HEAD COACH GREGG MARSHALL ON...
 
…How the 2016-17 team's offense compares to past groups:
"We have – at any given time – four or five guys at the minimum that can lead us in scoring on the floor, and that hasn't always been the case... It hasn't really changed the way that I approach [the offense]. When guys are playing 20 or so minutes…it keeps them fresh, as opposed to playing 32 or 34 minutes a game. I also think that at any given time, whether it's Daishon (Smith) or Landry (Shamet) or Conner (Frankamp) or Austin (Reaves), we've got two point guards out there…in terms of their mentality. Not in bringing the ball up the court, but in facilitating the offense and running the team."
 
…Rauno Nurger's progression this year
"He's stronger. We did try to redshirt him last year, until the injury to (Anton) Grady happened. After five or six games he came off of the redshirt, and helped us in the NCAA Tournament in particular. Those were two of his better games, the wins against Vanderbilt and Arizona. He's a skilled guy, he's gotten stronger, he understands our system really well, and he can really move. He can change directions well for a big guy, both on defense – in terms of hedging – and then rushing out on ball screens and changing directions on the offensive end. I'm glad to see him having success because he's been working hard, and he's an everyday guy.
 
...The challenges Loyola's backcourt presents
"They're good. They can really score it. They have four guys that lead them in scoring at any given time, and then Andre Jackson – the undersized post player – is out there, it gives them five. Much like with our team, they share the basketball. They get in the gaps and kick it out. They shoot a tremendous percentage from the field and the three-point line, so they're hard to guard."
 
…Whether he is able to predict when certain players are going to step up and have a big night:
"We don't go into a game anticipating that. When you play any game, you're going to have a leading scorer and a leading rebounder, we just don't care who it is. (The players) determine that by how well they're playing. We try to go with the hot hand. We were able to overcome some really severe foul trouble at UNI. At the end of the first half we had six guys saddled with two fouls, so we had contributions from a lot of different guys: Eric Hamilton, Rauno Nurger, Rashard Kelly, guys that hadn't been playing quite as much got an opportunity and helped us win the game, so that was good to see."
 
…How to prevent players from getting into foul trouble with the new rules
"You try to blow whistles when they have blatant fouls in practice, you show them the fouls in video, but there's not much else you can do other than that. You want them to play hard and aggressive, but they also have to play smart. Against UNI, you can't get caught up in the arm wrestling and lowering the shoulders because they 'show the blow.' They do a great job of showing the blow and getting the whistle. We have to do a better job of not falling into that (trap)."