Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 After last week's game, you know try to look at the film. I haven't really seen you guys and ladies since and
00:06 There were some good things we did second half. I didn't think we played as well, but I do think we
00:12 At least started to shoot the ball a little bit better. We're starting to make more shots
00:16 it's been better in practice the negative has been Malik's been out since
00:19 last Friday's
00:22 Actually had a bad case of the flu
00:24 Hoping you play today our practice today some
00:29 I couldn't do anything in the last two days at all. So we even sent them home
00:33 So that's a little discouraging but
00:37 What I told my guys was after that game
00:41 Big ten play starts now and you know, it's been I think five years maybe six that we
00:48 Have done this where the conference game start in December
00:56 It's it's good in some ways. It's tough on coaches from the standpoint of
01:02 You know, it really these games, you know mean a lot right now. So
01:07 We tried to take that approach. I said before
01:11 we need our best players to play well and
01:14 You know, I think we're getting a little bit more out of AJ in some ways
01:19 I think he's had four good days of practice. I think we're trying to get more out of
01:25 Jaden, I think that'll be a big key for us and
01:29 Tyson's back
01:32 99% so that's encouraging little problem with the hip but not bad and
01:36 the Malik
01:39 Has been solid and steady. I think he could ratchet up a notch, but I don't know if it'll be Tuesday
01:45 as far as Wisconsin goes I
01:47 Couldn't believe they weren't ranked in the beginning of the year
01:52 To me they had everybody back very well coached
01:55 Good system they have good players. They Hepburn who have started since his freshman year a
02:03 Wall has you know was injured a little bit last year. He's back to being a
02:08 You know a damn good college player who?
02:12 tough
02:13 gets the job done
02:15 crawl is
02:18 Improved as a center now in his fifth fourth year fifth year. He's
02:22 Gained a little more weight. I think he's stronger than he was
02:26 and then they have
02:29 one transfer from st. John's who
02:33 Has helped him a very athletic kid who's really helped him s engine has been hurt a little bit
02:41 I
02:43 Guess with a back injury and he's just coming off that
02:47 But the Kleinschmidt kid who they got before is really played well in his absence
02:53 So stores the guy that is the transfer the one transfer they got
02:58 This year and he's averaging 13 a game and at 6-6 athletic
03:05 He brings a lot to the to the table for a Wisconsin team. So we got our work cut out for us
03:11 It's a it's a very good opener. It's I
03:15 Still think one of the top three or four teams in the league
03:18 both would experience coaching and players that have proven themselves before and are playing pretty well and they're just coming off of a
03:27 big convincing win over a very good Marquette team who was third in the country and I
03:33 Think that tells you a little bit about Wisconsin. So questions. I'll take them
03:41 Tom obviously they've got some size and Tyler walls a crafty guy has been around
03:46 47 years at this point and what it especially if Malik's not a hundred percent and you've played Cohen
03:53 I thought the four but that's kind of a size deal and he's a freshman. I'm wondering how you handle their size in that matchup
03:59 You know, I think you'll see some
04:02 Both of our bigs playing together a little bit. I think we'll be doing some of that and
04:09 That'll be maybe one area where we'll
04:12 try to to do that I
04:14 Don't know more I practice. I mean I think as of this morning
04:20 You'll build a place some at the what level I'm if anything like Tyson's were in trouble if it's not
04:27 And Malik, you know can use his experience. That would be a big plus for us
04:34 But that's something that you know, we dealt with Friday Saturday
04:39 we thought by Sunday, you know was the 24 48 hour flu bug and it is the flu but his temperature and that was high and
04:47 So then when Sunday didn't happen then we you know start
04:53 relooking at it and that's what we're doing today, but
04:56 He was in earlier today
04:59 met with the trainer and
05:02 Just have no idea until we practice on what he can do and how much he can do and
05:06 One day could make a difference. The problem is it's not been 24 48. It's been four days
05:13 And so I don't know what that'll mean game time
05:15 Nor do I really?
