Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Nebraska
March 01, 2008 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball
Postgame Quotes vs. Nebraska
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Oklahoma State Head Coach Sean Sutton
On the game as a whole
“Obviously that was a big, big win; and really important - because of the league standings and to keep this momentum going. I thought the first 35 minutes we played pretty well, we got a little bit careless the last two or three minutes of the first half, and the last five minutes [of the game]. We just didn't play very smart and didn't play very disciplined. We let that 19-point lead shrink down and then didn't make free throws, but I was pleased with the effort. Certainly, we executed very well in the second half at the offensive end. Byron came up with another big game, and then I thought Marcus Dove played well today.”
On Nebraska's defensive play
“They play good defense - you hold four teams this year to 12 points or less at half, if you do that one time in a year, that's great defense. They are a scrappy, tough defensive team. They gave us some problems early, then we finally hit some shots and settled down and got some things in transition, which I thought would be important in this game because they are so good at their half court defense.”
On the winning streak and the rest of the conference season
“I just felt like we were so close to all those losses that if we just continued to work on the practice court and correct some of the mistakes that we were making then we would start winning these games. They thought the schedule was going to turn and be even tougher. We played better teams here in this stretch. It's helped that we've had a lot of these games at home. We were able to win to big road games, but we're certainly not satisfied. We would like to finish this out and see if we can win the two coming up this week, which are going to be very difficult [against] two tough teams.”
On the team's play
“I think these guys are starting to see that if we play like we're capable then we can play with a lot of good teams. These guys have been fun to coach and they'll be fun to watch for the rest of the season.”
Oklahoma State Senior Forward Marcus Dove
On improving to .500 in conference play
“It feels good to finally get back to .500 (in conference play). We haven’t been .500 since our first game against Baylor. It feels good to go on this streak. Hopefully, we can keep it going. The season is far from over. We still have two huge games left. Bedlam is always tough - here or at OU - and then we have to go to Texas, so we just have to keep it going and keep working.”
On his team’s five-game winning streak
“I think everybody is on the same page and everybody believes. Even when we were 2-7, we never got down. We never stopped playing hard. We knew we still had a chance, and even though outside sources counted us down and out, we knew we still had an outside chance, and that is all that matters. We came into practice everyday working hard and knowing that we still had a chance.”
On Wednesday’s game vs. Oklahoma
“Bedlam is huge, no matter what the records are. Seeing how everybody is jumping up behind those top three spots in the Big 12 makes this game very important. It is a special night. To have Bedlam on senior night is going to be special. Coach Sean (Sutton) brought that up to the younger guys and let them know that we have to do everything we can to prepare for this game, so Tyler (Hatch) and I can go out winners in the Bedlam series. This game coming up means a lot to me.”
Oklahoma State Junior Guard Byron Eaton
On Marcus Dove’s steal and dunk when his team was trailing early in the game
“We needed a big play from somebody, and our senior just stepped up and gave it to us. Our coach told us that we needed a big play, we needed to make some stops, and that we needed to go on a run, and Marcus did all three in one play. That gave us a chance to get a good run going. After he did that, we started knocking some shots down ... It sparked a run for us and we never looked back.”
Nebraska Head Coach Doc Sadler
On the game
"You got to give Oklahoma State credit. I think they're one of the top three or four talented teams in this league. They're starting to play like they're one of those teams. You got to give Sean and their staff and most importantly their players credit for withstanding a difficult start but playing very, very well right now. Going into the game we thought there was four things that we needed to do. We got one of the four done. The only thing we got done is we thought we needed to have a decent attempt at the offensive rebounds but the other three: transition points, three point shooting and free throws. Oklahoma State is scoring right now, in my opinion, in two ways. They're scoring at the free throw line and they're scoring at the three point line. To have a chance to win, we was going to have to get that three point down to 5 or 6 makes. They just executed better and they made shots."
On his team’s turnovers
"It concerned me going into the game. They did a nice job. They did a nice job of understanding and creating some problems. They did just that. Is that the most turnovers we've had all year? Probably. We're looking at 10 or 11 a game, and all of a sudden you jump up and have that many. It doesn't matter the reason it happened."
Nebraska Senior Center Aleks Maric
On missing teammate Cookie Miller
"We missed him obviously. He's a key part of this team the way he takes care of the ball and takes situations into his own hands the way a guard does. We missed him but we can't take that as an excuse for some of the mistakes we made."
"At the beginning things felt good, but one mistake, two mistakes … it's hard on the road especially."
