Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
January 26, 2011 | Cowboy Basketball
Jan. 26, 2011
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Oklahoma State Postgame Quotes
vs. Texas
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011
Oklahoma State Head Coach Travis Ford
Opening Statement
“Texas was a better basketball team than us tonight. I've got to start out by giving them credit. I thought we played hard tonight. We're ready to play. We just never get off to the start we want. We needed to get off to a better start. Them making every shot they threw up there didn't help. It just seemed like we're always playing like we're digging ourselves out of a hole. Our kids played hard tonight. We obviously struggled shooting the basketball tonight. I thought we had good looks but I also thought Texas played very good defense. I thought we did a good job defensively of taking them out of their options. I'm anxious to watch the film but I think we did a good defensively. Every mistake we made after that, they converted. A second shot would lead to a three. In the second half twice when we were making a mini-run, we would lose the ball under their basket and they'd make a three. They just took advantage of our mistakes and we never took advantage of easy opportunities. That was the difference in the game. Their players made plays.
"They have some talented players who are playing very good basketball right now. We had Marshall (Moses) going in the first half and he didn't do much the second half. We stopped Tristan Thompson the first half and he comes back and has 14 in the second half. Our guys played hard but that's not good enough, it's just a beginning. There's more to it if we want to compete in this league. We have to keep getting better and build on that. I'm going to make some adjustments offensively because I don't know if I've ever had a team score 46 points in our own gym.”
“The MVP of this game and the best player on the court was Dogus Balbay. The 10 points was just a bonus for Texas. They don't expect 10 points from him. But the way he runs his basketball team and the presence he adds to the team is great. He disrupted a lot of things we like to do and I think we allowed him to do it at times. He is a great example of someone who may not be the best scorer in the world but he effects the game in a lot of ways.”
“I think he got some good shots but I need to watch film. Keiton has to work for every shot. But who doesn't? That's part of the deal. That's what you sign up for. I'll see what types of shots he was getting.”
Oklahoma State Senior Forward Marshall Moses
On if the tribute had any impact on the team's performance
"No, they just beat us. It didn't have anything to do with what was going on. I wish we could've played better for those people and all the people who took the time to come out for the tribute, but it had nothing to do with anything, other than the fact that Texas beat us tonight in our own gym."
On Texas defensively
"They're a good defensive team. They're a good offensive team. If we would've played better, we would've had more of a chance. They're a good defensive team, but if we would've been more effecient offensively, we would've had more of a chance. Late down the stretch,we weren't making shots, they were only giving us one chance. They're a good defensivie team; it's not hard to tell. I've seen their games. I've seen them play before, they're a really good team. When you play against really good teams like that, you have to bring your A-game. Everybody has to bring their A-game, or you don't have a chance, no matter what gym you play in."
On getting out of the team's current slump
"Yeah, I think we can snap out of it. Since I've been here, our back's been against the wall before. We've been 3-6 in the league before, 2-5, 2-6, something like that, and we always bounced back. We just have to figure out how to put it together. We have young guys who don't really know what it takes to win, but they're figuring it out. There's good things to be said in the loss: I think Markel played his heart out tonight. He made a couple plays offensively when he could, and I think if he knew a little bit more about what it takes to win, he'll be better. We have the guys to do it, there's no doubt in my mind, we just have to put it all together. Texas is a team who's already peaking; they've put it all together. When you play against teams like that, you have to be ready and we just weren't 100 percent ready. Coach had us ready for scouting reports and things like that, but for us, we have to get a little bit better, and we will. I can promise you we will get better because we have the guys to do it."
Texas Head Coach Rick Barnes
On the game
"Tonight was a game and both teams will move on from here, but today I think we all know that there was a much bigger picture, we know what happened ten years ago and being in the league and having been here and knowing what went on, that part will never leave. I thought both teams did exactly what the people that we remember would want us to do and that is both teams went out and competed really hard. I thought both teams early had a very physical game playing hard and I thought we worked through the situations that we had to and it was a really nice win for us."
On the play of Dogus Balbay
"Dogus was terrific. I told the team I thought he was the single biggest difference for us with what he did in terms of trying to disrupt things. He's played now against people not wanting to guard him and he's making the adjustments himself."
On Remembering The Ten
"This is a game and that's all it is. There's much bigger things out there. I remember. I remember coming in this building ten years ago. We hadn't played here yet, but what I remember more than anything is we had just landed in Austin from Arizona and the first thing that went through my mind was coach Sutton. I really thought about him a lot today. It's very difficult for him to talk about it. I can't imagine it being any other way because I know him and I just remember that day. I remember coming here and I think this is one of the classiest places you can go, but it's hard to believe that it's been ten years. That's my point about this being a game and life goes by quick. I want our guys to learn some of those things."
"I think it's a beautiful thing that Oklahoma State is keeping the memory where it should be, because it was a tragedy, it really is."
Texas Senior Guard Dogus Balbay
On guarding Keiton Page
"That was the game plan. I was going to be on him and I didn't want to give him any open looks. Even though he got some open looks because we didn't communicate well in transition defense, I thought I'd try to stay attached to him all the time."
On Remembering The Ten
"It's tough for both side. The fans are going to be emotional and the team is going to be emotional as well, and for us too it's really tough and really sad, but the only way to honor those people is to come here and play hard."
Texas Freshman Forward Tristan Thompson
On Remembering The Ten
"We know a little bit about the situation but we knew the crowd was going to be very into the game and I feel that the individuals that were lost would want both teams to play hard and I think we showed that."
