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INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEJanuary 22, 2020Devonte GreenAljami DurhamBloomington, Indiana Q. Devonte, you guys were able to pick off Michigan State last year twice. Different year, different team, I understand, but having done that against them last year, is there any carryover for you guys this season? DEVONTE GREEN: I mean, I wouldn't say it's carryover, but we take every game just like the last, like, we take every opponent just as serious no matter if the year changes or what happens because we know anybody can be beaten or can beat you at any night. Q. For either of you guys, Cassius Winston obviously is one of the best point guards in the country, what makes him such a challenging matchup on the defensive end? DEVONTE GREEN: He's real ball-dominant. He has the ball in his hands a lot and you're going to have to come off a lot of screens, guard him in the ball screen. And I mean, he's patient and he knows how to find his teammates. ALJAMI DURHAM: I would say he gets everybody involved, he leads the charge for them. I feel like he's, like, their motor, how they go, so just him being a key player for them, he's like the key, the head of the snake for them, I would say. Q. He had two really games against you guys last year and you won both of them. I know they have also changed personnel in terms of Ward, McQuaid, some other guys, but I mean is there almost an approach with this team of recognizing that it's about limiting the guys he's trying to get involved as much as it is about limiting a guy like him? ALJAMI DURHAM: I would say, yeah, it's a very, very, know your opponent, know personnel, game. I feel like if we can key in on the things that Cassius does and how he gets them involved and just eliminating some of the factors that they do, I feel like we'll have a good chance. Q. Coach Miller said on his radio show that it really, it was relief on the bench when Jerome Hunter hit his threes against Nebraska. Why was it kind of relief on bench? What did you guys feel when you saw those go down for him? ALJAMI DURHAM: Just seeing him knock it down, I feel like it was just, like, a sigh of relief for us. It was just, it was good to see him knock one down, good to see him get going, good to see him playing confident, and it was just like it gave us all a little boost, I would say, just seeing Jerome do good. DEVONTE GREEN: We know he's a good shooter, so to see it go in for him was a good feeling. Q. Took awhile for the backcourt to get healthy, but over the last month or so how have you guys kind of felt and evaluated sort of how the rotation has worked out between you four over the last month and a half? DEVONTE GREEN: Injuries, coming back from injuries definitely help our team and it just gives us depth at the guard spot. One guy might be in foul trouble or something and the next guy's ready to step up. Q. You guys have had success the last two games against Michigan State at home against ranked teams. I think you guys have beaten the last four straight ranked teams in Assembly Hall. ALJAMI DURHAM: Shhsh, shhsh, shhsh. Q. Sorry. I guess, how do you guys, I guess, what are you carrying over from your previous games against Michigan State and your previous big games into this one at Assembly Hall? ALJAMI DURHAM: We know that Michigan State is a good team, and we're going to have to come in ready and we're going to have to come in locked in just because we know there aren't any flaky opponents in the Big-10 so we're going to lock in and stay focused and try and get this win. DEVONTE GREEN: Just approaching it with the same mentality that we always do when we play in Assembly Hall and getting a lot of energy from our fans. Q. Following up on that, I know you guys had six home losses last year, this year you only have one so far, maybe what's gone into maybe the improved play so far at home and how important is that to kind of protect the home court and keep that going? ALJAMI DURHAM: Like you said, protecting home court, holding serve at home, we really have preached it this year and not letting people come in and beat us on home court. We spend a lot of time here, we put in a lot of work here, so it's just a sense of pride of holding your home, your home court down, I feel like. Q. For both you guys, how do you approach a big game and a big-time atmosphere like this now, kind of further along in your college career compared to how you did as a freshman? DEVONTE GREEN: You just realize how important each win is, no matter is who is the opponent. You can't take it too lightly or too hard, they all have to be, you have to be locked in on every single team that you play. ALJAMI DURHAM: Just to go along with what he said, you prepare for each game the same way, no opponent is less worthy than the next, so I feel like you approach each game like it's, I would say, like your last and you play as hard as you can. Q. You guys talked about how good Cassius Winston is. On the defense, as Archie Miller said, it's improved over the last month or so, but when a player like him utilizes the pick-and-roll so well, even if you aren't guarding him, how much does it affect if you're guarding someone on the wing or in the paint, how much does that pick-and-roll game affect just everything on the floor? DEVONTE GREEN: It's going to take five people to guard him and the ball screens that they run and everybody has to be locked in and doing their job in order for it to work. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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