Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Oklahoma
January 23, 2007 | Cowboy Basketball
OSU Basketball vs. Oklahoma
Monday, January 22, 2007
Post Game Quotes
Oklahoma State Head Coach Sean Sutton
On the game
“Nothing surprises me in this series and I wasn’t surprised one bit that Oklahoma came in and played well. I didn’t think that we played our best, but give them a lot of credit. They came in with a good game plan and really played well. Anytime that you win in this series, you have to be happy.”
“Overall, I thought our ball-handling was better that it has been in a lot of situations. We did a better job in the second half of attacking their zone defense when they switched back into it. David (Monds) hit a big shot at the high post to extend the lead back to eight at that point. It was a good win and we’ve got a chance to get better this week before we play Iowa State.”
On the Oklahoma State fans
“I told our guys afterwards that this is the most important game every year for our fans and our students and I wanted them to go over after the game and acknowledge our student body. I told them ‘you guys don’t realize how fortunate you are to have, not only the fans that we have, but also the great passion that our students have for our basketball program.’ A lot of those people have been camping out in this weather since Thursday.”
On the play of Byron Eaton and David Monds
“I told our guys that, in this rivalry, there a lot of x-factors out there and I told them that we were going to need some of those guys tonight. I looked to Byron (Eaton), David (Monds) and Kenny Cooper, and those guys all showed up and played well. David played the best game that he has played in a month. Byron had one of his best games since he has been at Oklahoma State with 17 points and he did not turn the basketball over. And I thought that Kenny gave us some energy in the first half. He got some big put-backs when we were struggling to shoot the basketball. JamesOn (Curry) and Mario (Boggan) did not have a great night, but those other guys stepped up and that is what you have to do to beat a good team.”
Oklahoma State Senior Forward David Monds
On Oklahoma
“You have to give credit to Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel and his staff. They did a great job coaching their team tonight. They took us out of our offense and fought hard the whole game. You have give both teams respect tonight because you are playing for more than yourself. You play for your fans, your university and alumni.”
On recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds
“At the beginning of the game, head coach (Sean) Sutton told us that this game will be decided on the x-factor. Of course, (Mario) Boggan and (JamesOn) Curry are big time players, but the other guys know when to step up their game, too. That's what (Byron) Eaton and I did tonight as we tried to carry our team tonight. The way I believe that I can carry the team is when I grab offensive and defensive rebounds. Those are some things I try to focus on.”
On adding an offensive spark
“I knew Oklahoma would double team Boggan and Curry. I thought if I would be presentable while they were double teamed that I could get open and hit a few shots. They (Boggan and Curry) are unselfish with the ball. They look for their teammates. When I had the hot hand, they kept coming to me.”
Oklahoma State Sophomore Guard Byron Eaton
On his performance
“The coaches have been telling me all season long to step up and drive to the basket more. I have been driving to the basket more lately, which I did a great job of that during the Texas A&M game when I drove to the basket twice and got fouled. Coach (Sean) Sutton told me today, kind of like what (David) Monds said, we need to be an x-factor. Tonight, we knew Oklahoma would be guarding (JamesOn) Curry and (Mario) Boggan. So, it depended on what the rest of the team would do. Tonight, I was able to drive to basket a few times and get to the free-throw line.”
On Oklahoma
“I knew Oklahoma was a good team. They were coming off a big victory over Baylor, and they came in knowing it would be a close game. I knew they would play hard, especially with Bedlam putting a little more spark into the game. We had them down seven points and they cut the lead to one. That happened a few times. We just tried to put them away, but they kept coming back. The key was that once we had the lead, we did not let them back on top when we took it from them.”
Oklahoma Head Coach Jeff Capel
On the game
“First of all I want to congratulate Oklahoma State, I thought they played well and it was a very good win by them. They made some tough plays down the stretch. Monds made some big plays for them, hitting a couple of jump shots and Hatch down the stretch stepping up and making both free throws. I was proud of our guys effort, I thought we got better. We hadn’t been a good road team all year and I thought we did some things to put ourselves in a position to win. On the road when you’re playing against a good team in a tough environment, you really have to minimize your mistakes and I thought we turned it over too much.”
On Oklahoma’s recent improvement
“I think that we’ve started to understand some of the things we want to do offensively and we’ve made some shots, and I think that when you make shots that gives you more energy. I didn’t worry about us having energy and being excited for this game, with this rivalry. I do think we’ve gotten better and the one thing that I’ve said from the beginning of the year is that I wanted to see us improve daily and I think we’re getting better and hopefully we can use this type of effort against a very good team to help us to continue to grow.”
On Bedlam
“It’s very intense. This is a great place to play basketball. They have very good fans that are loud, they support their basketball team. It was really good and it was what I expected. “
On his team never giving up in the second half
“I thought we did some good things. I think we could have executed better and made better decisions. We had nine turnovers between our freshmen. I think we could have handled their pressure a little bit better and I think in the second half our shot selection could have been a little bit better, but I was proud of our guys. I thought we really fought, we competed, but we just got beat by a good team.”
Oklahoma Senior Guard Michael Neal
On Coach Jeff Capel
“He told us to stick together because this is a tough place to play. He told us take care of the ball.”
On the game
“We had the opportunity to take advantage of some things and we didn’t. You have to give them credit. One thing we can take from this loss is that we did come together and show some toughness, especially in a hostile environment. At the same time we wanted to get the win. You have to give them some credit. We didn’t hit some open shots that we should have. We have to take care of the ball. We didn’t handle the ball as well as we should have.”
Oklahoma Senior Forward Nate Carter
On the game
“It’s disappointing because we felt like we should have won the game. We made some mistakes, turned the ball over and gave them some rebounds. The first half we screened a lot better than in the second half.”
On Marcus Dove guarding him
“He guarded me by himself. He face guarded me. When I would go to set a screen he was pressing on me. He did a good job. They are a good team.”
