INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 10, 2024

Malik Reneau

Bryson Tucker

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana 90, Eastern Illinois 55

Q. Malik, let's get the tough stuff out of the way early. Can you try to explain what that first half was all with?

MALIK RENEAU: We just came out a little flatfooted. I think we thought the team was a little, not sorrier than we thought, but like way less talented than we thought and they came out and performed. They shot about 70% from the field in that first half.

And then I felt like in the second half we just stepped that game up; everybody did. Just was up to touch on guards, pressuring the ball, stuff like that. So we just changed our mindset going into the second half.

But we got to have that for all 40 minutes, and I think that's why they had a great half in the first half.

Q. Malik, on that second half stretch, you went from being down five to being up 20 in an eye blink. How much of that was of the ball movement, finding the open guy and quickly making those passes?

MALIK RENEAU: Yeah, I felt like we started to play together, play as a unit. We emphasized that going into halftime, but it really happened on the defensive end. We start pressing, up to touch on everybody, and they didn't get a glimpse at the rim. Everybody was up pressuring the ball, and I think that changed the game for us.

And then just opened up free runs down the middle, over-the-top passes, advance passes for threes and stuff like that. I think our defense just took another notch in the second half to open up everything on the offensive end.

Q. Malik, thoughts Trey Galloway? I think eight assists in 18 minutes tonight; nine I think in 17 minutes first game.

MALIK RENEAU: Yeah.

Q. What does he do as a facilitator?

MIKE WOODSON: Yeah, he opens the floor for everybody. The way he controls the ball and is able to get it to the right gay tee right moment, it just opens up the whole floor for us. It just gives Ballo and us opportunities to post high, I mean, down low, and then the shooters get open and threes and knock them down.

He just knows how to read the defense and get it to where the ball needs to go.

Q. Bryson, you seemed really comfortable offensively coming into all these first couple games. What's been your mindset coming in off the bench? Obviously a different role than you're used to. How do you feel like you adjusted so far to the college game?

BRYSON TUCKER: I mean, I would say just making the most out of my minutes. Like I come in, I know what I'm in there for, to score, play defense. So I just make the most of that and just stay focused. That's really all there is to that.

Q. On that note, feels like -- I'm not sure what the number is, but feels like you're highly efficient working around like 12 feet out. What about that range I guess is so natural for you?

BRYSON TUCKER: I mean, I would say just working on it. Simply like that. I mean, if you can't get to the rim if they close it up, just stopping popping right is just right there every time. Most times if you just stop you're usually going to be open, because they are used to people just driving all the way.

So if you stop they're still running while you're in the air. We work on that a lot and I just stay focused and try to hit them each time I shoot them.

Q. Bryson, Malik talked about the way the team changed its mentality going into the second half. What lit that fire? Was it a wake-up call to have a first half like you guys did?

BRYSON TUCKER: I think most definitely. Nobody expected that team to come out and be up on us at halftime. When we went back to the locker room everybody was really locked in like this should never happen.

Any team we play you don't want to go down at halftime, so we just came out with a whole different level of intensity and we really locked in it.

Q. Malik, when Coach was in here we talked about how important it is for you guys to get out and run off misses and turnovers. What do you feel like that has done for your team when you get out like that?

MALIK RENEAU: Yeah, when I'm able to run the floor and seal down low and be presence in that standpoint, it just opens up a lot because I'm able to finish at the rim, get over-the-top passes, stuff like that. It just opens up a lot of stuff for us, whether it's just is rip drives, catches, shoots, skip passes, stuff like that.

Being able to just run the floor, it really opens up a lot for us, especially when me and Ballo are consistent at doing the rim runs and stuff like that.

Q. Bryson, you're a freshman now. Who do you see take the charge from a player perspective at halftime and coming out in the second half to try and change the momentum and intensity level?

BRYSON TUCKER: I would say most of our older dudes. Like Goode, obviously won where he's been at. He knows where we're trying to get to. He's been win the main talkers. Trey, Myles, too, just being the point guard.

Also those are the top three, collectively we all really talk to each other and get each other on the same page most of the time.

Q. Malik, what were your early impressions of Bryson this summer when he joined the team, and how soon did it become apparent that he was going to become a contributor?

MALIK RENEAU: As you can see, Bryson is super talented, able to shoot, shoots at a high clip, dribble pull-ups, catch and shoot. He is able to do a little bit of everything. Rip drives, attack close outs. He's athletic. Getting lobs and stuff like that.

So he has the whole game and it's very easy to work around tuck and other guys that are capable of doing a lot of things on the court. It just opens up everything because he doesn't have to limit himself to doing one thing. He is able to rip, drive, shoot, able to pull up.

So it's a lot of stuff that tuck has in his bag that just opens up a lot for us on the court.

Q. Malik, Mackenzie seems like he's gone to a different level not just scoring, but the rebounding, the defense, just being more engaged. I noticed couple times he's talking in the huddle. How much have you seen him grow from last season to this year?

MALIK RENEAU: Yeah, I mean, Mack has taken a huge jump working on his game. He's a tremendous shooter. He's starting to dial in on the little things with the rebounding and the -- just getting in position on the defensive side and being able to play defense at a high clip, too.

So he's starting to understand the game a lot and is able to put himself in position to be able to offensive rebound, defensive rebound, or be spaced out for the catch and shoot three, what he always does.

It's just I think he's understanding the game way more than he was last year. It's just helping us out a lot from that standpoint.