University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes
1/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Minnesota (14-4, 3-3) 69, Iowa (7-10, 0-5) 59
January 16, 2011
Minneapolis, Minn.
Head Coach Tubby Smith
On Iowa:
“I thought it was a hard-played game. We knew a team like Iowa, even though they’ve been struggling, would come ready to play. I have a lot of respect for Fran McCaffery. He’ll get his team ready. … We’ll have all kinds of trouble with them next time.”
On the Gophers’ defensive effort:
“I thought we did a good job defensively. We really tried to force them to take some tough shots, but they’re very patient. We were able to force the tempo, Al (Nolen) was able to get in some of the passing lanes, and Ralph had seven blocks. We’re starting to take a little pride in the defensive end.”
On if the run by Iowa at the start of the second half was caused by a lapse in defense:
“We were turning the ball over then—it wasn’t so much defense as much as…concentration started waning. Guys missed some easy baskets, or a lazy pass.”
On frontcourt players demanding the ball in tight situations:
“We think our strength is in our frontcourt, in Ralph Sampson, in Trevor (Mbakwe), and in Colton (Iverson). They’re big bodies. They’re fundamentally sound. They’re pretty athletic. … We can’t make some of the mistakes we made—the fouls.”
Minnesota Player Quotes
Trevor Mbawke (Jr./F)
On playing a struggling Iowa team after a big win over Purdue:
“We knew Iowa would come in and play tough. Some might have expected us to have a letdown after a big win versus Purdue. But what we’ve been stressing all year is consistency. Every Big Ten game is going to be tough, whether home or away.”
On his last seven days and the adversity he’s been through recently:
“It’s been that way with my career so far, but they say how you deal with adversity is how you see a person’s true character. I just needed to come out and keep doing what I’ve been doing and worry about the things I can control.”
Ralph Sampson (Jr./F)
On defensive intensity leading to offense:
“We know defense wins championships. When we play together as a team on the defensive end, it helps bring the crowd into it. The crowd gives us an extra boost and extra energy. Those defensive stops help create more chances on offense as well.”
On the team’s focus or lack thereof to begin the second half when Iowa got back into the game:
“What we have been trying to do is put two halves together and play a full game. We struggled with that at the beginning of the second. We just need to focus on what was successful and try to get back to doing that.”
