What Jackson-Davis, Kopp Said After Indiana's 85-69 Loss to Miami in NCAA Tournament

Indiana suffered an 85-69 loss to Miami on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament, signaling the end of Trayce Jackson-Davis' and Miller Kopp's college basketball careers.

Jackson-Davis scored 23 points with eight rebounds and five blocks on 7-for-10 shooting and a 9-for-11 night at the free throw lines. He finished his Indiana career as the program's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots, as well as No. 3 on the all-time scoring list behind Steve Alford and Calbert Cheaney. Jackson-Davis is also the only Indiana player to ever record over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. 

Kopp transferred from Northwestern to Indiana before the 2021-22 season, and he set a record for most Big Ten conference games played with 99. Kopp scored eight points on 3-for-7 shooting against Miami, and he finished the season with a 44.4 3-point shooting percentage.

Here's what Jackson-Davis and Kopp said after the game.

Q: What got you back in the game, what got you the lead early in the second half, and what got away from you as Miami got back into it?

Jackson-Davis: What got us back in the game is we were playing hard on the defensive end of the floor and getting quick baskets, quick screen, quick points in the post, stuff of that nature. Our defense was leading the offense. Kind of got away from us. They hit a few tough shots. They hit some shots, got some rebounds on the offensive end of the floor that got them extra possessions. When you get down eight to ten, you've got to press, and they're a really good team going in transition. So that's when the game started getting out of hand. 

Q: Miller and Race, you guys kind of had to struggle through the first half, but then Miller hit that big three at the end, and Trey came out and hit one. When you got ahead 42-40, where were you at in your mind? Did you feel you were back where you needed to be and could take it from there?

Kopp: Yeah, we were super confident. We came out and made a run, punched first. That's what we wanted to do coming out of halftime. So for us we were feeling really confident, putting Trayce in a good position to share the ball and attack. We just didn't keep that up. 

Q: For Trayce and Race, Miami had 20 offensive rebounds. I mean, how difficult was it to try to get that contained? Why do you think it was difficult to get it contained? 

Jackson-Davis: They're a great offensive rebounding team. They've got athletes. They would shoot shots. Everyone was crashing. They didn't have guards getting back. Everyone was going to get the ball. Omier played really well on the offensive glass to bring energy and wedging people under, myself included. They were playing relentless on the glass. So they punished us, and that's what they did honestly.

Q: Trayce, you were getting noticeably emotional as the end of the game came to a close. When you think about your last four years as a Hoosier, what kind of comes to your mind? What do you think about?

Jackson-Davis: I just think about just being part of the change really. Just two years ago, we were getting Booed in our home city, Indianapolis, off the court in the Big Ten Tournament. Just being in this moment two years later, it's really special. It's really special to me to have the Indiana fans on your back and just cheering for you and giving them hope. It's something that this program hasn't had in a while. So I just thought it was really cool to be part of that and be part of that experience. I know this guy right next to me is going to make sure that things stay in the right direction.

Q: The start of the second half was good. The start of the first half wasn't. You fell behind 13-3. I think in a sideline interview Coach Woodson said you guys were complaining too much and it was a big time basketball game and you needed to play harder. Did you feel like you didn't play hard enough early on?

Jackson-Davis: Yeah, I just think that they got off to a quick start. We didn't play well to start the game. Then going into the second half, I think that we kind of punched first. I think at the end of the first half we got -- I think it was maybe a run of five, where we cut it to five. Then we punched first at the start of the second half and tried to carry that momentum off. Then it kind of was back and forth, back and forth until they kind of sprung out again. There was definitely complaining, but we're just competitors. We're trying to compete. So it happens.

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• GAME STORY: Indiana had no answer for Miami's athleticism on Sunday night, struggling defensively and getting crushed on the boards in an 85-69 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The loss signaled the end of a brilliant career for Trayce Jackson-Davis, who scored 23 points in his final game as a Hoosier. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Here's what Indiana coach Mike Woodson said after the Hoosiers' season-ending loss to No. 5 seed Miami in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on Sunday in Albany, N.Y. CLICK HERE
• WHAT GALLOWAY SAID: Here's what Indiana junior guard Trey Galloway said after the Hoosiers' 85-69 loss to No. 5 seed Miami in the NCAA Tournament. CLICK HERE
• WHAT BATES SAID: Here's what Tamar Bates said after Indiana's 85-69 loss to Miami in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on Sunday in Albany, N.Y. Bates finished the game 0-for-7 shooting with four rebounds in 20 minutes. CLICK HERE