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00:00 I just played harder and better than we did.
00:04 We looked like we were in quicksand right from the get go.
00:10 I don't give him a day off even, a two day prep and
00:15 just had some guys didn't look very good.
00:19 And then I didn't think I did a good job and
00:23 we didn't think in a million years we'd have to double the post.
00:29 We thought we could handle it and we were worried about two or
00:32 three point shooting and just got layup after layup.
00:39 Now we missed five or six layups and seven for four teams in the line.
00:42 And you can't do that against a good team and they're a good team.
00:46 They're well coached.
00:47 They played well.
00:49 The cricket kit was unbelievable.
00:51 And I was unfortunately proud of Patrick McCaffrey.
00:57 He went through so much and he played his tail off and
01:00 the first half really hurt us.
01:04 But I think with six minutes left to go in a half, we're three up.
01:08 They want a 15 to one run and we just look out of sorts.
01:12 Stats are funny.
01:16 We did a decent job in second chance points,
01:23 decent job on the fast break, benches were even, free throws were even.
01:29 We go seven to 14, they go 18 to 29 from the line.
01:32 We should make 10 threes and lose easy.
01:35 I have six turnovers, we have eight.
01:38 It was all energy.
01:39 We didn't guard.
01:41 We didn't guard.
01:41 Our bigs didn't guard.
01:43 A couple of our guards on switches and that didn't guard.
01:46 And I didn't do a good enough job either.
01:50 So we're regrouped, disappointed with this game like that at home, but
01:55 we didn't deserve to win it.
01:57 They deserved to win it and they did win it.
01:59 So I'll pass it to them.
02:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:06 Made my day.
02:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:09 >> Tom, they had 12 more points than me and 11 more free throws.
02:13 Were you surprised by what Crickie did with bringing on the bench?
02:17 >> Yeah.
02:18 I mean, it worked out better cuz they put another shooter in.
02:21 And we thought about that, but we're so worried about the shooting.
02:25 They hit four threes for the night and absolutely killed every one of our
02:31 post guys.
02:31 So I have to come up with something better on that.
02:37 We haven't had that happen.
02:39 And it was just layup after layup.
02:41 I heard they had 16 layups and two dunks.
02:45 That's hard to beat.
02:47 Not many teams come in here and shoot that against us.
02:50 Shoot 50%, 50% you're gonna lose even though we shot 45 and
02:56 50 from the three, but the seven for 14, the number of layups missed.
03:01 The number of layups they got was the difference in the game.
03:03 And it was just an energy level that wasn't there.
03:05 And we haven't had many games where we just flat out didn't bring it.
03:11 Tonight we flat out didn't bring it.
03:14 >> Tom, was this maybe a case of the guys that you really scouted and
03:19 thought was like Freeman didn't play that much, but
03:22 there was people who you probably didn't expect to score this much and they did.
03:26 >> That would have been okay.
03:27 I could use that as an excuse if I would have, wouldn't have had a second half.
03:32 We have a half time because we try to make adjustments at half time.
03:36 And I thought they went at us just as much as the second half.
03:39 And I don't know what happened.
03:43 I mean, even the league stats are good, but defensively, even he wasn't great.
03:48 And we just didn't handle it well.
03:51 We let him get the ball in there and when it got in there, we didn't do much.
03:55 And they went at it.
03:58 And I thought some of it was,
04:03 there were some strange calls in there,
04:08 but that's gonna happen to me again.
04:12 >> You mentioned yesterday, we see a little bit more of Xavier Booker going
04:16 forward, do you think he's turning a corner?
04:19 >> Yeah, he did, but the bully ball they played, that's where his strength is.
04:26 And then we try to put him on a perimeter guy.
04:28 And I just, but I'm not disappointed in Booker.
04:34 He's gonna find the right matchups for him.
04:36 And Cohen, because they played so much zone,
04:40 it just wasn't the time, but both those guys are making progress.
04:44 But if our other guys play like they did,
04:46 they're gonna play more, even if they can't play.
04:49 >> Weren't about- >> But when we talked the other day,
04:55 we talked about Motty.
04:57 And the one thing Motty's been able to do is defend and rebound.
05:01 And we just didn't feel like he missed the shot and
05:06 struggled a little bit there and really didn't go back to him.
05:10 But the one thing he can do is defend and rebound.
05:12 So I gotta make sure I don't listen to people and I do what I wanna do.
05:18 And that's what I did.
05:20 And yet, I probably should have gone back in with Motty a little bit,
05:23 the way our other guys covered.
