Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Oklahoma State at Texas
February 24, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball
OKLAHOMA STATEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Head Coach Mike Boynton
Opening Statement:Â Very competitive game, both teams fighting for their lives here at the end of the year. I thought both teams went out there and really competed. I was proud of my guys to continue to fight out on the road, which we have done pretty much all year. We've had some success, and tonight was pretty resembling of how we played against them in Stillwater, it was almost the exact same score except that it was flipped, and they won. We were obviously disappointed that we didn't win, but it was still another great moment in college basketball, and especially in the big twelve.
On Boynton's reaction to Mo Bamba not coming back:Â Â I didn't really think much of it at all, those dudes have a really strong staple of players over there. They could throw in Sims, who is going to be really good in the not too distant future, and the job that Shaka has done, I would not say he increased the level of talent because they have always had a lot of talent, but continues to recruit talented guys. Like guys who will likely to be top five pick and find a way to sustain a way stretch of great play
On OK State's early run that built a lead:Â Our defense, we contested a lot of shots and kept our hands secure on some rebounds that helped us run in transition. It is not secret we are the best when we run in transition. We didn't get a ton of easy baskets in the first half, it was a big problem for us, which was a big part of their game plan. We were a little more disciplined in that regard to start the second half and that is how we took the lead.
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Senior guard/forward Jeffrey Carroll
On coach Boynton's message after the game:Â Just keep fighting, that's all that we can do.
On Bamba being out in the second half and if it affected their game:Â Yes, for sure he's a great shot blocker.
Sophomore guard Lindy Waters
On what was working for Oklahoma State:Â Just doing what we do best, getting stops, rebound, and run. During the first timeout, Coach [Boynton] said we had five-straight stops and then we had two or three more and then we kept running, because that's what we are best at.
On the six lead changes:Â Just like a lot of other things this year, we are used to it. Sometimes the ball just goes in for the other team.
On positives taken from today:Â I thought we played really hard today, I thought we competed at a high level, and I thought we wanted it more than them.Â
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TEXAS
Head Coach Shaka Smart
On the win:Â It was, in a lot of ways, the opposite of what happened at their place. We were the ones who had a double-digit lead there in the second half, but our guys did a good job of staying together down the stretch. Obviously, we were down a few guys. We had some different lineups in there that we haven't played a lot this year. We were able to make one more play. I told the guys that it was a possession game. It was going to come down to a small number of possessions and it did.Â
On winning without key players:Â I thought our guys had a good spirit, even when we got down 7-0 to start the game. We were getting really good shots, we just weren't making them. In the first play of the game, Dylan [Osetowski] had a layup that he missed. Then during the start of the second half, there was a stretch where I thought our spirit got away from us a little bit. We didn't have the same energy and they were able to go on a run. But we were able to hold it together. When Oklahoma State went up 10 points, our guys were able to make some plays. We were able to go inside to Dylan. We want him to attack because good things happen when he does. [Kerwin] Roach was good today. He only shot 4-of-14 from the field and went 0-6 from three, but I thought that as an upperclassman, which we didn't have a lot of on the court, he gave us a big lift.Â
On the final play:Â First, the reason we called the timeout was because we wanted to get the ball into Roach's hands. We thought that was the best option for us. Oklahoma State did a good job of guarding the initial pick-and-roll. Roach almost passed it to Jericho [Sims] because he had a couple of guys on him. We always tell our guys when you have two guys guarding you to find the open man, but Roach kept his dribble and pulled back. He's so good at finding a seam. He was able to find the seam and it was a good finish.Â
On Jacob Young's performance: Jacob is a guy who loves to play as much as anyone. Probably more than anyone. He eats, sleeps and breathes this game. He comes from a family with multiple NBA players in it, so there's a high standard there. He hasn't yet done all of the things he wants to do in college. He probably feels like at times that he hasn't had as much opportunity. He got it today. He got the opportunity. We were a couple of guys down. He knew he was going to play a lot. He knew we needed him to be sound and have a clear mind. I thought he made one or two plays where he lost his mind, but other than that he was very solid. Â
Junior guard Kerwin Roach II
On the final play to win:Â Coach [Smart] just believed in me to go and make the play and get the win. It feels good. We stuck together and just believed in each other and fought.
Sophomore guard Jacob Young
On how Texas overcame setbacks to get the win:Â Stepping up was just my role. I had to step up because Andrew [Jones] is not here, Eric [Davis Jr.] was out, and Mo [Bamba] was out. I always try to bring a spark. In the second half, then my teammates helped me and helped get us home. They basically just picked me up and they made me do that. Without those guys, I wouldn't be able to do that. They picked me up and encouraged me.
On preparing:Â When IÂ found out, basically coaches told me that I had to step up and bring my part to the team. My preparation was really the same, my preparation is always to prepare myself every day like I'm getting ready to play 40 minutes. It's like, no different preparation, that's just how it came up and I've always been ready. You stay ready.Â
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Junior forward Dylan Osetkowski
On Texas displaying resiliency:Â I think that everybody did really well. We knew going into this game that it was going to be important because of who we were playing. Obviously it was Mo [Bamba] not playing in the second half, we knew that guys would have to step up--JY [Jacob Young], Jericho [Sims], Snoop [Kerwin Roach], me. Everybody had to and we needed this win badly. We knew that it would take whatever it took. So we left it all on the floor and got the win.
Freshman forward Jericho Sims
On approaching adversity:Â It's not the first time that Mo [Bamba] has been out, so my coaches always put me in a position to step up and do my job.
