CROSSROADS CLASSIC: BUTLER VS INDIANA

December 19, 2020

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Armaan Franklin

Indiana Hoosiers

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana 68, Butler 60

Q. Coach talked a lot about being so much better in the second half and then getting better looks inside and such. It seems like more the first half was really just that last seven, eight minutes. How good is it to feel like you guys all bounced back collectively like you did and came right out and got a nice run going?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Really just being able to play inside out has really been key for us, especially I think our guards have built a lot of confidence at shooting the ball in the last two games.

Hopefully we can keep that up and just keep playing inside out. If they double or do whatever they do, we can hit open shots.

Q. Trayce, it's a simplistic question, but how much does it change the calculus for you guys in the post? Coach talked about Race Thompson and how he played in the second half, but how much does it change life for you down low when you've got Armaan hitting for threes, you've got Al hitting a couple, loosening up that defense a little bit more?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Most definitely. It really opens up the game. Just even with Race just shooting those shots so they can't sag off of him really helps. But at the same time, I thought Race really came in in the second half. He was amped up and ready to go, and Coach Miller told us at halftime that they weren't here to mess around.

We got back into it and then we started playing our ball.

Q. Trayce, Butler scores 37 points the first 20 minutes, only six points the first 10 minutes of the second half. What was the big key in that changing so much for you guys?

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Really just for us it's really just getting in the passing lanes, getting deflections. I thought in the first half we were kind of lackadaisical on the ball, and we let their bigs do really whatever they wanted with no crowds, so they're taking six to seven dribbles to get position on us.

The second half we started getting engaged more. We were really locked in on the defensive end, and when you start getting stops and getting out in transition, it starts carrying over and you wear teams down with that.

Q. Armaan, just your shooting performance, we asked you about this a little bit yesterday, you said you kind of don't know what it is about shooting in that building. Now that you've done it again, do you have any more insight as to why you're comfortable in that building, just kind of what was working for you in the first half? Was it just a matter of seeing that first shot go down and your confidence built from that point?

ARMAAN FRANKLIN: I still don't know why this gym is having these good shooting performances. It's just my teammates giving me open looks. I saw the first one go down. For any shooter it gives you a lot of confidence when you see that first shot go down, and my teammates kept finding me. My bigs were setting good screens and getting me open, so I was just able to knock them down.

Q. This is a question for both of you. I know you've known each other for a while. Trayce, what would you say your favorite thing about watching Armaan develop has been, and then the same thing to Armaan about Trayce.

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I'll start. Armaan has always been a great player. Last year he started the first 10 games and he was really confident, and then kind of at the back end of the season didn't play as much.

So I know he wanted to prove to himself this year what kind of player he is. I already knew he was capable of doing all these things, and all the work is starting to show out here and he's become a really, really good guard. He's one of our best defenders and he's shooting the ball at a really high rate.

ARMAAN FRANKLIN: About Trayce, I've known Trayce for a long time and it always was not like how it is now. He can attest to that. Just seeing him get better year after year, being a dominant force in college basketball right now, I'm happy for him and I'm proud of him.

But we both know we've still got things to work on to get better and get more wins.

Q. Trayce talked about the defensive improvement in the second half from the front court perspective. What did you see from the guard perspective? It looked like you guys closed out on shooters a lot more and stopped their three-point shooting?

ARMAAN FRANKLIN: I think we've just got to limit their drives and have good gaps, and then I think Aljami and I kind of messed up a little bit guarding Bolden. He was supposed to be dead on catch, but I made enough plays, got enough stops for us to get the win.