What Archie Miller Said on His Radio Show 12/14/20

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Archie Miller joined Don Fischer Monday night for his weekly radio show called "Inside IU Basketball with Archie Miller."

Miller recapped Indiana's loss to Florida State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and previewed the upcoming matchup with Butler in the Crossroads Classic.

Below are some of the key highlights on Miller's conversation with Fischer:

On the game against Florida State:

"We played the year before, so I think everybody sort of knew how difficult they make things, but we were up to the task."

Miller said he thought offensively, Indiana played a little more controlled than most teams are able to against the Seminoles.

"Our defense, in particular in the game, continues to be a strong thing for us."

Miller blames the 50/50 balls on why Indiana couldn't pull out the victory.

"It came down to us just not being able to get the ball."

"It was a heck of a game. I wish in overtime, we were able to find a way to hit a big one that was open or get Trayce another way to drive, but we had our chances."

He thinks Indiana got better as a result of that game.

On the team's defense:

"We continue to hang our hat on that side of the ball. We're much more versatile than we've ever been here."

He believes that against North Alabama, the team really played better in terms of their positioning and their schemes.

"Our defense is triggering a lot of our offense. It's a big deal. We're still a long way away to where we can be."

Miller thinks the depth and young players can really help the defense, but he wants the Hoosiers to get back in transition better and not give up any "silly" baskets.

He points to Rob Phinisee and Armaan Franklin as the two most dependable guys on the perimeter right now. He also believes Jackson-Davis' shot-blocking, and Race Thompson's team defense has been really good.

"We're keeping the ball in front a lot more than we've ever had, and we have to continue that because that's going to be a strong point."

On Butler:

"End of the day, you have a tremendous amount of respect for this program. To me, the heart and soul of their team is their point guard Aaron Thompson."

Miller said they have a lot of new guys, but their returning players are all really good.

Butler has only played one game so far, so Miller said he believes the game is a "go" for Saturday.

"If you walk into that game on Saturday and you don't understand what's going on, you're gonna get punched in the mouth."

This is Indiana's final nonconference game, so if the game is played on Saturday, Miller said it's going to be a really good accomplishment.

"We gotta be ready on Saturday, it's an early tip, and I know Butler is going to be ready."

***

Al Durham was the player guest on the show.

Here are some highlights on what Durham had to say:

On what he was trying to improve on over the summer:

"Oh, you know, just mindset and staying consistent with everything... Preparing for the season mentally was something I was trying to improve on."

On the four freshmen:

Durham said he knew a little bit about the four freshmen before they came to Indiana, but he didn't know them personally.

He said when they got there, the whole team clicked and gelled.

"We're one big family, honestly."

On if the schedule has prepared the team for Big Ten play:

"Oh yeah, most definitely."

Durham thinks Indiana is playing some of the top teams in the country that will all likely be in the NCAA Tournament.

"We have so much to improve, but we can hang with the best. We're getting better and better each day."

You can listen to the full radio show below:

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