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INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEFebruary 27, 2018Robert JohnsonJuwan MorganBloomington, Indiana Q. Not asking for controversial quotes for anything, but New York City, after D.C. last year, obviously Rob, you're an East Coast guy, but is it weird to think about the Big Ten Tournament being played at Madison Square Garden, much less a week early? ROBERT JOHNSON: Not really. Really looking forward to it more than anything, to be able to play at Madison Square Garden for our tournament. I think that will be exciting. THE MODERATOR: We've had three guys that have played at MSG: Rob, Collin and Priller from the team who have played there twice four years ago, and we went last year, as well. Q. Coach was in here saying that coming back from a couple days off yesterday, you guys maybe had an extra pep in your step yesterday in practice. Did you feel that? Did you feel maybe the benefits of having a couple days off after the grind of the last six weeks or so? JUWAN MORGAN: Definitely. Everybody just had a lot of energy. Everybody is really getting after it on both sides of the ball and everything we did, and I think it really showed and it was infectious throughout the whole team. Q. What's the mood right now amongst everybody, knowing that you probably have to win this thing to get to the NCAA Tournament, but still having a shot at postseason play somehow. ROBERT JOHNSON: I think we just want to take everything one day, one step at a time. At the end of the day, we want to continue to play for as long as we can at the highest level that we possibly can. So I think it all comes down to making the most out of everything we do day by day. JUWAN MORGAN: Just going off that, of just taking it one day at a time, it starts with Thursday. We just have to focus in on that day and go forward from there and just like Rob said, obviously we want to keep playing as long as possible and we just have to get it done. Q. We've asked you in different ways all season, but as you kind of come to the business end of the season here, how different or how much more do you feel like you guys can absorb what Coach Miller is teaching, what he's preaching and just execute what he wants on a day-to-day basis, not just in game but practice? JUWAN MORGAN: I think it's really come about as far as what he wants for us on defense and offense. And I think just absorbing all that stuff, it's easy for us to echo that out to the rest of the team. Because at first it was just Coach telling us what we needed to do and us trying to figure out how to do it in different ways, but now just all of us absorbing what he's been teaching. It's easy for us to be more of a player-led team as far as just getting into plays and things like that without him having to say anything. Q. Just the fact that you guys have just had within the last month, you've played both Rutgers and Minnesota. Does that help you in your preparation, having played them so recently? ROBERT JOHNSON: Yeah, I think so. Just for a simple fact that we're still familiar with them. You know, we don't have to dig back that far into our memory to remember some of the things that we did against them that work well and some of the things that didn't go as well as. So I think it's definitely I good thing. Q. After the game the other night, you said there was a time earlier in the season with Justin where you were calling a practice dunker. Do you remember the point, maybe was there a point, when you started to see that some of that finishing ability, some of that explosiveness was able to translate from the practice to the games? Was there any particular point when maybe you noticed that it started to click for him? JUWAN MORGAN: I can't remember the exact game, but there was one play where he just went up, and although he didn't dunk it, he still finished through contact. And it was just then that he figured out that once he's up there, he's either dunking it or finishing through contact, it was pretty much easy for him. I think that you saw that in the last couple games; that he was really getting on the offensive glass, just jumping over guys, putting the ball in the basket easily, and I think that was a testament of translating from practice to the games. Q. Just to follow up with that, how difficult of an adjustment is that for a first-year player to make coming in maybe being one of the more physically imposing athletes in high school, final year of high school, and having to adjust to the physicality and athleticism that you face night-in and night-out in Big Ten play? JUWAN MORGAN: It's a huge difference. I think everybody has to go through it, and I think he adjusted really well to it. And then that's just going at him every day in practice, not letting him take any plays off and or going soft in practice, and as that started to instill in his mind, it just became muscle memory for him in the games. Q. Rob, you were named I think All Big Ten Honorable Mention and Juwan, Second Team All Big Ten. What do those awards mean for you guys? ROBERT JOHNSON: For me, it's an honor to be mentioned and on one of those teams with being in the conference with so many great players. I take it as an honor. JUWAN MORGAN: Same. I think it's a great honor to be recognized, and then just with all the great players on all the teams throughout the Big Ten, it's definitely a good feeling. Q. Can you just talk about the two times you've played in MSG and your memories, what do you take away from the atmosphere and what do you take away from playing in that building and what you have to look forward to? ROBERT JOHNSON: It was definitely a fun atmosphere. I felt like we had a lot of IU fans in the building. The Louisville game was definitely fun. The Georgetown one went down to the wire. I remember I was going back and forth. So I just feel like, you know, playing there and in the mecca of basketball always fun as far as the atmosphere, just everything surrounding the excitement of playing in New York. Q. As a three-point shooter, what do you remember about the shooting background, because sometimes in those big arenas, that becomes a thing. ROBERT JOHNSON: Yeah, I don't remember it really being a problem. I think I like when we play in those NBA arenas, for some reason, a little bit better. So I don't think it should be a big factor. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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