Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: OSU vs. Texas Tech
February 13, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
On not being on "the same level" as Texas Tech:
"That is factual. We did not, and they were the reason. I always want to give the other team credit. They made us play poorly. They were a better team by far, and the margin of victory shows that. All I know to do is watch the film, learn from it, although there's not a lot to learn from that, and then show up tomorrow and be ready to work again."
On getting down early:
"This is a game of confidence and we don't have a ton right now, as you could see. And, they're one of the best teams in our league because in mid-February, you have to still have confidence to be able to go on the road and play the way they played tonight. They beat us in every facet of the game. They were the better team and it's a lesson for us and that's how you approach things when you're competing for a championship."
On his surprise of how the team played tonight:
"Yes, I would say. We haven't played that way this year, really at all, at any point. Even Kansas State, it was just more of a run and we couldn't find a rhythm offensively. But that's the only thing that has even came close. We've played so much better since then and we played well on the road in two games last week. I certainly expected us to play better at home in front of our fans. I want to make sure our fans know this isn't representative of what they should expect. And if there's disappointment, it's rightfully just and we will certainly do our part to get it rectified."
On Texas Tech's length:
"They do everything well defensively. They do a great job of pressuring the ball, they can disrupt passing lanes and get deflections and steals, they take charges at a high rate and they block shots. They don't have a chink defensively, unless you can probably pound it inside, but then they can defend because they're big and strong with (Norense) Odiase in there. So, you have to the job offensively against them. And, to let them have 23 points off of our turnovers tonight, which was a big emphasis for the last few days, was highly disappointing."
Oklahoma State junior forward Cameron McGriff
On his mentality tonight:
"Be the hardest player on the court at all times. That was my mindset coming into the game."
On how the team can re-focus on Saturday:
"Our next game we will be 0-0 on the scoreboard. We can't think about last game. If you come in with the right mentality every night, nobody cares about what happened tonight."
Cowboy junior guard Lindy Waters
On Tanner Taylor hitting the 3-point shot:
"It was good, he works just as hard as we do. I had all the confidence in the world he was gonna be good."
On the difference in tonight:
"We didn't prepare the right way. We didn't come into the game with the mentality we should have. That's on the captains. Today's shoot around we just weren't locked in. Just forgetting plays and not executing, just small things. "For the younger guys, they haven't really been through it like we have. They haven't experienced the ups and downs. They're going through it right now but they haven't figured out a way to overcome it. Me, Cam and Thomas have experienced a lot. We know when things start to go south we got to figure out something."
On the defensive difference for Texas Tech:
"Our contesting shots were different than theirs. They were right up on us. We would contest but we would be a couple of inches away."
Texas Tech Head Coach Chris Beard
Opening Statement:
"I've got a lot of respect for Oklahoma State. They basically played us even in the second half. It's well-documented that they're a little undermanned right now. They have a lot of good, young players out there. I think they're going to be a part of the fight in the next few weeks. I don't think anyone wants to draw them in Kansas City (for the Big 12 Tournament). We've got to play them one more time. I just want to say on behalf of the our players and coaches that we have a lot of respect for this program. We're fortunate tonight to get another Big 12 road win."
On the team's offensive performance:
"I think the biggest positive tonight, offensively, was that this a low-turnover game. We can't always count on making shots like we did tonight. Our guys put a lot of time in, so from time-to-time, we're going to have nights like tonight."
On the team's defensive performance:
"I liked our urgency in the first half on the three-point line. Oklahoma State has two of the best, if not the best, three-point shooters in the Big 12. (Guarding them) was a big emphasis. We controlled the backboards, I think we rebounded even with them, and had a low-turnover game which helped our defense."
Texas Tech Senior Matt Mooney
On his performance:
"I felt good out there tonight. Guys were finding me, I got in a good rhythm. I played with those Wilson balls the last few years of my college career (at South Dakota), I really like those balls."
On the impact of the team getting a lead:
"Once we start making shots, we're really hard to guard. Teams have to close out on us more, that lets us run in transition, they've got to close out on shooters faster which opens up driving lanes. We were able to get the ball inside and spray it around. We got hot tonight and played well offensively."
Texas Tech Senior Tariq Owens
On the impact his dunks have:
"(Dunks) provide energy, everybody likes to see those plays. It's fun, I got great passes from my teammates, Jarrett (Culver) threw me one, Matt (Mooney) threw me one, Brandone (Francis) gave me a good pass. When that happens, it just lets us know we're playing together with a team, when we're finding each other."
On the play of the team:
"We're really together. Tonight shows how together we are. We've stayed the course and stayed together as a family. These coaches, these players, we have stayed together as a family. We're really locked in right now, playing good basketball and enjoying each other's time."