05:25 They just weren't strong enough to cover him.
05:28 >> What about coming out of halftime, AJ started attacking off the dribble a lot
05:33 more, I guess, was that kind of necessity at that point?
05:41 You talked about last year's game, them trading threes for
05:46 twos, was there a point where you had to start thinking that when it was getting
05:50 closer?
05:50 >> I wondered the same thing, why the more question in the second half.
05:54 But like I said, I think we were in quicksand.
05:58 We haven't had a game all year where we really just didn't bring it.
06:03 And I really mean that, we got some bad starts.
06:06 You think at Wisconsin we competed more, we just didn't.
06:10 We missed guard guard switches today that they got two laps on.
06:15 I mean, it's the most simple basic thing you could do.
06:21 And that means maybe we're more mentally tired than I realized.
06:25 But that is what it is, the schedule is what it is.
06:28 And it's a tough team to prepare for on a day, and
06:31 that's what we did because we kind of gave them a day off because we had no choice.
06:36 And we didn't handle it very well.
06:38 So we had to do a better job as a staff, and we will.
06:43 >> It seems like every team,
06:46 how many teams won a couple games, it's come out with a subpar effort.
06:50 Can you- >> I wouldn't say that now.
06:52 I mean, every time a team won a couple games, it won eight out of ten games.
06:57 I don't know what you're watching, but
07:00 that's why I don't give my team as much credit, and I get abused for that.
07:05 But because kids nowadays, it's hard.
07:08 They don't do well with those kind of things.
07:17 But I mean, when you say we came out, you wanna explain yourself,
07:21 and I'll answer what you mean.
07:22 >> You went two or three in a row, and then it seems like just taking that next step
07:26 and going through the corner or something hasn't happened yet for this team.
07:30 >> Yeah, I mean, I don't know about that.
07:34 There's other good teams too.
07:36 I mean, you cannot play bad in this league and win a game.
07:39 Now, it's a shame to lose one at home.
07:43 But you cannot not show up and win a game.
07:47 We've showed up for, I thought every game, I was worried yesterday.
07:52 I told you guys, I was worried today after the first five minutes of the game,
07:57 I told my staff, it was that easy for me to see.
08:02 Now you say, well, why don't you change it?
08:03 Well, I mean, they weren't trying to.
08:07 I mean, making a mistake, kind of guard, guard, switches.
08:10 I mean, that's like two plus two.
08:13 And we did, which means probably mentally we were just not into it.
08:18 And it wasn't, as I'm trying to miss layups.
08:24 So I look at it that, that's where you need some guys out in the court that
08:31 raise the level, as you said.
08:34 Second half, AJ did that for a few minutes, but
08:38 you don't get to do that against good teams.
08:41 So I don't know what the reason is, but for the most part,
08:47 we've had the pressure on us for quite a while and won a lot of games.
08:52 And we didn't bring the same energy for some reason.
08:57 >> Hey, coach.
09:00 During the pregame, we noticed that Motty had some tape on his wrist and thumb.
09:06 Was there an injury or something that may have limited his playing time tonight?
09:12 >> No.
09:21 >> Your team made more threes in the first five minutes of tonight's game than
09:24 all of Saturday's game.
09:26 Was that a matter of just better looks or
09:27 just those looks falling this time around?
09:30 >> I think a little bit of both.
09:30 It was a shame cuz Jaden, some really nice shots and he forced a few.
09:35 And I think he got out of rhythm himself cuz he really made some and
09:39 Tyson was looking for his.
09:40 And I don't know, we had some, we hit some.
09:45 We said that on the bench, we made more threes in five minutes than we made all.
09:50 But we made more in ten than we did in most games.
09:53 Just goes to show you the same old adage, gotta guard somebody.
09:58 Gotta guard somebody.
09:59 >> Coach, did you maybe stumble across the lineup?
10:02 Cuz late in the game when you went with the four guards and Malik out there,
10:06 it seemed like you were getting a lot of open looks at the basket.
10:09 >> Yeah.
10:11 They were putting our big guys in the rim.
10:15 So I don't know if they would have, what they would have done to our guards if we
10:18 would have had to guard them that way, but we gotta play better,
10:23 we gotta coach better.
10:23 I should have made a couple of adjustments that I blame myself on.
10:29 And a player's gotta play too.
10:32 Players gotta play.
10:34 And like I say, we missed so many layups and
10:37 that many easy switches against a team that's a good team.
10:42 They made some shots and then we hit four threes.
10:46 And fouling was a problem.
