University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes: SDSU
12/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Minnesota Head Coach Richard Pitino
Opening Statement:
"Credit to them (SDSU) obviously, they were really good, we were really bad. You know they deserved it they were the better team. Obviously I think that's a good team but we were really bad especially in the beginning. Communication was not good in transition. And they are tough to guard but you have to give them credit. They are the better team right now. So we've got to find a way to scratch and claw our way out of this rut. It starts with defense. I sound like a broken record there but I thought we were a little bit better in the second half, not a whole lot. Give them credit that was a very good team, very good game plan. They deserved to win, we did not."
On talking with the guys about these kinds of games…
"This was different. I thought this team was a very good team. I certainly was very concerned about this. Not that I wasn't for South Dakota but you know they were the bwetter team, so you have to give them a lot of credit there."
On his message to the team...
"I just told them, listen, you know you started to compete, I guess that was the middle of the second half there. The guys that competed and fought, that's what we need to see. It's not going to be easy. But the guys that do that, that's the way we have to play. Obviously offensively, better in the second half, not real good in the first half. Again, you got to give them credit."
On coming out with urgency after the previous loss…
"Well, I was concerned because I knew they were a good team and I knew they'd throw a punch and we'd have to sustain it. I wanted to see how we'd handle it. We didn't handle it real great. Rebounded a little there in the second half. We got to do a better job. I have to do a better job of getting them ready and prepared, mentally and physically ready to go. If guys aren't ready that's on me."
South Dakota State Head Coach Scott Nagy
On the team's start:
"Well we knew, and it's one of the things that I've been stressing to the guys for days, is that we have to get off to a good start because these guys [the Gophers] are going to be focused coming off a loss. We have to get off to a good start. We can't have some bust defense early."
On the Jackrabbits' defense:
"Well, Joey is a big focus of the defense and I thought we did a good job with that. Our guards switched off on them. We tried to post on them. They did a good job trying to keep the ball out of his hands. And, you know, it's not just one guy it's our whole defense that was designed around that."
On Jordan Murphy:
"Murphy has been unbelievable these past two games and for them they're probably not bothered by that because they don't want to depend on a freshman to play great every game because they know that's probably not going to happen."
Sophomore Nate Mason
