Everything head coach Kevin Willard said after Maryland dominated Iowa through the second half in a 101-75 win to kick off the three-game homestand:
On halftime message
“We talked as a staff this morning. We kind of knew they were going to score [on] us in the first half. If you haven't played against Fran’s teams, he's probably the best offensive coach, one of the best offensive coaches in the country. And we've been stuck on Thursday-Sunday, Thursday-Sunday, Thursday-Sunday. And we've traveled every Thursday. So we were gassed. I mean, I looked at – we practiced a little bit [Saturday]. We didn't get back from Nebraska until 5 AM so Friday was a wash, and then yesterday was kind of BS. So really, I just told them at halftime, like guys, we're only down four, we should be down 20. And I said, let's just get in our press, get in the zone, try to mix them up a little bit. And I actually felt really good the fact that we were only down four.”
On how big limiting turnovers was emphasized during halftime
“I mean, besides transition defense but that was a big thing. We watched film at halftime. Six of their threes were off turnovers. And again, I felt pretty good about that. I knew we wouldn’t turn it over that much. It's a little bit of when you don't practice for two days and you've traveled, sometimes you got to give college kids, just give them a little bit of benefit of the doubt that they'll figure it out. And this team's figured it out a little bit.”
On holding Iowa 0-of-13 from three in the second half
“I think we got them out of rhythm. Again, they played at Rutgers [on] Wednesday. We played [on] Thursday night. I knew they were gonna be fresh, and they came in there. They passed the ball so well – they're actually fun to watch, I’ll be honest with you. But we got off to a good start. We were scoring. It's just kind of, eventually, they're not going to make every shot. I loved our defense. I loved the way we switched out in the second half. I thought our pick-and-roll defense was much better in the second half. In the first half, I don't know what we were doing, but it was a good adjustment by the guys.”
On Rodney Rice’s personal 8-0 run to start the second half
“I mean, we start putting the ball in [Rodney’s] hands a little bit more towards the second half. A, I think he's really good off the bounce. B, gives Ja’Kobi a little bit of a breather, a little bit. And [Rodney] kind of really developed nicely as the seasons gone on where I have a lot of confidence in him and putting the ball in his hands more. And I just liked his matchup and we decided to get him to rock.”
On starting the three-game homestand with a win
“It’s February. Everyone win [is] huge. Everyone's battling for seeding and positioning and everything. So to get off this home stand with a W is huge.”
On Iowa’s first-half success with 8-of-14 from three
“We played zone in the second half and just tried to get – there was such a good rhythm in the first half. Obviously our turnovers really hurt us. But I thought the zone got them standing a little bit and just not moving as much as they were, as well as they were moving in the first half.”
On Ja’Kobi Gillespie finishing with 26 points and seven assists, his matchup
“Ja’Kobi is one of the best guards in this league. I think ever since the Washington game, for the most part, he's starting to really figure out when to push it, when not to. He's playing at a high level.”
On a season-high five assists for Selton Miguel, his shooting
“No, I want Selton shooting the basketball every time. He's almost I mean, what today is probably almost up to 50% in league play. If he shot it every time, I'd be happy. If he never dribbled again, I'd be the happiest guy in the world.”
On where the game has slowed down the most for Derik Queen
“He’s just got used to the physicality, you know? I think that's the biggest thing. In high school, he's going up against guys that look like me, you know, and you come into this league, and you go through it. I think he's gotten used to the physicality, the size of the league and I think he's adjusted really well. He's not doing the same things he was doing earlier. He's realizing he can use his skill on the perimeter look more. He's going off the bounce a little bit more. I just think he's adjusted really well to the physicality.”
On 95 points from the starting five
“I think they're all very comfortable with each other, and they all kind of know, I think they’re playing really well in the sandbox as I like to say. They kind of know when someone's going to shoot it. They don't get frustrated when someone shoots it. They know they're going to get their shots. They know they're going to get their touches. I think earlier in the year, when I was bringing guys in and out, we got antsy a little bit. I just think they all kind of know they're going to get theirs and I think it's just relaxed them a little bit.”
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