University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes
11/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2011
Postgame Quotes
Minnesota (3-0) 67, Fairfield (1-2) 57
Williams Arena
November 17, 2011
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith
Opening statement…
"I thought, Fairifield and Coach Johnson had a good game plan for us. (Fairfield) Really created a lot of problems for us…
"In terms of handling the pressure, we had 23 turnovers, which is really disappointing for us. We were really disorganized. So that is the area of concern. It was a good night for Trevor, he got to the line 18 times, making 16.
Trevor's efficiency at the line…
"That's a real plus because now guys are confident. Trevor is physical and he is going to get fouled. So we need to give him the ball and he can go get it. Having a big man who can make free throws, that is a big plus."
Challenges…
"Fairfield was pretty physical, guys like Sanders who is pretty solid player, we really didn't have a good match up for him. Even though we turned them over 20 times, we didn't convert. We would turn the ball over and give the ball right back. It was a comedy of turnovers for a while. I mean 43 turnovers in a game, that's ugly."
On improvements…
"There are always something that you look back on and know you should of worked on it in more in practice. One thing we didn't work on much was the jump stop. But you would hope a Division I player would know the jump stop."
Minnesota Guard Austin Hollins
On Tubby Smith's post-game comments about it being a sloppy game:
"It was a sloppy game, but it just shows the things we still have to work on. We got the win, and that's always good, but we're going to come back to practice on Saturday and work on those things. We just have to take care of the ball better."
On why it was such a sloppy game:
"I think just rushing. They put that pressure on us a little bit and I think we just rushed a little too much. We've just got to be patient and move the ball around, take a few extra passes, and we'll be alright."
On Andre Hollins playing a more aggressive game:
"He was definitely a lot more aggressive. Like Trevor said, he's learning. He and Joe both work hard at practice, and you know it's a learning experience, and every day they try to get better. They're going to learn and I think the experience will help them farther along the road."
On his two dunks today:
"I had a lot of energy. Coach is always telling us to crash the board, so I'm trying to do more of that. I went to the basket and I just got in and boxed out. I happened to have a little lane to get in there. The second one I just had a lot of energy, trying to get the team pumped up, had a fast break. It felt good."
Minnesota Forward Trevor Mbakwe
On his improvements from the line from last year:
"That was first thing I did this offseason. I missed too many free throws last year. I know teams are going to foul me the way I play, and I need to make them pay for those fouls from the line. I think that was key for this game, how I would make them--especially how ugly the game was. I think that kind of helped us down the stretch and helped keep the lead to a certain point. It let us get back into the game."
On changing his free throw mechanics from last year:
"I played with them a little bit. Coach got me to set the ball higher. I was offsetting it lower, so it was a lot of range and a lot of movement that I was doing too much."
On the high number of turnovers:
"That was the biggest thing. Coach after the game said, 'You know, that's 46 points. That's a lot of possessions.' We need to cut down on those turnovers. That's a lot of basketball, a lot of possessions we weren't able to get at. If we want to win, especially in the Big Ten, we can't have that many turnovers at all. Like Austin said, I think we were kind of in a rush. They set the pressure on, and they did a good job of that, but we have to get better at that. 23 turnovers is unacceptable."
On the newcomers on the team and getting used to the pressure:
"You know, we have two new guys who are kind of new to the system. It's their first year playing for the University of Minnesota. Julian (Welch) and Andre Hollins, they're great workers, and they want to keep learning. I know they weren't too happy - nobody was too happy with the way we were playing tonight, especially because of how many times we turned the ball over, but it's going to come. This was good for us. It was the first time we were getting pressed as much as they were. It'll give us something to learn and keep getting better at."
Fairfield Head Coach Sydney Johnson
General Thoughts…
"We had a pretty good effort, but it is hard to win games with the turnovers we had. (Minnesota) executed well so it was just too hard to win tonight."
Frontcourt play today…
"It is a strength of ours. (Minnesota) is good up front as well, Mbakwe and Sampson are terrific and obviously that is going to be important for (Minnesota). It is a strength of ours, so we are trying to play inside-out as much as possible and see where that takes us."
What can be taken from the game…
"We are playing really good teams, Providence and Minnesota are really good teams. We are trying to carve out our own niche, so we have to play with intensity and trust each other on offense and defense. If we don't trust each other for a split second it can get away from us and that is what has happened tonight."
