Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon and Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan were both on the Big Ten's coaches teleconference Monday talking about their upcoming matchup Tuesday night at Xfinity Center.
Here are some of their quotes:
Mark Turgeon
On any carry over from beating highly-ranked teams at home in the past:
"I don't think it really carries over year by year, obviously we're confident at home. It should be an electric atmosphere and all that. It should be a fun night, we're playing one heck of a team."
On needing the frontcourt to be a factor:
"This is a different animal here. It was like playing five guards the other night [against Nebraska]. These guy have legitimate big guys. They're going to have to play well. What our rotation is going to be, I don't know yet. Depends on the game and how those guys play. Our big guys are going to have to step up and take on a challenge of playing Wisconsin."
On Wisconsin's success despite losing Traevon Jackson:
"They have really good players, veteran players, a great coach obviously. The thing that makes these guys go, they're really good defensively and they don't foul…and they don't turn the ball over, they don't hurt themselves. The stat that really sticks out is they've made in the league something like 75 more free throws than opponents have shot. That's pretty amazing. They're just really solid and they do a lot of things well and they space the floor. There's a reason they're 25 and 2."
On having a few days off between Nebraska and Wisconsin:
"You never know as a coach. I was worried about our three games in six days and we actually played really well the last two. We took time off before Nebraska and I don't think we played great. We approached this time off between games a little differently, we'll see. Hopefully we're sharp and we're fresh, but you never know as a coach."
On being able to score against Wisconsin:
"I don't think they're going to foul, so we're going to have to figure out ways to score. I think defense and rebounding has to be terrific for 40 minutes to give yourselves a chance against these guys. They're so hard to guard, they're patience, spacing, ball screens, a lot of good players. We're going to have make shots because they're not going to foul, they don't do it. They go hands back on a lot of things. Hopefully we can get our offense going and make a few shots as the night goes on."
On playing up or down to the level of competition this season:
"I hate to think that's what we do, it looks that way sometimes. I do think we get fired up for big games, I know that. We've tried to be consisstent. I think it's hard for five months to b e consistent. Some teams can not play well and still win because they're talent level is so good. We've been able to win a couple of home games where we haven't played well. If we don't do that on the road, we don't have any chance. I'd like to think as the season has gone on that our guys are stepping and hopefully playing well every night, not depending on the competition."
On valuing each possession:
"They're not going to turn it over and they're not going to foul you, so you want to make sure you get shots against them and hopefully get some second-chance points against them. They do a great job of boxing out. We'll see how it goes. Every game is different. We got to be us and we got to play well and be dialed into our gameplan and see what happens."
Bo Ryan
On Maryland and the job Turgeon has done:
"Mark's done a great job. They're a very good team, good players, good chemistry right now, they're playing well and we're glad to have them in the league. I've seen Mark's teams play over the years. He knows the game, he knows what he has, he's worked at it. They're pretty good."
On what specifically impresses about Melo Trimble and this year's team:
"I don't do scouting reports on the phone. I think if you just take a stat sheet and look at their production, you mention one player in Trimble, but they have other really good players. Their potential volume of points just doesn't come from one person in the course of a game. They have weapons that are multifaceted that way. They pound the glass, they play good D. That's why they have the record that they have."
On whether Jake Layman is an X-factor because of the way he plays inside and out:
"Any player who has size and can do both, needless to say, we think we have a couple, they have some, it gives you a chance to keep the defense getting. Anyone knows if they've seen Maryland play at all what they have. Our job will be trying to minimize their strengths and maximize weaknesses, but that's the things you do for every team."
On how Trimble and Dez Wells stack up against other guard combinations Wisconsin has faced this season:
"I would say by production, not by trying to throw in anything subjective, objectively they're obviously pretty good. Stats will tell that."