Postgame Quotes: Oklahoma State vs TCU

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
On the loss:
"Unfortunately the other team had a little bit more fight than we did, and they were able to withstand that run we made. We had some opportunities to make some plays that we didn't convert in transition and a couple opportunities at the free-throw line. You've gotta play well for 40 minutes, and certainly that wasn't the case tonight for us and you see the result."
On turnovers:
"The frustrating thing today is we played a team for the first time in three games that wasn't really pressuring or trying to take us out of any sort of offensive rhythm. We made some shots, but we didn't play with an edge. We didn't play with a sense of urgency to make sure we value the basketball a little better."
On second half start concerns:
"We practiced halftime a couple days just to try to break the psychology of it, maybe try to see if the guys can do it in practice so to speak, they can maybe do it in a game. Tonight was a different story. We didn't bring the same type energy and fight in the second half that we needed to have success in this league on a night-in and night-out basis."
On TCU withstanding 20 TOs/Points at the rim:
"Part of that was we got down, then had to extend the floor, play some small lineups to try and create some turnovers so we didn't have much presence on the interior. At the same time, if we don't put ourselves in that situation, then we're not having to fight with so much desperation or so much more urgency at the end of the game.
On Kendall Smith's return:
"We probably extended him a little bit more because we had to go small there late. I think he was fine after the game. He's a veteran. He's been around the block a few times, so he took care of his body the last couple of days once he was cleared and was able to give us something."
Ongoing small:
"Just to try to get some more opportunities to drive. We were actually shooting the ball well with our perimeter guys, so that could maybe open up some more 3-point shots.
On Cam McGriff:
"Cam McGriff was the one guy who really stood out for us in terms of his activity. He was really good at making some things around the basket on both ends of the court. He is becoming the type of player we need him to be in order to have success. He's gotta be a great energy guy ... a guy who gets a lot of deflections and causes havoc by just how hard he plays, and he definitely displayed that tonight."
On the trip to Kansas/bouncing back from loss:
"If you come out of this game and can't do some soul searching to figure out what you can do individually to make yourself better and to help our team, then we've got some problems. But we've got the right kind of kids in our locker room and I'm confident that they'll do that."

OSU point guard Kendall Smith
On overall team performance:
"I think it was our sense of urgency from the start. We didn't come out with great effort, I think. It was one of the things Coach hinted on after the game. And we knew it. I think Cam kind of brought us together before the game. He was just saying that our energy wasn't there and it showed. You can't come out and not have the right amount of energy in this conference and expect to win."
On preparing for the next game:
"Obviously we have to win at home, but I think this is good for us. We have a big game on Saturday. I know guys in the locker room aren't happy. We have to come together, continue to work hard and go try and make a statement on Saturday. So, I think we need to focus on fueling our energy."
On Cam speaking up before the game:
"I think it is very important to be honest and open. But [Cam] he said, it was evident. Our energy wasn't there. He brought us in and we knew that we weren't going hard. That is something that you have to take personal. Like I said, in this conference, there is a very small margin of error. If you don't come out with the right mindset, then you'll be in a situation like this. You have to go back to the drawing board. We'll be fine. We have a great group of guys. And if our mind is right, Coach always says we can beat anyone. I'm confident in everyone, and I'm pretty sure everyone is confident in what we can do."

OSU forward Cam McGriff
On his performance in the second half:
"I really wouldn't call it a groove. I was just trying to play hard and do what I can."
On speaking up before the game:
"You can feel it amongst each other. I felt like I needed to speak up about it. It is the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. No one wants to step on anyone's toes. But confrontation really leads to growth."

TCU head coach Jamie Dixon
General thoughts about the game:
"A good win, we did it with our defense, we've been preaching that. It's been our weakness but it seems to be getting better. We held them to 41 percent and outrebounded them by 11 so that was the key for us, especially in that second half when we pulled away. We're a good offensive team, we did what we normally do—shooting threes and free throws. The turnovers were a little high for us but Oklahoma State had a lot to do with that … (It was) a great win, as we talked to our team about it, first time beating Oklahoma State in the Big 12 … These are benchmarks for us and milestones, but I think we can do some good things down this second half of the conference season."
On the perception of his team:
"We're good. We've lost a lot of close games, all six of them can go through the margins. We expected to be higher, have a better record at this point, but we didn't deserve it. So hopefully we've made some improvements, we've figured some things out, we've gotten better. You have to learn through mistakes and losses and I think we're seeing that to a degree, especially on the defensive end. Our RPI is high, we're in the 20s, and we've beaten good teams, and we've lost a lot of close games to really good teams."
On his team's defensive effort:
"We switched defenses a number of times during the game and we didn't have any breakdowns as far as not knowing what we were in and what we were doing, and I thought that was the biggest thing. I thought we had some better communication on that and that's something we've been struggling with as we've had some new guys and some young guys, getting things across. Hopefully the message is getting through from our returners to the younger guys. But it's across the board, we just haven't executed what we've wanted to do defensively. Intensity maybe, but we outrebounded the last team by 15 but we didn't execute and do the things we wanted to do. You got to stick to your rules, you got to have a game plan, you got to follow through on it and today we did."

TCU guard Desmond Bane
On beating Oklahoma State for the first time in Big 12 play:
"That's wild. Since I got here I feel like everything we do is a first. We're just trying to build the program up and leave some tradition behind."

TCU forward Kenrich Williams
On his team's passing against Oklahoma State:
"We try to do that every game. I know today we just wanted to move the ball on each side and get a pass to assist. That's what we try to do every game."

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