05:18 Care from the standpoint. I can't control it, you know, so I don't know, you know
05:24 Um, you know, they'll have to deal with us too if we go smaller, so there'll be a couple things we're gonna do
05:30 Hopefully to even that out
05:32 I'm talking about the Big Ten
05:35 Purdue goes to Maui obviously does great comes back very first big ten game
05:38 He's on the road that just kind of reminder for you and for your guys
05:41 Well as I told you guys the beginning of the year, you know what all the thing different things that are going on
05:48 I think the last two days Friday Saturday or Saturday Sunday
05:52 I think there were nine or ten ranked teams that got beat by unranked and some of them, Kentucky and
05:59 By teams that were three and five or whatever they were
06:03 I
06:05 Think this is
06:08 What's going on, you know, I mean is it parody? I don't really think so
06:14 I think it's some ups and downs and in that game. I watched that Purdue game now
06:20 That's an exception to the rule because I thought both teams played at a pretty high level
06:24 And you got to give Northwestern a lot of credit before you blame Purdue for any letdown
06:30 I thought Northwestern played really well and
06:33 And Purdue had a couple guys that didn't play quite as well, but it was a high level game and
06:40 You know last night. I caught a little bit of the Ohio State
06:43 Minnesota game and I think this is the way it's gonna be you know, I don't know in any conference
06:50 I mean Duke loses two in a row
06:54 Arkansas is good, but their best player scored 30 a game the night be a couple nights earlier didn't play
06:59 So it's just strange what's going on, but it's nothing that I didn't talk to you guys about
07:07 because I thought
07:09 You know what all the things going on and people coming and going it's gonna be a little bit like this
07:15 Hey Tom staying with those magic words big ten. Um, you mentioned parody. How much does home court advantage play a role whether it's to
07:24 Excuse me is own or some of these arenas you gotta go to yeah, I'm hoping a lot. I'm hoping a lot while we're home
07:30 But I think the one thing that I'm hoping will help us as we go, but it'll definitely help
07:37 Of all teams
07:40 Maybe Purdue and Wisconsin
07:43 I mean like I said Purdue and us got credit for having people back
07:47 Wisconsin got none and they got I think seven out of eight back and
07:51 so I think a team like Wisconsin that runs a just a tight system and
07:58 a point guard Hepburn who doesn't
08:01 Have to beat you what is scoring he can he can shoot it, but he can do a lot of other things
08:07 They're very solid defensively
08:09 Teams against them
08:12 There's some unbelievable stat like I've had like 50 assists and 114 turnovers or something, you know
08:19 they don't give up a lot of free stuff as you we know and
08:22 so I've been I
08:25 think it'll a home court should help a lot of people but
08:29 But a Wisconsin team would not be one that I think would get affected by being on the road because of the way they play
08:36 There's not a lot of runs against them because they you know, it's hard to get breakout things against them. I mean
08:44 We were laughing today, you know, it's been 30 years and they've had three different coaches or four different coaches
08:50 But every one of them have kind of been in the same mold whether it be Bennett whether it would be Bo or now
08:58 whether it's guard
09:00 Greg is
09:02 they're all kind of in the same mold and
09:04 So their system has kind of stayed the same too, and I think that benefits them
09:09 You're welcome
09:12 wondering about
09:13 What a team like Wisconsin coming off a top five win like that the the emotion and I guess
09:19 Confidence that comes from that going on the road. I mean, how do you if you're that team?
09:24 How do you translate that and how do you kind of defend that as a coach? Well, you know as everybody says, you know you
09:29 you get a team like that you get a big win and and you just
09:34 We just asked kind of two exact opposite questions that are the same meaning Purdue comes off this big win
09:41 wins Maui feeling good and
09:44 Then they lose a game and everybody probably assumes that there's a letdown or this and that so, you know
09:52 We want it to be a momentum building and then it gets better I'm sure
09:58 Coach guard wants it to be momentum building now big win better and
10:03 You know somebody else will say well, maybe they'll come in different now that they want a game
10:08 So I I think anytime you win and play well, it should benefit you
10:13 especially when you got veteran guys that shouldn't be thinking that we've just
10:17 You know won a championship or something and Wisconsin's been there done that so I think this is a big plus for them
10:24 they come off a big win against the team that played well over in Maui - and
10:29 That's why the game's all about matchups, you know Marquette was
10:36 Athletic and does some things but they were smaller and they got hurt
10:39 I think I think Wisconsin was plus 15 or 16 on the boards and
10:43 That was a big part of it plus got to the line a lot shot well from the line
10:47 So those two things benefited so that's why at the end of the day matchups are still going to be important, you know, and
10:53 We'll see, you know what it benefits sometimes the speed teams that's smaller hurts the bigger teams and sometimes the bigger teams
11:03 that's bigger hurts the smaller teams and
11:06 the rhyme the reason is
11:08 Marquette didn't shoot it very well. Was that
11:10 Because of Wisconsin there was because Marquette had a bad shooting day, you know
11:16 seems like I'm talking like a politician which I
11:19 Definitely don't want to do but that's the best answer I can give you
11:23 Time we've talked to a couple times about measuring stick games like going back to Tennessee
11:29 Is this a little bit of a different kind of measuring stick when just they know you guys very well
11:34 You know them really well, you're kind of curious to see I think it is an important game
11:37 So I'm not downplaying that that's for sure. I think it's a very important game for number one the standings number two to
11:43 to hopefully
11:45 Take care of home court. But number three is
11:48 We know this is a very solid good team. I mean that
11:52 This has to be a ranked team, you know, it's just not or it wasn't for some reason
11:57 Maybe it will be today now after their big win
11:59 And deservingly so and yet it really doesn't matter because I think those rankings
12:05 I mean half the half of them came out before anybody knew who was on anybody else's team
12:10 so it's been a little that's created a little problem a little distortion on that but
12:15 Yeah, I think it's gonna be a good measuring stick for us. Where are we?
