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PURDUE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEJanuary 25, 2018Vincent EdwardsCarsen EdwardsIsaac HaasWest Lafayette, Indiana Purdue - 92, Michigan - 88 Q. Isaac, when we talked to you yesterday, whenever it was, you were kind of waiting for another shot to kind of make an impact on the offensive end. What worked for you tonight? ISAAC HAAS: They left me one-on-one. I knew that going into the game that Michigan wasn't going to try to double that much because we had two good shooters. I figured they would take their chances one-on-one in the paint. And I capitalized on it a lot today. Could have done a little bit better in my opinion. But it worked out for us in the end. So that's what you've got to be happy about. Q. Vince, what was that second half like? VINCENT EDWARDS: I mean this is why you come to a Big Ten school. The environment, the atmosphere and just being able to be on this stage is huge. That second half was a dream to play basketball in. We all soaked it in. It was a really good game, it was a fun game to play. Q. I guess just building on that, you guys kind of thrive in this type of competitive environment when it's such a back and forth game. There were 24 lead changes. Obviously you want to keep the lead but as a competitor is this something that you thrive in? VINCENT EDWARDS: Of course you want to keep the lead but basketball is a game of runs, so you just never know what's going to happen. You've got to be able to withstand those runs and just be able to fight back. We were able to get some key stops. Carsen came up big in the clutch and got some key steals for us, huge for us. And those are the type of plays we needed to win. Q. Carsen, I want to ask the same thing I asked Vince before, what was the second half like when no one's stopping anybody and it's just up and down and matching each other? CARSEN EDWARDS: Going in, you know you're looking for stops but just being able to execute on the offensive end even though we weren't able to get some stops, it was able to help us until we were able to get some stops. The second half, they're very skilled on offense. We knew that was going to be tough to get some stops, but just being able to execute on the offensive end even though we weren't getting stops helped us a lot. Q. Isaac, over the last two years there have been few teams that have been able to keep up with you guys in the Big Ten, but Michigan beat you twice last year. What does it mean to get a little redemption, revenge over them this year? ISAAC HAAS: Feels good. Obviously last year it was tough because I felt like we could have won both games, both games were close. This year we were able to pull it out. Two close games as well, and you gotta give all credit to Michigan as well. That team is really skilled and they can shoot the ball really well. Q. Vince or Isaac, next up for you is IU, huge rivalry game for you. What does this game do for you for momentum going into there and how great is it to play in a rivalry like that? ISAAC HAAS: I think it's a big deal. I've kind of thrived on the whole Purdue/IU thing since coming here from Alabama. It's a little different for me because I was always an Alabama/Auburn kind of thing. But I'm starting to develop that kind of drive to beat IU just as much as everybody else. It's just another game in our opinion. We gotta prepare the same way we did for Michigan. Gotta prepare the same way we did for Louisville, Marquette, all those other teams we beat. And we just can't have any more let-ups because we have a huge target on our backs. And I believe we're a really good team. I believe we're the best team in the nation. And I just want to show everybody. Q. Vince, I recall correctly your freshman year, your first game against Michigan you had a really good game. You said it meant a lot to you because you wanted to play well against Michigan in particular. This might be your last go-around with them. Did this one mean a little more for you? VINCENT EDWARDS: You never know. When Big Ten Tournament time comes around I'll let you know. Until them you never know, but Coach will be able to answer that for you. Q. Carsen, your first half it seemed like you were creating for other people early on, and then you were able to take advantage of scoring late. How did that first half, just from your perspective, how that unfolded? Was it something that opened up by the way you were playing early on? CARSEN EDWARDS: I'm not really sure. I was just kind of playing the game and taking what the defense gives me. I was able to get the ball to my teammates, make some plays. They were able to hit some shots late in the first half. Just playing the game and just kind of taking what the defense gives me. Q. Vince, kind of along those same lines, we've been talking all year about pick your poison sort of thing. When Isaac was one-on-one, just for you guys, is that -- that's the obvious choice, right? VINCENT EDWARDS: Like we said, it just opens everything up for us. And having shooters, everybody on this team can shoot the ball and handle the ball, have some type of skill set. Everyone's a little different from the other. But Isaac is getting the ball down low and he's going with his back to the basket, being strong with the ball. It's a tough guard. He just has to stay big for us. And then we've just got to continue to keep sharing the ball. Q. Vincent or Isaac, going back to IU, they're playing a little bit different than what you've been going up against, a little bit smaller now because of injuries. How is that going to cause you guys to adjust your game plan for them? ISAAC HAAS: We haven't really scouted out IU yet. I'm sure the coaches will get on that. We'll go over that stuff tomorrow. And I know it's going to be a tough game, obviously, because they're small, they can shoot the ball and they can run the court very well. It's going to be a matter of staying disciplined on offense and defense. Q. Juwan Morgan specifically, a different type of player, smaller but has been very successful so far this year. Have you seen anything on him at all? ISAAC HAAS: Not yet. But we will tomorrow. Q. Isaac, a little emotional for you, it seemed like you were dunking hard and kind of maybe standing around a little bit. Did this kind of feel like a big one for you personally? ISAAC HAAS: I guess. I mean, I just really was wanting to win this game. I knew this was a chance to prove to everybody on ESPN and the whole world that we're a good team and that we can pull it out pretty much anywhere at home, on the road, anywhere. And Michigan is a really good team to go against. Obviously as skilled as they are, as I said multiple times, you had to prove yourself and get that win and that's what we did. Q. Carsen, how does winning a game like this, a tight game where one or two possessions might make a difference, how does that help you guys the next time you're in a situation like this? CARSEN EDWARDS: You basically said it. Just being able to be in those type of environments and those type of games it just helps you with the experience. So just take this game, we learn from our mistakes, and now we played in a tight game like that. So if it comes again we just play the same. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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