Texas Postgame Quotes

Oklahoma State head coach Brad Underwood

Overall thoughts on the game:
"I'm really pleased. I thought we had a great energy here. I thought we were focused pretty well and we were dialed in with our emotions. We didn't always play the most intelligent, but we'll work on that. But I love the fact we were aggressive and our energy was good. I thought defensively, we forced them into some really long possessions by doubling on the post. Jarrett Allen is really good. We forced them to three first-half turnovers, which I was pleased with. And I can't say enough about Davon Dillard. Davon had career highs in both points and rebounds and his energy was terrific."

On the early part of the game:
"I was actually not too panicked or worried because we were just missing layups. We got the ball where we wanted and we were getting good shots. It wasn't that they were contested or that we were stymied by what they were doing. Now, I was upset by the fact they were getting their points in transition. That was one of the things we talked about at length. Texas does a great job of getting the ball out very quick and getting up the floor. We didn't cut very well, but I felt great about the offense."

On the 10-0 run to start the second half:
"It was energy. We talked about that at length. We talked about the first 4 minutes of the game and the first 4 minutes of the second half. I'm really proud of Leyton Hammonds. We had many discussions about how he had struggled and not played well. He had two great days of practice and he had 3 rebounds in 5 minutesbecause he was in foul trouble. But he never let that bother him. 3-of-3 for 3-pointers and he stretched us and got things open. But I was really proud of him."

On second-chance opportunities:
"You gotta love the fact that we get 12 offensive rebounds. Mitch [Solomon] does a good job and Davon obviously had a great tip dunk. But it was those opportunities that we capitalized on. I was concerned a little bit at the other end that they got a few of those as well and they had 14 offensive rebounds. But we got going in transition and got great flow. Jeff [Carroll] had a tough shooting night from the three-point line. But Phil [Forte] was sensational and when we get 3's in transition, that opens things up. We can get on the offensive glass and those numbers don't surprise me."

On if today's game will lead to wins in the future:
"I hope so. I can't do what I did every day at pregame and shoot-around. I was pretty animated today. And I was challenged by their energy level, their emotion and their desire to want to be great. This is the best league in America and it's not even close. Top-to-bottom, every game is underrated. And we're in February and we're playing meaningful games. We're playing for our lives and that has to mean something. I want our guys to understand that. We're going to do a much better job at talking about it and expanding our guys' knowledge. But yeah, I was very pleased with today."

OSU guard Davon Dillard

On taking the lead before the half:
"We played with more intensity than we started out playing. It changed the whole game. Diving on the floor for loose balls, rebounding, stopping their best from scoring. Those were some of the things that helped us get the lead to start the second half."

On Carroll's three before the half:
"We are going to win, for sure. That just lets you know for sure that this is our game. For me, I thought it was going to air-ball, so I was actually going to tip it and I'm glad I didn't. It ended up going in. If something like that goes in, you have extreme confidence coming into the second half."

On his stepping into his role for the team:
"I feel like I am starting to solidify my role here, coming off the bench and giving us a spark off the bench. Rebounding for one, playing defense at the high-level. I know my scoring. It helps our team, but not as much as my defense will. I am starting to learn that more and more each game. It is starting to help me out on the offensive side, as well. Gaining more and more trust with Coach Underwood each game."

On getting his put-back dunk:
"That is my mindset coming in: I'm going to make ESPN every night. If ever see a ball come my way off the rim, I'm going to be the first person to attack it and try to punch it in the rim. That is just my mindset every game. Coming out of the timeout, Coach Henderson said, 'Can you please go tip dunk something for me.' I laughed. And then I saw the ball come off and come straight my way. I was just the first guy to go after it. It happened so fast. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but it got our crowd into it. Once you get our crowd into it, you are not going to hear anything in the gym."

On the fans having a big head sign of him:
"When I saw that, it brought me so much joy. I love our fans so much. Even when I wasn't playing and on the bench, they would always show love to me. That is a great thing to see."

On dunking status among the recent OSU greats:
"Of course I am going to say No. 1. But I actually had the chance to play with Newberry. He was definitely a freak athlete. He was one of those guys with a 2-foot bounce, and I've never seen anyone like that, especially a size 6-2. Markel, I never saw him play, but I watched highlights. He is a great athlete and a good friend. But of course I am going to rank myself No. 1."

OSU forward Leyton Hammonds

On the start of the game:
"We didn't really come off to a hot start like we were trying to, but coach preaches that defense and rebounds wins games. As you can see, our shots weren't falling in the first couple of minutes, and we were missing a lot of easy layups. But once we started playing defense, rebounding, getting that transition, the floor opened up for us and baskets started opening up for us."

On Carroll's 3-pointer before the half:
"Like [Dillard] said, I thought it was going to be an air-ball. I was like, 'Well, the ball is going in for us now.' So, it is good to see things like that because that is not something you plan for. It's not like, 'let's hope that we get Jeffrey to throw up a three and go in.' It's kind of extra for us. I think it was kind of a spark plug because we came out the second half hot. It was a good spark plug for us, but the guys also understand that defense and rebounds are going to win the game for us."

On Dillard's dunk:
"If you saw my face when he did it, I had a towel over my mouth because my jaw was dropped for about a good three minutes after. This kid is a freak athlete. He is one of the best athletes I've ever seen play the game. You can guarantee he is going to get at least one of those every game. It is great to have him on our side. As you can see, when something like that happens for us, it's another spark plug."

Texas head coach Shaka Smart

On the game being a "setback":
"Any loss is a setback. I think Oklahoma State played terrific today. I thought they played with a real pace to them, a real aggressiveness. I think they had a great sense of urgency coming off their last game, a close game against Baylor, and coming off the fact that we won a close game at our place. So, first of all, a lot of credit should go to them and the way they played today. In terms of us, I thought be started the game with good connectivity and a good understanding of what we wanted to do. but they built a lead on a big run with about eight or nine minutes left in the first half. We responded decent at the end of the half. They threw in a fortune shot and then we scored at the very end. So, I actually thought the way she shot free throws and the way we shot the ball from outside at halftime, we weren't in a terrible spot. We didn't come out of the half playing near the level of defense or type of intensity we needed to have, so from that standpoint, it wasn't good enough and Oklahoma State had a lot to do with that."

On playing on the road:
"I think a lot of it has to do with the opponent, the day, certainly the last two on the road, we haven't been as good defensively as we have been in other games. Jawun Evans, Phil Forte and Jeff Carroll had a lot to do with that today. I think, no question, when you go on the road, you can't let a team score 84 points in their own building and you have to be able to come out of halftime and put some stops together if you want to win."

On what's different for Oklahoma State today compared to the last meeting in Austin:
"[Davon] Dillard is a real spark plug off the bench with the way he plays. He scored 15 points off the bench which I know is more than he normally gets, but in addition to the points, it's just the energy and the physicality he plays with. He guarded Jarrett [Allen] a lot of times and he is a physical, aggressive kid. The thing about him, is he understands what he does well and that's what he focuses on and he plays extremely hard."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Davon Dillard

Jawun Evans

Leyton Hammonds

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