BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2023

Kevin Willard

Hakim Hart

Donta Scott

Don Carey

United Center

Maryland Terrapins

Postgame Press Conference

Indiana - 70, Maryland - 60

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by the Maryland Terrapins. Head coach Kevin Willard, Hakim Hart, Donta Scott, and Don Carey.

Q. Don, when Indiana made that big run in the second half, what felt like change for you, and why was it so difficult to try to climb back from that?

DON CAREY: Can you repeat that question?

Q. When Indiana made the big run in the second half, 15-0, what allowed them to do that? And then for you guys trying to respond, what made it difficult to try to chip away at the least from there?

DON CAREY: They got a lot of transition buckets, where we struggled at tonight. I think that's where they really hurt us at in transition early. We struggled to get it going offensively early in the second half as well.

Q. You guys obviously struggled on the road this season. Did that feel like a true road game for you guys tonight?

DONTA SCOTT: I guess you could say it felt like a true road game because they've kind of got home-court advantage with all their fans being here and just us not having that many fans. We've always been able to try to just fight against it, but I feel like they had it today.

Q. Donta, what did you see different from Trayce Jackson-Davis tonight?

DONTA SCOTT: Didn't see too much different. He kind of did the same thing he tried to do against us last time. He just got those ones to go in this time. Just tonight was just working for him tonight.

Q. Hakim, you had a big role in that first half run. What was working for you guys early that you think wasn't in the second half?

HAKIM HART: I think overall in the first half our ball movement was pretty good. Everybody's spaced, and it was getting us shots and stuff like that.

I think in the second half we just were missing the shots. We were doing a good job spacing and all that. We just couldn't convert at the time.

Q. Donta, after kind of refocusing after the regular season game coming into this, does anything change trying to do the same thing ahead of the national tournament next week?

DONTA SCOTT: We're going into the national tournament with the same mindset, play hard, stay aggressive, and really try to get back into our practices, really trying to get after it going into this tournament.

Q. Hakim, you guys were able to hit six threes early in the game, but then good looks at three seemed to be a lot harder to come by in the second half. Was that accurate? Were they just closing out quicker or spacing different, or what was going on there?

HAKIM HART: It was just good shots, but like we just didn't make it. That's all.

Q. Coach, you guys really kind of frustrated, I guess, got Jalen Hood-Schifino out of a rhythm in the first time you two met. Tonight he got some of his shots to fall a little bit more often. What did you see that was different about his game tonight?

KEVIN WILLARD: I thought he got himself going in transition, much better than he did the first time. I thought we did a much better job in transition defense at home. I thought transition defense was really the difference.

And I thought he did a great job of really attacking and getting downhill. I mean, even in the first half, two of his buckets were in transition. So I just thought he did a great job of pushing the pace.

Q. Did you think this felt like a true road game for you guys? You talked earlier in the year about just how your players respond to crowds. Did you think that was an issue for them today?

KEVIN WILLARD: No, I thought they responded great. I was proud of them. We had two huge opportunities. We had a -- I really thought that the missed goaltending call was huge. I thought that was a real momentum changer. And I thought we missed -- I thought Jahmir had a great attack, missed the layup, and they go down and hit a three.

But I love the fact we got down ten, cut it back down to six. No, I think we played pretty darn good.

Q. Coach, with Julian and Pat getting in foul trouble in the second half, is there anything you're looking for to refocus later on in the game?

KEVIN WILLARD: Refocus what?

Q. To shift away or to redirect some of the focus onto other players?

KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I'm going to skip that one.

Q. What do you think Jalen Hood-Schifino did differently today as opposed to in the first game where you pretty much stopped him the first time?

KEVIN WILLARD: I thought he was really good in transition. I thought he got downhill and got himself going in transition. I think four of his buckets came in transition where, again, we struggled a little bit against Penn State in the second half in transition defense, and I thought tonight -- you know what, he made some tough shots. The three he made at the end of the shot clock, he's a pro. That's what pros do. Pros make big-time shots. But I thought transition was the biggest difference.

Q. Coach, what did you think of the officiating tonight?

KEVIN WILLARD: I think the officiating was fine. Again, I think there's times where -- I thought the goaltending was a big-time momentum changer. That's goaltending. A guy can't come on a post move, shoot a jump hook, come from underneath the basket and it not be goaltending.

I thought the refereeing was fine. It was three good refs.

Q. When Pat picked up that fourth foul, was there any question about leaving him in the game, or he always had to come out at that point?

KEVIN WILLARD: The score was still -- I mean, I couldn't lose him at that point. And Pat was playing pretty good. The fact that Pat was giving us a big spark. Pat plays 24 minutes and is dead even on the floor, so I had a lot of confidence in the fact that Pat could pick up those minutes.

But you've got to give Trayce a lot of credit. I thought he was phenomenal, just nonstop. For playing 38 minutes, he's an elite player. He really is. I'm looking forward to watching him in the NBA next year.

Q. Coach, Jahmir's obviously used to teams switching on the ball screens. Is that all that prevented him from getting downhill and creating plays tonight?

KEVIN WILLARD: I think Jahmir's had a phenomenal year, and he's played terrific. We've asked him to do a lot.

I think one of Indiana's biggest strengths is their size across their whole lineup. We tried to take advantage of Miller Kopp a little bit because I think he's the only weak defender. I don't even think he's a weak defender, but their size across, and even when they come in, I thought Malik Reneau played tremendous.

Then Tamar gates comes in and hits, plays really well. They don't have any small guys. For Jahmir, I thought Race did a heck of a job on switches. I thought they did a really good job of just being physical with us.

You know, having to play a tough game last night, I thought Jahmir was -- he did the best he can against their size.

Q. You mentioned you were pleased with how your squad kind of entered this week after that Penn State loss refocusing. Does anything kind of change with the timeline ahead of the national tournament, trying to regroup after this, or do you want to see a similar reaction?

KEVIN WILLARD: I guess my last three losses are to two teams that have won -- one team's won 8 out of 9, the other team has won 6 out of 7, and we just played Indiana on the road after playing last night. I love my team. I don't know what I have to refocus. We've won 21 games.

Like you can go refocus. Maybe you should. Because I'm proud of this team, and this team's pretty damn good. Come Selection Sunday, we're going to celebrate the fact that -- again, we lost at Ohio State, who is in the semifinals and just one 6 out of 7, and we lost on a buzzer beater at Penn State, which has now won 7 of 8.

I'm not refocusing anything. I'm going to celebrate, and we're going to have a big party on Sunday.