Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: OSU vs West Virginia
December 29, 2017 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
Â
Opening statement:
"I'm proud of our guys' effort, but in this league, effort isn't enough. You have to make winning plays. Credit to West Virginia - they made the plays to win the game, for the most part, throughout the second half, and we didn't. That's on me to get corrected and get us ready for the next one. We'll be better next time."
On attacking West Virginia's press and forcing a defensive change:
"We attacked them in a couple of different ways and tried to keep them off-balance so that they couldn't have a set way of attacking us. We missed two key opportunities and we had several missed free throws in the second half. We missed several layups, we dropped the ball inside the paint and out of bounds multiple times, and you just can't do that in this league. Everybody is good enough to beat you if you don't play as well as you're capable of, and even if you do play pretty well, they can still beat you. That's how good this league is."
On adjusting to West Virginia's defensive shift:
"I probably did a poor job of getting our team in offense and giving them more structure. We were so focused on trying to eliminate their pressure that we kind of got stagnant when they went away from it and we weren't as efficient as we're capable of being. We shot a good percentage, but we didn't get the looks that we should've gotten in there. That's something I need to get better at."
On missed free throws down the stretch:
"Those are plays that stop you from being able to set your defense. They stop you from building momentum. When you have the lead, it stops you from extending it, and when you're behind, it really eliminates your opportunities to press and come back. Those are definitely deflating plays, but we're a really good free-throw shooting team. We have one other game where we didn't shoot them well, but we've shot over 80 percent as a team and we certainly need to get back to that."
On cutting into West Virginia's nine-point lead late in the game:
"Our guys are going to do that. That's an expectation and not something we really talk much about anymore because we've established that's who we are. It's who we have to be to have success. Certainly, in this league, we have to give max effort and that's what we did tonight."
On the differences in last year's first meeting with West Virginia vs. tonight's contest:
"I reminded them of that. It's the same team and we've got a lot of the same guys back who experienced that. They've also got a lot of the same guys back who did it to us. I was proud to see our guys respond in the right way, but again, in this league, effort isn't enough. You have to learn to go out there and make winning plays - to find a way to win the game - and not be scared or play not to lose or timidly. We played a little timid at the end."
OSU guard Jeffrey Carroll
On missing free throws
"That is kind of about me. I really don't miss free throws like that, but I was just out of focus."
On second half offense
"We should have attacked the goal more. We kind of started slowing down as a whole, I thought. But I wouldn't say that fatigue was really a factor for us."
OSU guard Tavarius Shine
On missing free throws
"We practice hard every day. Just like they play hard, we play hard. We come with pressure. Fatigue was not it. It was just one of those nights for us. I want to step up and say I missed two [free throws]. It was just a mental thing. You have to step up, stay focused and not think about the ones you just missed. Just step up and make the next ones."
On the second half offense
"We didn't stay aggressive. If they back off, that means they are in retreat. We should have kept going. I didn't play as aggressive as I did in the first half, and that was the big part."
On the game as a whole
"I look at it as a learning experience. We came out and played good the first half. We didn't execute like we should have in the second half. We just have to find a way to put the two halves together to play a good game."
WVU head coach Bob Huggins
On Teddy Allen's minutes
"They were very crucial. They really took us out of what we wanted to do. When you watch them on film, they play hard. They really played hard and conceptually, they do some really good stuff and I couldn't get our guys to understand. So, it's hard to prepare. It's hard to prepare for when they do those things, and we finally found our offense. Once we got into our offense, then we did a much better job. Overall, Teddy did a good job. He made some good cuts and some good reads."
On Jevon Carter's offensive struggles
"It was a hard lick and he didn't play very well. But the first thing he said when he goes into the locker room was, 'I didn't play well and I'm sorry. But we won and I'm happy.' That's rhetoric for some people, but he means it. He's a guy who loves to win. Everybody is going to have a bad day once in a while. Numbers wise, that's probably as bad as he's played in four years. He's never had eight turnovers before. But he does things like getting five steals for us or kind of igniting things in the second half with that steal. He rebounds the ball and goes and makes free throws at the end of the game, even though he didn't play particularly well. That's J.C. and that's what he does."
On his advice to Mike Boynton postgame
"I told him he's doing a heck of a job. I watch them on tape and they're good. We can't make the ball for our guys. Our job is to put them in positions where they can be successful and I think he does that. With us, what's hard to prepare for is how much we make you play the full court. When you're not used to doing that every day, I think it kind of gets to your legs a little bit. OSU missed some free throws and they're a great free-throw shooting team. That happens a lot with us because we just wear people down."
On similarities between OSU's team last year and this year
"They're the same team I think. Their guys have really stepped up. (Lindy) Waters is really good. Those guys that were freshmen are good now. Hopefully like ours, they grow up. Man, this is a hard league. People don't understand how hard this league is. I've been in a bunch of them and this is the hardest league I've ever coached in."
