Maryland will look to remain undefeated at home in onference play when they host eighth-ranked Michigan State on Wednesday for the first top-20 matchup of the season. With a chance to end a six-game losing streak against the Spartans, Maryland starters Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Julian Reese preview Michigan State and assess where things stand with conference play coming to an end:
On keys to a win vs. Michigan State
Reese: “I say one of the biggest keys would be getting back in transition. Michigan State is a really fast team and they tend to pick up the pace away and home games for them.”
Gillespie: “Stopping their transition because they like to run a lot and also just playing how we play, I feel like we’ll be good.”
Gillespie on what he notices from Michigan State’s guards defensively
“They just play super hard. I just can't let them speed me up and kind of still play at my own pace.”
Gillespie on how he gets so much arc on his shots
“I used to shoot way higher but they made me lower it at Belmont like two years ago, freshman year, because I wasn't shooting it great. So they made me lower and I feel like that helped.”
“My dad, he taught me growing up. And then one of the coaches at Belmont kind of helped me lower it, fixed my percentage and my percentage wasn’t good freshman year.”
Reese on improving his jump shot
“I had a jump shot. It wasn't really an emphasis in my workouts or anything. I was just, you know, kind of shooting and stepping out, making sure that was a part of my game. But here we had a shot coach all three years and kind of just [go] from there.”
Reese on the need to improve shooting for NBA purposes, personal goals
“You obviously as a player want to be good at everything on the court, just do whatever to help the team. So yeah, that’s definitely an emphasis.”
Reese on what he’s noticed from Michigan State from previous matches
“Definitely intensity. First and foremost, we got to match their intensity and their physicality and physical team. You know, just bringing that energy. I never really played against them [when] they play with low energy. They're a very enthusiastic team and they play with high motor at all time.”
Gillespie on being back at home mainly through February
“I feel like it's nothing like playing at home, just having all the fans like cheering for us, and not the opposite we get away. So I feel like it's really helped us being at home.”
On the ‘Crab Five’ nickname
Reese: “Yeah, it's definitely just a great pat on the back. We love the name. We let a notoriety, whatever we're given. But I feel like our team is like way more than our first five and we got a lot of guys that can impact the game in many ways. You know, we got Jordan [Geronimo] coming out the bench. Also Tafara [Gapare], Jay [Young] and numerous guys I'm not naming. They can make a definite impact on the court as well outside of [the] five. That's really what makes us our team so versatile that's gonna help us later in March.”
Gillespie: “I mean, just like Ju said, I feel like we all love playing with each other. It's cool to have that nickname, but we do have a whole team. So, I mean, it isn't just us out there.”
On what makes the starting five, this team a tight-knit group
Reese: “Just the fact that it could be anybody's given night. Tafara can go for 20, Selton go for 20. Anybody can go for 20 that night. And just having us understand that, and nobody's not really mad about shots, everybody getting shots and we just staying consistent with that and keeping our mental focus. I feel like we'll be good.”
Gillespie: “I feel like us winning and liking to be around each other. It's just it's easy to come in here every day and work.”
Reese on what a homecourt advantage looks like
“Yeah, I've definitely seen a lot of guys get a little frustrated, down on their self when they miss shots, and our crowd just like start screaming when they miss and just starts cheering and then we start scoring. It's kind of like a domino effect mentally for them, and I feel like that sixth man definitely helps and puts it on their mind that we're here and we have a big crowd behind us.”
Reese on whether potential has become a topic of discussion during Maryland’s hot streak
“Kind of [in] the second half at our Iowa game. We [were] kind of slacking in the first half and just letting like buckets go, like letting things go that we typically don't. And after we kind of locked in, we watched film the next day, we kind of realized we can, like, really do this, and we can come together, the sky's the limit.”
Reese on feeding off the homecourt advantage in a sold out crowd vs. Michigan State
“I feel like we feed off it a lot. I feel like this will be a big statement win one for us and just put us on the map even more. And it will help us late season and late in the conference tournament for seeding as well. And just a big game and really important game for both squads.”
Reese on Willard mentioning he’s one of his favorite players he’s coached
“It means a lot, especially having a coach with that type of confidence in a player just shows the relationship we have off the court as well. And it's just a great thing to have a coach like that that relies on you like that, and just a reflection of the work we put in in the offseason and how the bond we connected these last three years.”
Reese on Gillespie’s leadership style
“He typically just tries to lead a bit by example, more than vocally, just doing the right thing on the court, making the right pass at all time. And sometimes the stuff gets hectic on the court, he just calms us down. We'll just play and just brings [us] all together and to the side and just makes sure everything's all good.”
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