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INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 30, 2018Evan FitznerZach McRobertsBloomington, Indiana Q. Zach, how did it feel to get back out there after missing a couple games with the injury? ZACH McROBERTS: It was good. Had a couple days of practice to get ready and just being back out on the court, being able to help out there, felt good to be back out. Q. Coach just talked about being a really good practice yesterday. Did you guys feel that way? Was there a focus going on because of the loss maybe? ZACH McROBERTS: Yeah, I think it was a really good practice. I think we were really competing, really ready to go right from the start. So I think guys did a good job responding and working towards tomorrow. EVAN FITZNER: Yeah, I also thought it was really good. There are definitely some takeaways from the game the other day that we focused on, and like Zach said, we were all ready to compete. So it's good moving forward. Q. What were the two or three main takeaways you were working on the most? EVAN FITZNER: I think taking care of the ball was probably the biggest one that we focused on and just running good offense. You know, I think we made a couple adjustments yesterday that will help us moving forward. Q. To hone in a little bit more on that, as far as taking care of the ball, what were some things you saw on film that bothered you in terms of the turnovers, what led to them and things that you were doing? ZACH McROBERTS: It's always just frustrating seeing things like that on film, seeing things you could have done better and seeing things you could improve, and I think guys will only learn from that watching themselves and then carry that into practice and then let it carry over into games. Q. It seemed like Duke and Arkansas were able to speed you up with their pressure. How do you avoid that moving forward and playing at your own pace? EVAN FITZNER: I think just running good offense. We've made a couple adjustments, like I said, in practice yesterday and I'm sure we'll work on it more today, but yeah, we definitely have to take care of the ball. We've got a young group who, you know, are kind of learning as they go. So it's definitely not about where we're at now as long as we learn and we're able to adjust, I think we'll be good. Q. Obviously the last game was a disappointment on a big stage, but Big Ten ball starts now. Have you talked about what that means moving forward? ZACH McROBERTS: Yeah, that's definitely been a focus, something we talked about, because we can't lose that game twice. We want to move on and be ready for Saturday because it matters as much now as it does in March, this game. It's definitely, definitely important to be ready for it. Q. Evan, you've had some really good games and games where you haven't hit a field goal. Is there anything you found out in the last week that helped you get back on offensively? EVAN FITZNER: Not necessarily. I prepare the same way every week, but yeah, I felt good out there. I think it helps with confidence a little bit. But I'm not really too concerned about how many points I put up. It's more about what the team does and whether or not we win the game in the end. I think that's the biggest thing for me, yeah. Q. There have been a few plays this season where Juwan has found you out of the post spotting up for three. How has that on-court relationship grown and how is it for you playing off a post player like that? EVAN FITZNER: Yeah, he's an unbelievable passer, not just for me but for the team in general. It's great to play with someone like that who if you're open, they are going to get you the ball. And it's tough for teams to guard when you have a post guy like that in the middle who can score and also space the floor with his passing. It's been great playing with him so far. Q. In the two road losses, the opposition was able to speed you up a little bit to the point where it got a little bit frazzled at times. You weren't able to help at Arkansas at all and then Tuesday it was your first day back after not playing for three weeks. Do you think that's an important role for you is maybe kind of a glue guy to keep things from getting frazzled out there? COACH ARCHIE MILLER: Yeah, just doing what I can, either talking to guys or being calm out there on the court. Helping guys slow down and just letting the game come to them I think is an important aspect to know. Q. For either of you, with the way the injuries started to pile up last week going into the Duke game, how important is it now for this team to have its depth back? ZACH McROBERTS: I think it's very important, not only from a game aspect but it's also helping a lot in practice. It's one thing, you've got to see in a game, not having a lot of depth, but also hurts us in practice not being able to go against guys, is hard, because we don't have a lot of subs in practice. It's definitely helped us and I think we'll only be more prepared because of it. Q. To go off that, how has that affected chemistry on the court during games when you don't have a full roster to practice with during the week and leading up to games? EVAN FITZNER: Yeah, I think we had gotten into a pretty good groove with all the guys on the team, and then to lose a couple of them, I think that is how it hurt us a little bit. Like Zach said just in practice, it kind of makes a difference on how hard we can go because you know, you've got a couple guys out. Some guys might get more tired because they don't have subs during practice, so it really does affect practice a lot, and as far as chemistry, getting these guys back, like Zach is an older guy, veteran, knows what he's doing. I think that it really helps when you get those guys back. Q. We know what you can do shooting the three-point ball and shooting from the field in general, but how have you evaluated your play in the post and defense, basically anything other than your shooting ability? EVAN FITZNER: Yeah, I feel like I've done a pretty good job. One of my main focuses has just been rebounding, doing everything I can to become a better rebounder. That's kind of part of my game that's lacked in the past but I feel like I've done a pretty good job of it this season and continue to improve it, definitely. Offensively, though, I think I'd like to do a better job maybe facilitating finding open guys, but yeah, my shots feel good. I'll continue to shoot it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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