Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Kansas
February 24, 2008 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball
Postgame Quotes vs. Kansas
Saturday, February 23, 2008
OSU Head Coach Sean Sutton
On the game
“It was a great game to be apart of. I thought both teams really competed hard and played outstanding defense at both ends of the court. I'm really proud of our guys the way that they fought from start to finish.”
On the Cowboys’ defensive play
“I thought they played great defense, they did the things we taught all week long.”
“I told them they're playing against a great basketball team that in my opinion is as good as anyone in the country and can win the national championship, but I also told them that I believe we can beat them.”
“The good teams and the good players that have been in our program have beaten Kansas some point in their career.”
“I think Kansas is the best in the Big 12 much like Duke and North Carolina are in the ACC, and when you beat them it's a big win.”
OSU Junior Guard Byron Eaton
On the game
“I just told everybody before the game and at halftime to play defense. We needed a tremendous effort on the defensive end. They had their little run at the end when they came back and went up by four, but we came back and hit some shots. I got to the free-throw line and hit the one that closed out the game. We did a great job tonight. We fought back when they made their run, and we beat a great team tonight. We just have to keep working. We need to put this behind us and come back ready to work for Missouri tomorrow.”
On his higher level of play in the last three games
“This is what Coach Sean (Sutton) wanted when he recruited me. I just started doing some things that I should have been doing a long time ago. I’ve been listening to the coaches, trying to get in some extra shots in practice, looking at film, looking at things I could do better, and pushing myself in practice. I got tired tonight, but I just pushed through and I knew my team wouldn’t leave me. I’m just trying to do whatever I can for my team to win, so we can get to the NCAA Tournament.”
OSU Sophomore Guard Obi Muonelo
On the effort that his team gave
“A lot of people stepped up. A lot of guys on our team had to play minutes in a huge game that they usually wouldn’t play in. Tyler Hatch came in and played some key minutes when Marcus (Dove) got in foul trouble. Marshall Moses came in as a freshman and played some minutes. Nick Sidorakis came in a relieved Byron (Eaton) when he got tired. Everybody contributed to this win, and that is what makes it so special.”
Kansas Head Coach Bill Self
On Oklahoma State’s play
“Yeah, I thought they played good. I thought they played good defense and better offense than us. But we stunk, and you can credit that to OSU and a large part of that to the crowd. We didn’t play with much poise. I really feel that OSU played really well. I thought Eaton obviously had a fabulous game.”
On Brandon Rush
“He had a terrible day. We just didn’t play as a group and a large part did Oklahoma State. Even the guys that put up decent numbers made mental mistakes. We played like a team that was, I don’t know if we were distracted, but we certainly gave the appearance of being distracted and not as focused because we made a lot, a lot, a lot of mental mistakes. That usually comes from focusing and that was really poor today.”
Oklahoma State’s improved play lately
“Sean’s doing a good job. That’s the sign of a good coach is when things aren’t going well and the team starts playing better, especially late in the season. A lot of times it’s tough to get a team back in when things aren’t going well. He’s obviously doing a good job. They are playing better and of course Eaton’s playing well. From my perspective, he would be the primary reason, as an individual, why they are playing better because he’s playing like one of the premiere guards in the league, which he is.”
