University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Minnesota 72, Ohio State 74
1/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Minnesota Head Coach Richard Pitino
Opening statement...
"Obviously that one stings a little bit. I thought we did a great job, showed a lot of heart coming back, but we just didn't make plays when we needed to make them, and they did. So you've got to give them credit. They're a very good team. D'Angelo Russell in the first half, that was an impressive performance. I was proud of the way our guys guarded him the second half. But that's life in the Big Ten. You've got to get them credit. They're a good team. Certainly our guys are disappointed, but we've just got to rebound and get back to work and stay positive."
On the Gophers' comeback from a double-digit deficit...
"I thought they showed great character and heart. I liked that. I thought that they did a great job on a very good player in D'Angelo Russell and we adjusted. We trapped him. We denied him. We did a lot of things like that, so I thought that was really good. Still, just defensively when we needed to get some stops, got backdoor or didn't get a couple rebounds. We got beat by a very good team, but I'm proud of our guys' effort. We've just got to stay positive now. Certainly 0-and-3 is difficult going on the road, but we've just got to stay positive."
On how he felt after the three-pointer to tie the game...
I thought that was going to take it. We were ready to get another stop on the other end and go down, score a basket, it was going to be OT and then we were going to get the win.
On what he will take away from today's game...
We didn't give up in adversity. When adversity hit, we could have just thrown in the towel and say, okay, we're not going to win this game but that's not what this team does…we're going to keep the fight til' the clock runs out.
On the team being "close"...
Yeah, this team is really, really close. Our defense is getting better. I remember last year, we weren't getting stops when we needed them. I seemed like today, we got stops when we needed them. Like I said, they made some tough shots in overtime. All we could do was come in and make the plays and unfortunately, we just couldn't in overtime.
On being anxious to get the ball back after the second half...
Yes, I was definitely wanting to play. I feel like I was playing good. I've been struggling the past two games so to get it going and then have to sit on the bench for I think 8 minutes; it kind of just, it just deflates you. I wanted to be out there with my teammates.
Elliot Eliason
On how hard this loss is...
It's pretty hard. You know, it was just amazing how many people were here. When you lose by the slightest margin, it's just tough. It's going to sting tonight, but you just have to get past it and wake tomorrow morning and just try to be better.
On what Pitino said after the game...
He talked about a lot of things…you know…we know he believes in us and this team. We just have to keep working hard. It's a tough league and things don't come easy.
On confidence after three conference losses...
You know I think the nice thing is that we have five guys that have been here for a long time and we know what it's like to have a bad spell and how to pull out of it, so I think that helps a lot. We just have to get everyone else that hasn't been through it lifted up too, going in tomorrow. "
On the tough overtime loss...
They're all tough. You know, a loss is a loss in my book and everyone just wants to win, so it's tough.
On remembering there are a lot game left...
Yeah, we have a lot of opportunities to bounce back; we need the run. The good thing about this conference is that every team is a great team, so we just need to bounce back.
Thad Matta, Ohio State Head Coach
He had missed two early on and I kinda got on him in a timeout and said, "shoot the basketball." He had that one against their zone in the middle and he kinda softed it up there. Softed, I don't know if that's a word or not. He didn't shoot it real strong and I got on him in a timeout and said, "shoot the basketball" and I think he had a great read. Amir [Williams] had a great screen and they executed it to perfection.
You know, I honestly laughed. We didn't know if we wanted to take the timeout and, as he picked that ball up, I said, "Thank God we didn't because I know that we can't get a better shot than this." And, to his credit, he came in the timeout, he was mad, but he was very vocal and said, "hey, that's on me. I'll win this basketball game." And I love that, as a senior, from him.
