University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Ohio State
1/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Minnesota Head Coach Richard Pitino
Opening statement…
"I am proud of these guys. To do it with Nate Mason not playing offensively his best game, Eric Curry hurt. Eric really gutted it out, we didn't think he was going to play. He told me before the game, I think his teammates got to him because he told me 'I'm going to play. I'm going to play'. He really stuck it out and gutted it out, gave us 12 good minutes. I think we showed our depth and that's what I really liked. Akeem Springs was terrific; Amir Coffey was absolutely fantastic. Overall it was a great team win, proud to be sitting 15-2, we obviously have to move on and prepare for Michigan State."
On the importance of Springs' performance…
"It was very important. He hit big 3's obviously but he also got five assists and one turnover. That pass at the end was really good, he hit the 3 to put it to nine. He made big plays. He is fearless, he's tough, he plays good defense, makes good shots. That's what good teams do. Like last game we were at Northwestern and Reggie steps up and makes good plays. At Purdue Nate Mason steps up and scores 30. We have got pretty good depth, we have to get Eric healthy, but overall a tremendous win."
On team improvement…
"We obviously did not have a good year. We obviously had some issues off the court. We took ownership from them and we got better from it. We didn't point fingers and say 'It's his fault'. It was our fault, its on me, but we got better from it. We did not sit there and say 'No everything is fine'. But I will say, we had to take it from a lot of people, we had to band together and get closer because of it. And I am not saying that the criticism was wrong, rightfully so, that's what happens when you lose games. But with that being said we had to sit there and we had to take it. We are not a boastful program so we just want our talking to be done on the court. What's exciting is every game we have earned the respect back from our awesome fans. We have earned the respect back just by playing the right way. We have not arrived, not even close to arrived, but I think our fans appreciate the way that we play. I am extremely proud of our guys. I think they have taken great ownership."
Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta
On the rough start……
"In Illinois we were tied in the first half 10-10. We knew Minnesota was the team that got off to great starts in the last two games and that is incredible as I have ever seen, but we weren't in the pace or the intensity. They got into the flow of the offense quicker and once we settled down we made some baskets."
On Minnesota's performance…..
"Shot blocking. They had 12 of them. I think they got a great guard. Mason is so good because he can get two guys to commit to the ball and obviously when Akeem (Springs) was making shots. That's a heck of a weapon, but their big kid started scoring in there and got the best of us to start the game. We weren't as active as we needed to be defensively."
On getting runs…….
"No, that is what we kept saying that we had to put the run. Right there in the first half we had cut it to 6 and had a wide open shot in the corner and ended up going down 11 at halftime. It is those little plays. For whatever reason they do not go our way ... Those are things that we need to get corrected."
On what he told them during timeouts…….
"Score. Put the ball in the basket was one big one and then guard them a little bit better at the other end. Taking care of the basketball and we started off turning it over in the beginning and we couldn't get a flow going offensively."
On the success of attacking the basket…..
"I thought we moved the ball quicker. We cut harder. We had some better spacing in terms of guys were more ready to play off the ball, so those opportunities came."
Graduate Student Akeem Springs
On closing games...
"Our non-conference schedule, playing in some of those close games, is really showing now. It's about having the confidence when it gets tight and when the other team makes a run. We know they're going to make a run. Ohio State is a good team; everyone in our conference is a good team. They're capable of putting together a bunch of buckets in a row. When that happens, we have to stay confident. I think our non-conference games and some of those close games we pulled out are really showing now."
On possibility of being ranked in the top 25...
"It would mean a ton. When you're at a mid-major, you're not going to be in the top 25 unless you go undefeated the whole year. It's an accomplishment and it just speaks to all of our hard work. I think that's more important than anything; it just speaks to how hard we're working. If you read some of the stuff people said about us before the season started, it's just showing that this is a positive step.The sky is the limit for us."
On how the year has been....
"It's been a rollercoaster. It's been up and down, but it's been a lot of fun. The reason it's so fun, if you watch us play and watch the bench, is because we're a team that is so close and so tight. It just makes everything that much better. Even though I came in late and I had a period where I was catching up to everyone, having a team that is so close and has accepted me is great. It's been fun."
Freshman Amir Coffey
On what they learned from Michigan State game...
"It taught us about finishing out games and keeping our composure when teams make runs. It's important to finish late in games."
On how fans react to team..
"It feels good. Based on the year we're having so far, it just feels good. We put a lot of work in during the offseason, and added some new pieces. We've been working hard, so to see a packed house and a lot of fans coming to watch us play feels good."
On change in team's confidence...
"We dropped one against Michigan State, but after that we had to pick our selves back up. The wins at Purdue and Northwestern really got our confidence up. I think that's good for us."
