Oklahoma State University Athletics
Kansas Postgame Quotes
January 14, 2017 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Brad Underwood Opening Statement:
"From an Oklahoma State standpoint, we got a little better today even though the outcome wasn't in the left column. Free throws and rebounds are my biggest pet peeves in basketball. We had four of us there and they had two. And I think they had nine or maybe 10 points on those opportunities. When you're playing now the No. 1 team in the country, in their building, you can't do that. In essence, I feel pretty good about what we did offensively. I thought we tried to go a little deeper in the shot clock early. We wanted to try to help our defense by playing good offense. To use the football terminology, 'time of possession.' We tried to see if they would make a mistake. I thought we were halfway successful with that and I felt good about our tempo the first half. Kansas is so good and they have always been good at taking advantage of their opponent in transition. What we did is we fouled and that really put us in harm's way. Getting (Mitchell) Solomon in foul trouble hurt us in the first half. (Leyton) Hammonds was not even a blip on the screen today because of foul trouble. I was really proud of Davon Dillard, a man I haven't been playing a great deal. He came in and led us in rebounding and he gave us some toughness. I told (Kansas') Frank (Mason III) after the game that if it ended today, he would be the National Player of the Year. He refuses to let them lose. Devonte' (Graham) hit a couple of big threes, which hurt. And then you talk about Josh (Jackson) and he does what he does. He's 6-foot-8 and gets to the foul line, he's aggressive and he's got a dog in him that I love. He made a great defensive play in front of our bench. They're a very good basketball team and I thought it was a good ending today."
On Kansas guards Mason, Graham and Jackson:
"This league this year has elite point guards. All the way up and down the conference, elite point guards. More importantly, most of them are veteran point guards. And I've used the saying, 'it's like having Tom Brady at quarterback.' There is nothing you can throw at them that they have not seen. I've watched Frank for four years. With that bulldog mentality, he is getting that thing to the rim, he's going to make that stop, he's going to sit down and guard, he's going to do whatever it takes for that team to win. There are not many people that have that. And Josh's stuff is legendary. He stood out at the AAU circuit and it's probably a shame because of our culture today, but he stood out because he played hard. He's talented, but he plays hard. He's loaded up. We just wrote 'dog' next to his name because that's what he is. I appreciate that. And Devonte', I don't know where he's at with leadership, but he falls right along. There's a 'refuse to lose' mentality that they have. We don't have that yet. YET. YET. Put that in all caps. We're going to get it at some point."
On the Jayhawks giving up more points this season than in previous seasons:
"They don't have great depth. I don't know their inner workings, but their depth is a factor in terms of being able to protect the rim. I think there are positives to having size and being able to protect the rim, but this is not one of Kansas' bigger teams. That doesn't mean they're not great, because they are very good, but if that is any one reason I would say it is because a little lack of depth."
On the Cowboys' shot selection:
"We are who we are. We have been a team which has been limited to being able to throw the ball in to the post. Jawun (Evans) is a guy who we lean on a lot. I think he took 20 shots; he's got a make more than he misses, but for the most part we are OK with our shot selection."
On Evans' struggles this season:
"The other teams. He's got a reputation and I think there is a reason we have seen an improvement in Jeffrey Carroll and see Phil (Forte III) have some good nights. It is because of him. The other part of that is two out of the last three games he's played four and five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. It is hard when you're not into a flow and a rhythm. But Jawun is good and I don't put too much into that. We are going to lean on him very heavily."
On the Cowboys' players after the game:
"I am pleased because I liked our locker room at the end of the game. You have guys that sacrifice and commit and it hurts. I haven't seen that every game. You have to pay a price to win. Kansas is the best; what Bill (Self) has done here is remarkable. Winning is hard and we're trying to get there. Losing is not an option and it is never going to be acceptable. In Texas, I think we had guys more happy to get their boxed lunch and get on the bus. Not anymore. So there is improvement there. I think we've found a player, Mitchell Solomon. I have so much respect for Phil Forte, because Phil has taken the bull by the horns for our team and has given us a chance."
On the Cowboys' offense and defense against Kansas today:Â
"We thought we could take them away from the rim. We felt like with our offense there is a lot of cutters, a lot of weak side opportunities. You put Landen (Lucas) on ball screens, force him to guard, and that opens the paint. The one thing we can do is shoot the basketball. Jeffrey Carroll has been – obviously, I'm selfish and biased -- but one of the most improved players in the country. How quiet were his 23 points tonight? Mitchell's second half was the guy we need him to be every night."
