In his words: Indiana coach Tom Crean talks about Hoosiers' win

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CHICAGO - Indiana men's basketball coach Tom Crean spoke with the media following the Hoosiers' win over Illinois on Friday at the United Center in the 2013 Big Ten Tournament.

"We thought we defended at a very high level to hold a really good shooting team and a high scoring team when they get their offense rolling the way they're capable of, to hold them down in this game.

And I'm excited about the way our guys played. They should be too. And because they started off in a great way, they continued to play at a high level, and we closed the game the last seven minutes, not only defending pretty well, but scoring very well. That's the key. To go 21 of 24 from the foul line, to rebound the ball the way that we did, those are big, big things for us."

"I think we have a team like we have had that's answered the bell all year long. Responded from tough games. And sitting where we're sitting, the team has been the headline maker.

Because these guys are so unselfish and they're so selfless with one another and the way that they work, the way that they share the credit, the way that they play offensively and defensively."

"I think we're the kind of team that if you take somebody away from the game, and you don't want them to be the one that scores, there's still so many other guys that can play, because of the ball movement, because we understand that when we're at our best we're a ball reversal team.

There's certain things we want to get early, there's certain things we want to get late, but everything in between is about that ball spraying all over the court and reversing, being reversed."

"I haven't thought about that as much, but I was asked well not just like that after the Michigan game but much the same. I would think that we have I would hope we have done enough.

I think when you have the league the way that it is and you win it outright the way that we did. And I think one of the bigger things is the way we played on the road and the only home losses that Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State have are to us. And that says a lot, because those are three teams that can win a national championship and have been considered that way most of the year. So I would hope that we have, but that just remains to be seen."