On not being on "the same level" as Texas Tech:
"That is factual. We did not, and they were the reason. I always want to give the other team credit. They made us play poorly. They were a better team by far, and the margin of victory shows that. All I know to do is watch the film, learn from it, although there's not a lot to learn from that, and then show up tomorrow and be ready to work again."
On getting down early:
"This is a game of confidence and we don't have a ton right now, as you could see. And, they're one of the best teams in our league because in mid-February, you have to still have confidence to be able to go on the road and play the way they played tonight. They beat us in every facet of the game. They were the better team and it's a lesson for us and that's how you approach things when you're competing for a championship."
On his surprise of how the team played tonight:
"Yes, I would say. We haven't played that way this year, really at all, at any point. Even Kansas State, it was just more of a run and we couldn't find a rhythm offensively. But that's the only thing that has even came close. We've played so much better since then and we played well on the road in two games last week. I certainly expected us to play better at home in front of our fans. I want to make sure our fans know this isn't representative of what they should expect. And if there's disappointment, it's rightfully just and we will certainly do our part to get it rectified."
On Texas Tech's length:
"They do everything well defensively. They do a great job of pressuring the ball, they can disrupt passing lanes and get deflections and steals, they take charges at a high rate and they block shots. They don't have a chink defensively, unless you can probably pound it inside, but then they can defend because they're big and strong with (Norense) Odiase in there. So, you have to the job offensively against them. And, to let them have 23 points off of our turnovers tonight, which was a big emphasis for the last few days, was highly disappointing."
Oklahoma State junior forward Cameron McGriff
On his mentality tonight:
"Be the hardest player on the court at all times. That was my mindset coming into the game."
On how the team can re-focus on Saturday:
"Our next game we will be 0-0 on the scoreboard. We can't think about last game. If you come in with the right mentality every night, nobody cares about what happened tonight."
Cowboy junior guard Lindy Waters
On Tanner Taylor hitting the 3-point shot:
"It was good, he works just as hard as we do. I had all the confidence in the world he was gonna be good."
On the difference in tonight:
"We didn't prepare the right way. We didn't come into the game with the mentality we should have. That's on the captains. Today's shoot around we just weren't locked in. Just forgetting plays and not executing, just small things. "For the younger guys, they haven't really been through it like we have. They haven't experienced the ups and downs. They're going through it right now but they haven't figured out a way to overcome it. Me, Cam and Thomas have experienced a lot. We know when things start to go south we got to figure out something."
On the defensive difference for Texas Tech:
"Our contesting shots were different than theirs. They were right up on us. We would contest but we would be a couple of inches away."
Texas Tech Head Coach Chris Beard
Opening Statement:
"I've got a lot of respect for Oklahoma State. They basically played us even in the second half. It's well-documented that they're a little undermanned right now. They have a lot of good, young players out there. I think they're going to be a part of the fight in the next few weeks. I don't think anyone wants to draw them in Kansas City (for the Big 12 Tournament). We've got to play them one more time. I just want to say on behalf of the our players and coaches that we have a lot of respect for this program. We're fortunate tonight to get another Big 12 road win."
On the team's offensive performance:
"I think the biggest positive tonight, offensively, was that this a low-turnover game. We can't always count on making shots like we did tonight. Our guys put a lot of time in, so from time-to-time, we're going to have nights like tonight."
On the team's defensive performance:
"I liked our urgency in the first half on the three-point line. Oklahoma State has two of the best, if not the best, three-point shooters in the Big 12. (Guarding them) was a big emphasis. We controlled the backboards, I think we rebounded even with them, and had a low-turnover game which helped our defense."
Texas Tech Senior Matt Mooney
On his performance:
"I felt good out there tonight. Guys were finding me, I got in a good rhythm. I played with those Wilson balls the last few years of my college career (at South Dakota), I really like those balls."
On the impact of the team getting a lead:
"Once we start making shots, we're really hard to guard. Teams have to close out on us more, that lets us run in transition, they've got to close out on shooters faster which opens up driving lanes. We were able to get the ball inside and spray it around. We got hot tonight and played well offensively."
Texas Tech Senior Tariq Owens
On the impact his dunks have:
"(Dunks) provide energy, everybody likes to see those plays. It's fun, I got great passes from my teammates, Jarrett (Culver) threw me one, Matt (Mooney) threw me one, Brandone (Francis) gave me a good pass. When that happens, it just lets us know we're playing together with a team, when we're finding each other."
On the play of the team:
"We're really together. Tonight shows how together we are. We've stayed the course and stayed together as a family. These coaches, these players, we have stayed together as a family. We're really locked in right now, playing good basketball and enjoying each other's time."
Players Mentioned
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