On expecting to win games:
"Not in one second in my 30 years (of coaching) have I thought that any game was not winnable. I don't care who we play. I think we have a chance every single night to fight and to win. I expected to win tonight. If for one second I stop doing that, Oklahoma State should quit paying me."Â Â
On the state of Kansas:
"This is such a special state. You have three universities that produce top-level basketball. You have top community colleges and Division II basketball. This place is special. Kansas is always going to be home and I'm always going to be proud to be a part of this state and everything that transpires here. This is a special place. I'm an old-school guy, that's why I've taken over at Oklahoma State. I've said this many times, but we have the same thing (at OSU). We have the tradition, we have the culture, maybe a little less, but it's there and we're going to get this thing going as well."Â Â Â Â
Oklahoma State sophomore point guard Jawun Evans
On his shot selection:
"Some of them I did, and some I didn't like, but I was trying to attack and draw fouls. Unfortunately, I didn't get the fouls I was looking for."
On the matchup against Kansas'Â Frank Mason III:
"There's really no (individual) matchup, just team against team. We were trying to play hard against each other and that's a great plan. I give them props, we just try to go hard and fight for our team."
On Devonte' Graham's difference of play between halves:
"The second half he was more aggressive, going to the hole and trying to get there fast. He made some big plays for the team."
On if today's game against the country's No. 2 team is a step forward:
"I wouldn't say it's a step forward, but we played as hard as we could. We just had to buckle down and come out and play the same way we did every game. (We) just need to play hard on the defensive end also."
On KU's transition game:
"They're a very tough team, they're an up-and-down team, they like to get up and down the floor. I think that's where they got us, in transition, with some of the turnovers that we made and we paid for it."
Oklahoma State junior forward Mitchell Solomon
On OSU's general game plan:
"We were just trying to play hard, play our game. We knew it's a tough environment, so we were trying to play together and lean on each other to win."
On difference between first and second halves:
"I knew they were going to come out with a lot of intensity. They're a great team that doesn't play two bad halves, so I was trying to do whatever I could to win, to help my team, and that was being aggressive."
On the score differential at halftime:
"I felt like we were playing hard. We were just trying to play our game and try not to think about the score. We knew if we played hard we would be in a good position."
On the team's points in the paint:
"If Jawun (Evans) is aggressive there's not really anyone, that I believe, that can stop him. So, if he's going downhill, he's going to attract attention so that leaves room for offensive rebounds if he doesn't finish, which he does often. That helps a lot with our rotations and I think we did pretty well today."
On the team's placement in the Big 12 Conference:
"It's tough for sure, but we're just trying to stay together, keep playing hard every game and I think it will come."
Kansas head coach Bill Self Opening statement:
"That is a good team (Oklahoma State) and they played hard. Obviously, we got off to a pretty rocky start and they were so much better than us early. Of course, they were making everything and their pressure bothered us the whole game. We finally just drove their pressure; that was our only offense and shot a lot of free throws because of that. Of course we didn't make them, but got the opportunity to shoot them. But we are not going to apologize for this. It was a good win against a good team. I knew it would be a hard game and certainly all we did today by winning was set up a big game in Ames on Monday. So, (we are) certainly happy to win, but our focus needs to shift to the Cyclones."
Kansas' big three vs. Oklahoma State's big three:
"(Mitchell Solomon) really (hurt us tonight.) They run that action off the pinch-post where (Juwan) Evans comes off and has got a head of steam going downhill, and certainly that is Landen's job to flat hedge it, which he did perfectly. But Evans is so clever with the ball and he fed (Solomon) two or three times in a row in which our weak side was late getting there, and it is hard action to guard because it happens so fast, but we did some good things. It did not appear that we rebounded the ball because they hurt us on that. I think Solomon got a couple put-backs in a row. We actually rebounded the ball pretty well, especially in the second half. Josh (Jackson) got to the free throw line and did not convert, but he got there, which is a good thing and Landen had a solid game. Frank (Mason III) did not shoot it well today, but I thought he was really good holding (Oklahoma State's Juwan) Evans to 6-for-22 (shooting). That is pretty darn good. Svi (Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk) made some good plays and of course I thought Devonte', of all the guys on our team, I thought maybe was the most clutch guy we had today."
Kansas senior guard Frank Mason III
On playing in a close game:
"Every game is fun but they wanted to play fast and we like to play fast too. It was a great game to play in today. Nothing is better than an afternoon game here in the Fieldhouse. The fans are great and it gives us some time to hang out with our family the rest of the day."
On the talented point guards in the Big 12:
"(The) Big 12 has some good point guards. (Jawun) Evans is a good point guard and I was just telling him after the game to keep doing what he is doing. He's going to be great. He's a good, young guard."
On the team's slow start in recent home games:
"When other teams come in to play us, we are going to get their best shot. They are really excited to play here. I think we could come a little bit more ready. I don't know exactly what it is, but it is something that we need to figure out."
