Indiana senior guard Xavier Johnson and sophomore forward Kale Banks met with the media on Monday after the Hoosiers' 74-66 over Louisville at Madison Square Garden in New York. Indiana used a zone defense late to overcome a seven-point deficit, and raise their record to 4-1.
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00:00 >> Can you talk a little bit about what you guys have done leading up to this in
00:05 regards to learning how to play some defense and
00:08 how effective all that was for you guys tonight at the end of the game?
00:13 >> I'm gonna be honest, cuz we didn't know like playing some defense.
00:16 So it's got something to adjust to.
00:18 They were getting downhill a lot and we had to change the game and
00:24 we went zone and honestly just opened everything up for us offensively.
00:28 >> How much you guys actually work on it?
00:31 >> We don't work on it often, honestly.
00:33 Honestly, we don't.
00:34 >> Yeah, for other of you, the last 24 hours, what's been the message and
00:40 I guess how do you guys feel like you guys responded after that?
00:45 >> I think we responded pretty well.
00:47 The message was just, we gotta be connected for 40 minutes.
00:51 Yesterday, we can't go back and do yesterday.
00:55 Even myself included, I'm sorry I couldn't be there for my teammates on the floor for
00:59 the first 20 minutes.
01:00 But I'm proud of my teammates for sticking together for those 20 minutes in
01:04 the first 20 minutes.
01:05 But we gotta come out and finish the game and play full 40.
01:07 >> As you said, the zone helped your offense.
01:10 I think it was something like 24 points in the last eight minutes.
01:13 I think everybody can see how it helped your defense.
01:15 But what does it open up for you guys,
01:17 especially as you maybe wanna flood the lanes and run and get out of your end zone?
01:22 >> Like you said, we defended, we got rebounds.
01:27 They weren't making that many threes.
01:29 We didn't either, honestly.
01:31 So I'm surprised they didn't go zone either.
01:33 But we got out of the lanes and ran.
01:36 We got our stops that we needed to end the game and finish the game with a W.
01:40 >> Next, the bench scored, I think it was 30 points tonight, 19 rebounds.
01:48 The first time they've been collectively put out in a game this year.
01:50 What does that mean to you as a starter that when they came in,
01:53 they gave you guys a win?
01:54 >> That means a lot, honestly.
01:56 We got guys that we can trust to come up the bench and
01:58 to keep the game at the same pace.
02:00 Shout out to honestly KB.
02:03 KB played a huge role up the bench tonight.
02:06 I should have probably gave it to him at the end of the game for
02:08 a dunk to finish it off.
02:10 That's what a great point guard would have done, but they told me no.
02:12 [LAUGH] >> Caleb,
02:15 I know that you've been looking for some playing time after sitting a lot last
02:19 year, that you've been really contributing.
02:21 Just talk about the big rebounds you got late in the game when the game was
02:25 on the line.
02:26 >> Yes, sir.
02:26 I had a lot of fun that day, you know what I'm saying?
02:29 I didn't have a lot of playing time in the past, but today,
02:32 I feel like I played my role well, my rebounding well, and
02:35 I just helped the team win.
02:36 >> Right there, on your left.
02:39 >> X, right before the final media timeout,
02:41 Caleb had a group of, locked a alley-oop, I think.
02:46 And how big was he today?
02:49 >> He was the biggest, honestly, like I just said.
02:52 Not only him, but the whole bench.
02:54 He played pretty well for a guy not to play as much before coming into this game.
03:00 And to show what he did today, I'm really proud of him.
03:04 >> Yeah, X, what did you make of what Anthony Walker and
03:07 Peyton Sparks provided today, especially when Malik and Kahlil had some foul trouble?
03:12 >> I actually brought up Ann Walker, too, just to remind me of that.
03:15 Ann Walker and Peyton playing pretty good in the beginning of the game.
03:20 Ann came in and was aggressive.
03:21 That's what we need Ann to do, and that's what Coach wants Ann to do, too, as well.
03:24 >> All right, one, two.
03:26 Go ahead.
03:27 >> Caleb, you know coming in at sometimes you're not always going to be necessarily
03:31 the first option offensively.
03:32 How do you approach, how do you adjust your mindset,
03:35 just knowing you have to affect the game in other ways?
03:38 >> Just doing the little things, like playing defense, rebounding, blocks.
03:42 We have been having trouble in the past with rebounding and
03:45 defending the three-point line.
03:46 So my mindset coming in, just like if I could do those things,
03:49 I could maybe find my way, staying on the floor at night, and
03:53 stuff like that, early stuff like that.
03:55 So that's what I was having my focus on today.
03:56 >> Xavier, how tough was it to get out this weekend in terms of playing
04:01 after you got shaken up the other day?
04:02 I mean, is there no doubt in your mind you were gonna play these two games?
04:06 >> Yeah, there was no doubt in my mind.
04:07 I couldn't leave my teammates stranded.
04:09 Being one of the main experienced guys on the team,
04:12 I just didn't wanna leave my teammates saying, I'm sad I wasn't out there yesterday.
04:17 But like I said, I'm still proud of them for yesterday, and
04:20 then to come back in today and get a W.
04:24 >> Last one right here.
04:25 >> Caleb, obviously your bench unit is gonna have some ups and
04:27 flows this year.
04:28 But can you guys kinda feel it when you guys were all out there as a cohesive
04:31 unit and you guys had the impact that you guys did today?
04:33 >> Well, yeah, we definitely felt it today.
04:35 I mean, everybody had a good game, good game from me, from Peyton, from Gabe,
04:39 CJ, and Pat Walker.
04:41 So as a group, cuz we brought a lot of energy today,
04:43 I think we really helped the team win.
04:45 >> Okay, thank you very much.