Transcript: Fran McCaffery Previews Cy-Hawk Game
Q. How has Iowa State turned it around?
Fran McCaffery: Well, the first thing is they have a new team. And it's not easy to do, by any means to get a new group to play with the cohesion that they that they're playing with. So it's a credit, you know, to their coaching staff and the players, for that matter, all of them combined.
I mean, they got a veteran group, they're new. But, you know, they've got some really good players. They really bought into the defensive concepts, and they're playing really well together at both ends. But you know, if you know these guys, you look at the roster, they got good players.
The question is always can you get them to play together the way they are? And and clearly they're doing that.
Q. (Jordan Bohannon) is really having a tough time even finding shots right now. What kind of things can you do to get him open and get some openings for him?
FM: You know, he's always going to have the green light. We've got to do a better job of freeing him up, finding opportunities for him to get shots. I don't want to put it on him. I think we got to put it on us to get him shots and and find him openings.
Q. You talked about Iowa State's defense, is that is that connection that you see, is that the main key for them right now is how connected they are defensively?
FM: Yeah because it manifests itself at the other end as well. I think the one leads to the other. They're creating some offense with their defense. They're creating a chemistry that is reflected at the offensive end that is a result of what they're doing defensively. And they're competing. Character.
Q. This is kind of the first time, at least this year, where there has been some kind of adversity, a two-games skid. Kind of how would you evaluate the energy of the team? And what's it going to take to kind of not let one loss turn into two to turn into three and so forth?
FM: We're playing hard. I mean, I'm pleased with how we're competing. We have to execute a little bit better against teams like we've played the last two games. We did it against Virginia. We didn't do it the last two games. We're playing another ranked team, that's undefeated, on the road. It's another great opportunity. I think that's how we view it.
Q. How did Keegan feel yesterday? And how good was it for him to finish down the stretch the way he did on Monday night?
FM: I think he he felt pretty good. It was important for him to really get going the way he did. He was trying in the first half, but he had a couple roll out on him, shots he normally makes, not uncommon when you when you miss a game and you hadn't practiced. So the fact that he got it going so quickly in the second half was critical to our comeback. But also I think most importantly for him and for his confidence.
Q. Aaron Ulus flashed at times last year, but he's really probably playing the best basketball of his career, making good decisions. How would you kind of evaluate how he sort of progressed over the course of the season and specifically last couple of games?
FM: You're right. I mean, he has, but I think with him, you know, he's, he's always been a guy that plays under control. And the beautiful part of that is, he's a really good athlete. So he's got speed and quickness and he can create. He can create havoc on the other side with his ability to drive the ball and make plays and be creative. But he's got a keen sense of when to go, when not to go, when to move it or when to drive it, when to shoot it. He's a thinker. He's not a mistake maker. So I've been really impressed with him and his development. And the thing about it is I think he'll keep getting better.
Q. You're leading the nation in fewest turnovers per game. You play up-tempo. How have you done it?
FM: I think it comes down to the players. I mean, we have smart kids. We have guys that understand how to play. We have guys that understand how to win, what it takes. We have an appreciation for each other. So, we share, we move it. A lot of times turnovers are the result of some selfishness. Guys just driving because they want to shoot now. We don't do that. We make good decisions. We respect each other.
We also have a lot of innately good ball handlers. We're also playing a little bit smaller than we have. I think our our front-court, guys, you know, Phillip, and the Murray twins, and Patrick, all those guys that play in the front-court, whether it's Connor or Payton Sandfort, that play in the four positions at times. They're all good ball handlers. Josh has been solid as well.
I would I would say this to, I think it's an expectation that this is how you're supposed to play. And it's always appreciated when when they play that way.