12:19 You know, how are we playing against somebody that does not make a lot of mistakes does not turn the ball over
12:27 much very very solid and
12:29 experienced
12:32 Yeah, it's a good point
12:39 Didn't even think about that, but you're right. I mean some of these teams we played we had to go back to
12:44 two teams ago to get who how they played in those how that individual played for
12:51 whoever and
12:53 This team for the most part
12:55 it's not only eight games in now, which helps us but it's
13:00 It's a team that 90% intact. So yeah, that'll make it even
13:06 More important so I agree with you
13:09 Tom real quick is Jack and still progressing. He's still on track. Yes
13:15 In fact, we've had nothing but positive things from Jackson meaning
13:22 He like if you watched him every day, I mean he's down there shooting he's doing things you'd swear he's ready to go right now
13:29 He's had no setbacks
13:31 knock on wood, but
13:33 or stone but he
13:35 He's really done a hell of a job. The doctors have been positive yet his first real x-ray and everything looked like it was good
13:44 What does that mean for a date?
13:46 You know, they've talked about you know
13:49 maybe before Christmas, but that I think would be on the
13:52 the best scenario the worst scenario would be right after Christmas and
13:58 So that's encouraging because I think he does bring another element to our team
14:04 Which is that scoring inside and outside and his body is changing his whole I?
14:11 Think game. I think he's gonna be able to guard different people a lot better than last year. So
14:18 Jackson is don't want to make him want to be a savior, but I think he's gonna help us a lot
14:22 Guys have been easy. Um, I know one of the things you've been
14:33 concerned about over the course of the
14:36 Early part of the season is giving up the offensive boards. This is a team that does
14:40 Rebound the ball really? Well, I guess
14:43 What do you need to see from you know, we've been working on it
14:46 I mean, you know part of it is we're small but you know, Jane's been a little up and down
14:51 He's been non rebounding then he's rebounded very well. I think he's still gonna have to we're gonna have to gang rebound a little bit more
14:57 Cohen it's got to do a little bit more on the rebounding no matter where he's playing because he's capable of doing that and
15:05 You know, I think Marty and Cooper have been pretty pretty good. We just got to get more gang rebounds
15:12 we're trying to get AJ in there to get more rebounds with his size, especially on the defensive end and
15:17 but part of that is I
15:20 Think you know our defensive stats have been good
15:23 but I think we've given up more dribble penetration than we normally have and and then people get out of
15:29 Sorts and those rebounds are cleaner
15:32 another thing that
15:34 Somebody brought up to me that just shows you how crazy stats are but you know, we've missed last year
15:40 We shot 78 percent in the line this year. We're at 66 or 5
15:45 We're shooting more free throws, but we're missing free throws and those make for cleaner rebounds
15:51 So, you know all of a sudden you get two three more of those a game and instead of being plus three
15:59 I think we're now at
16:01 You're plus six or seven and you're saying you're human, you know, so some of it is
16:08 Distorted a little bit but some of it is
16:10 We're just not as big a team
16:12 Especially, you know Malik I think's got to do a little bit more in that area
16:18 You know, I showed him some tape on a Tennessee game a bigger stronger team when he had 14 boards
16:24 we got to get a little more to him and
16:27 And then I think a lot more out of our guards
16:30 Time you say you don't like talking like a politician you can say no comment to this
16:35 But college football playoff your favorite sport anything you want to weigh in on
16:38 Anything I want to weigh in on yeah, I might as well get no comment. No, you know me. I'll always comment because I
16:47 Don't know if 12 is the right number that seems a little high for me
16:52 That'd be like changing ours from 68 to 120
16:57 But I think you can see why it's got to be more than four
17:02 I feel for Florida State, you know, I actually talked to Keon a couple weeks ago. I I
17:09 Feel for them because I think a coach did everything you can do
17:14 but if the true meaning is to get the four best teams, I kind of understand it, you know, and
17:21 So, what do you do in that case, you know, what is this gonna bring thank God it's getting bigger
17:28 What would it bring would anybody want to play better non-conference games earlier if one lost?
