Big Ten opener. It was the Hoosiers' first loss of the season. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: The Big Ten season is upon us already, with Indiana opening the conference season on the road at Rutgers. Welcome to our live blog straight from press row at center court. CLICK HERE