10:50 We said that there was a team we didn't wanna foul.
10:52 They shoot eight from the line and they shot 79 from the line.
10:56 So they did exactly what they're supposed to do.
10:58 We're a decent free throw shooting team and
11:02 we missed some free throws, seven or 14.
11:09 >> You mentioned a few times now that the team just didn't have it tonight.
11:12 Is it just one of those, knowing that you have so many days now before Ohio State,
11:16 is it just one that you just flush and move on and not really look back at?
11:22 >> No, I never flush a game, never, ever, ever.
11:25 I never flush last year's loss.
11:27 I never flush a loss.
11:29 I flush some wins.
11:30 I never flush a loss.
11:32 I spent the night looking at the film and getting upset on some of
11:37 the absolutely incredible mistakes I think we made that we shouldn't make.
11:42 And then I'll try to figure out why, no, I won't.
11:47 We'll give them tomorrow off because everybody's gonna have time off.
11:52 But I'll work tomorrow.
11:56 It's not President's Day.
11:58 It's not day off day.
11:59 It's not COVID day.
12:00 It's I'll be working tomorrow and I'll figure out what we did wrong and
12:05 see if I can do it, but I don't play.
12:07 So go ahead, you just say it.
12:10 I don't need to.
12:11 >> Yeah, I don't know.
12:13 I guess what I'm trying to ask is are you not as concerned knowing that it was
12:18 just like an energy or like, cuz effort is like an issue.
12:22 >> No, no, this time of the year I'm concerned with everything.
12:25 I mean, our job is to be getting better.
12:26 I mean, do I think we were tired?
12:28 I look back, I probably think we were tired.
12:31 But I don't know.
12:38 I gotta watch the film first and then I'll report to you.
12:41 But boy, some of those laps were dead laps, right?
12:45 And some of those switches that cost us laps.
12:49 I mean, they had, I think they, did you say 16 laps and two dumps?
12:53 >> 13 and 19 laps, three dumps.
12:56 >> So that's 16 laps.
12:58 I don't think that big Northern Michigan,
13:03 if they had 16 laps, give them credit.
13:07 >> I'm just wondering about the bigs.
13:10 You mentioned that trying to find maybe the right settings for
13:16 each guy's skill set.
13:19 For you guys as a staff, how much did Jackson's injury maybe set back?
13:24 What you're trying to find?
13:26 And maybe Booker's development, is there a lot of things that you're trying at
13:30 this point in the year to still maybe figure out that post rotation?
13:33 >> No, some of it is strength in Book's case.
13:36 And things like that.
13:39 But I mean, Jackson's injury, every injury hurts you some.
13:44 I mean, you don't get to get on path.
13:47 But there's no excuse why some of the other guys didn't play better.
13:51 I mean, even Malik, he's been playing so good and his numbers are so good.
13:56 But we just let the ball in there too easy.
14:00 And I don't know why we did that.
14:04 But those will be the things that I'll look at.
14:08 Michigan had good bigs, even bigger bigs.
14:12 And we did a better job on them.
14:15 I don't know.
14:17 I don't have an answer right now.
14:19 I'll have an answer for you, buddy.
14:21 Call me at 8 in the morning, I'll have an answer for you.
14:24 >> You can usually sense how your team's gonna play.
14:29 Was there anything in shoot around?
14:31 >> No, practice and shoot around were pretty good.
14:33 That's what I said, that's what I told the team.
14:35 But this will sound crazy to all of you, and
14:39 I'm sure none of you will have a clue what I'm saying.
14:41 But to bring back what you said,
14:47 as a coach, you have to give positive reinforcements.
14:54 Especially to this day and age.
14:56 I mean, it used to be about 40, 60 positive to negative.
15:01 Now it's about 90, 10.
15:03 And I told the team that they're practicing good, they did some good things.
15:08 And David Smith, again, he read it right.
15:12 He said he didn't like the vibes when we came in after we shot.
15:20 And he spoke very strongly about it, and
15:24 he said it to be on the bench at halftime.
15:27 And but you can't keep pushing people anymore.
15:32 So you just hope that they see it and we'll show it to them on film.
15:38 We'll love to do a better job as a staff.
15:46 We really will, because if I thought that they would push our guys around like
15:52 they did, I guess I would have tried to double and gave up threes and lost that way.
15:57 And then three, they're gonna make a shot.
15:59 I lay up, they don't have to make a shot.
16:01 I just never expected that.
16:03 So that falls on me.
16:04 >> Anything else, guys?
16:07 >> Thanks.
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