17:33 Or even zero losses means you're not gonna get in
17:36 I
17:39 That bothers me, you know conference champ in a BCS League
17:44 doesn't get in but do I think they've got the
17:48 The four best teams I
17:53 Mean you could even argue, you know where where Georgia is on that
17:58 I
18:01 suppose some would argue where Oregon is on that but I
18:04 Don't know, you know, I I don't know how good the big 12 was that Texas was in but I
18:10 Think they did the best job of getting the best four teams. I think there's no question that
18:17 Florida State would have been in that their defense is unbelievable
18:23 But it's not only your starting quarterback
18:26 But you know, you don't even know if your backup quarterback would build a planet. I think that's difficult and
18:32 Even though I feel for him. I understand it. You know the year we won the national championship
18:38 Kenyan
18:42 Martin, you know breaks his leg in the and all of a sudden we become the one seed
18:46 Instead of the two seed. So now we're playing in Cleveland in Detroit instead of I mean this stuff
18:53 happens, you know, and it's I
18:55 Mean who in the hell said life was fair
18:58 it's not but
19:01 Do I feel for Florida State with a year they had and being an undefeated team? I do do I think?
19:08 It's hard for me to say, you know, I I just don't know the whole quarterback I didn't follow it that closely
19:16 I followed them a little closer just to see how Keon was doing, but I don't follow him
19:21 As close as I do big Tanner SEC teams
19:23 You're welcome
19:26 Very non-political very honest though. You mentioned crawl the big man for Wisconsin. You mentioned he's gotten stronger
19:33 He's also gotten quicker with the drop step to the right shoulder and it looks like a lot quicker baseline stuff. He gets there quick
19:41 He's he's more physical so he's posting harder he still can shoot a three but ironically
19:49 He's not shooting as many
19:51 which I think is all part of the good things with their
19:54 their
19:56 their program and
19:58 And they got a freshman by the way, too from from right around the corner in Detroit Blackwell
20:04 Who's played very well for him, too. So
20:07 I'm sure there'll be some incentive for him there. So
20:10 between crawl
20:14 You know what Wisconsin does is good a job of anybody in the country is they recruit to their system and
20:20 Their role players
20:23 Play their roles to the nth degree and that it's a great credit to their coach. I think
20:30 Because it's it's harder to get people to do everybody wants to do
20:36 what'll help them get to the league or help and do this or help and do that and
20:42 They do a damn good job of recruiting guys that'll play to the system they have and
20:49 and then hold them accountable to that so
20:53 It's a hard team to play enjoyable team to pull for
20:59 Not tomorrow. You just mentioned about role players playing their role. It seems like
21:05 Watching Trey right now for you guys like when you need him to run the offense
21:10 He does that when you need him to score. He's been able to do that. I guess
21:13 What have you seen him over the last couple weeks that a lot?
21:18 I mean, is he kind of like that guy for you the role guy? Yeah, you know, and I'm glad you brought him up
21:24 because
21:26 This summer after the summer. I told you that I thought he had a great summer improved his shooting got a little stronger
21:31 He still got a I got to get him eating better. I think
21:34 and
21:36 gaining a little more weight, but
21:38 Trey Holloman has been maybe as valuable as anybody to us if you really look at it. I mean he's shooting it better
21:45 He is just the turnover ratios off the charts, but as important. He's one of our best defenders, so
21:53 You're gonna see him. We're gonna move him around a little bit more, you know, not real big
22:00 But he did you know was offered football scholarships. So he is
22:05 He's not afraid of anything. He just got to get that body 20 pounds heavier, which will continue to work on but
22:12 That's a that's a good point. I think he's a
22:16 Become a very valuable role player for us that hopefully will grow into even more as the year goes on
22:24 but he's been
22:27 He's been a not a pleasant surprise because this summer I saw some of it coming
22:32 But I'd be lying to you if I thought if I told you I thought he was gonna shoot it as well as he has
22:38 And he's done that in practice. He's practiced well
22:42 So he's been a big big plus
22:45 All right gang