What Archie Miller Said on His Radio Show 12/7/20

Archie Miller talked about his team's performance at the Maui Invitational and previewed some of Indiana's upcoming opponents. Armaan Franklin was the player guest.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Archie Miller joined Don Fischer Monday night for his weekly radio show called "Inside IU Basketball with Archie Miller."

Miller revisited the Maui Invitational and previewed Indiana's upcoming Big Ten/ACC Challenge opponent in Florida State.

Below are some of the key highlights on Miller's conversation with Fischer:

On his thoughts on the Maui Invitational

"We knew it would be difficult," Miller said.

He said he thinks Providence is a top two or three team in the Big East.

"Coming into the game, our guys were really tuned in and ready... I thought we set the tone very early in that game. Our defense looked good enough in that game to play against anybody."

Miller said the game against Texas was the polar opposite of the Providence game.

"They not only set the tone, but played extremely hard and physical. They really frustrated us."

Miller said they were at the mercy of their depth and the team really tried to regroup after the tough Texas loss.

"The most important guy we needed to step up was Trayce... We were able to get a great win."

Miller thinks it was two good wins, and he wishes they could play Texas again because he knows his team is better than what they showed against the Longhorns.

On who stood out in Maui

"I thought our guys needed to understand that three games in three days presents a lot of challenges."

Miller pointed out that foul trouble, fatigue and injuries all played a factor.

He said Jerome Hunter got in foul trouble against Providence, so Jordan Geronimo came in and did a "great job" taking over that role. Emphasized Geronimo will be important this season.

He said they were looking for any spark against Texas and never got one.

After Rob Phinisee got his fourth foul early in the second half against Stanford, Miller thought, "Let's get Lander, Galloway and Leal in there and see how they do, and they did a great job."

Miller believes Lander is still learning how to play, but liked how he played without Phinisee on the floor, setting up Jackson-Davis and getting to the free-throw line.

He was overall really pleased with how all four freshmen performed.

Obviously, he was also pleased with the contributions from Race Thompson and Armaan Franklin.

On the problems Florida State presents

"I was impressed with Texas' length, but their guards were a little smaller. The thing with Florida State is their guards are bigger... The length and athleticism on the floor for them is crazy."

That allows the Seminoles to switch all across the board defensively, so Miller knows his offense will be really tested.

"There's constantly pressure on you."

Armaan Franklin was the player guest on the show. Here's some highlights of what he had to say:

On how much weight he gained in the offseason

"I've gained about 12 to 13 pounds, and all credit to Cliff Marshall. He's one of the best in the game, and I'm grateful for him."

On his confidence

"I just think I have to be a confident player to be the best player I can be for this team. I just gotta step up, not be shy and be confident out there."

On his defense

"To me, defense is all about heart. Just keeping that person that you're guarding in front of you and helping your teammates out. At the end of the day, it's all heart."

Franklin said he was locked in the whole Stanford game and said he didn't think about being tired and was completely focused on winning the game.

On what the team does in their off time

"Just watch movies, go out to eat, chill around the apartment."

On if they're video game players

"We are. I'm not the biggest video game player on the team, but when we got a big group of guys, I'll jump in."

Franklin said he thinks he's the best player in sports video games, saying he's never lost in Madden. With games like Call of Duty, he says Trayce and Race are the best.

You can listen to the full show below:

Related Stories:

• TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After an impressive stretch of games in Maui, Trayce Jackson-Davis earned some Big Ten honors. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA BASKETBALL DEFEATS STANFORD: The Hoosiers finished their trip to Asheville with a 2-1 record. CLICK HERE
• WAS ARMAAN FRANKLIN'S PERFORMANCE THE START OF SOMETHING NEW?: Tom Brew writes about Franklin's big day against Stanford, and what to expect from the sophomore going forward. CLICK HERE