INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE
January 26, 2025
Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Postgame Media Conference
Maryland - 79, Indiana - 78
Q. Myles, this is the fourth time in the last five games you guys have given up double digit 3s. What are you seeing going wrong on that end of the floor?
MYLES RICE: I think during the little run they got two or three 3s in transition. I think it's just important for us to get back and get matched up no matter what the matchup is. Just find a man and be able to take that away.
They hit some tough shots tonight. Some of them were wide open looks as well. That's just how the game goes sometimes.
Q. Can you explain the last possession there? What the goal was in the huddle and how it played out?
MYLES RICE: I think we were trying to run a play, but then the substitutions kind of got everybody confused a little bit, trying to put everybody in their right spots. Then we didn't have a timeout, so we were trying to fix everything on the fly a little bit in such a heated moment.
We've got to be better as players. No matter who's in the group and who's on the court, that we can get the play off no matter what. We've just got to be better.
Q. Anthony, you guys are 2-6 now in quad 1 games, a lot of ground to make up. Can you sort of give the fans an idea of what you guys are thinking, mentality in the locker room, and how you go about trying to fight up this hill?
ANTHONY LEAL: Sure. We're sitting at 5-5 in the Big Ten. We've got ten games left. Our next four are against really, really good teams that, if we're able to string some wins together, it changes the whole trajectory of our season.
We get Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, those are golden opportunities for us to get over the hump a little bit, figure it out, and just continue learning how to win.
If we're able to string some of those wins together, it changes everything. We still have ten games to go, and we want to try to win all ten of them.
Q. For both of you guys, you were down 63-53, and it was like flip the switch. Suddenly you went on a big run, 20-7, and then you had them down by five. What kind of reaction did you have emotionally during that run, and what was the response -- how did you process the response of the crowd?
ANTHONY LEAL: It's always exciting. It's what makes this place so special is just being able to go on runs like that. This place and these fans reward tough plays and hard plays, and they notice when we're out there playing as hard as we can. They reward us with energy, and it becomes contagious. That's what makes this game so special.
But it's a game of runs, and we were able to go on a run there. We've just got to find a way to finish.
Q. You guys responded after the Illinois loss. I guess before the next game what kind of goes into you guys' preparation in terms of getting another response?
MYLES RICE: We just take it day by day. I think each and every day that we come into work, I think we have a positive mindset, we want to get better. Paying attention to the scouts and everything.
I think we did all that today. We just didn't get the win we wanted. It doesn't change what we have to do. We still show up each and every day working and trying to get better.
Q. What do you think has prevented you guys from finding that level of consistency that's been lacking over the last couple weeks? Have you tried anything different as leaders on the team to shake things up? How do you guys kind of approach that?
ANTHONY LEAL: Can I ask you to specify consistency in what?
Q. (No microphone). You go back and forth where you look so good and then fall behind.
ANTHONY LEAL: Like I said, it is a game of runs. We know that we're going to go on runs and they're going to go on runs. It's about who can handle those punches and keep fighting better than the other team.
Unfortunately today, they responded in a way that they made a big shot at the end and whatnot. For us, it's just staying composed and not letting the highs get too high or the lows get too low and understanding that, okay, maybe they did go on a run, but now we can go on a run. Or maybe we did just go on a run, so let's continue to try to build on it.
Again, it's not getting hung up on whether it's really good or bad at the moment, but just focus on the next play and try to win games.
Q. Myles, would you mind expanding just a little bit, what is it like in the heat of the moment there, 4 seconds left and players are coming in and you've got a play called and you're trying to get everybody in the right spot? Are there a couple wings, maybe not sure which one -- can you talk more what is that like? I've never thought about that before.
MYLES RICE: I'll just start by saying this. I know they're not going to want me to say it, buy that's on me as the point guard. No matter what lineup we're in, we have to make sure we all know what we're doing, and I'll take some of the heat on that.
It's just a heated moment. You can't really put it into words sometimes. Everything happens so fast. It's not only just the team, but especially me, to be cool, calm, and collected and be in that head space to know, like I said, make sure everybody's in their spots and make sure we know what we're doing.
We've just got to be better, and I've got to be better as well.
Q. On Maryland's last possession, you all had a chance to foul. He was kind of frustrated there was no foul. Was it clearly communicated to you all that the staff wanted you to foul?
ANTHONY LEAL: We had discussed it in the huddle, yes. It's on us as players to go out there and execute what's told us to do. We didn't do it right there, but that's not the reason we lost the game. There's plays and plays that add up and lead up to that.
Sure, yes, we were under the impression we were supposed to foul, and unfortunately we didn't. But it's a long game, and there's a lot of things that add up to it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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