From the Big Ten Conference...
COACH COLLINS: I would just like to congratulate Michigan on a tremendous victory. I thought the two teams played really hard. I'm really proud of my team. I thought we battled like crazy, and just really disappointed that our run ends here. It's a tough loss because I thought we deserved to win the game, but sometimes other things come into factor.
And you have to live with it when you try to climb the mountain, so it's for another day.
Q. For you guys to battle back the way you did after staring at that early deficit, what were you guys thinking as you were making that comeback?
TRE DEMPS: Frankly, we thought we were going to win. There's nothing more that you are really thinking about. We just wanted to make tough plays because we felt like we didn't do that last time we played Michigan. But this time we did, but we just still fell short.
Q. Alex, on the last-second shot, what did you see when you were attacking the glass? And did you have any kind of conception of how much time was left when the ball left your hands?
ALEX OLAH: I had some idea. All I was thinking was I remember first time we played Michigan. I also had the chance to get an offensive rebound and it got tipped out and that was something -- coach said that was lack of toughness, and I did not want to lose this game, and I said I'm going to go grab the screen and it put it back in and send us to overtime.
And it happened.
Q. Four points in the first half for you, 16 in the second. What changed for you after the break?
ALEX OLAH: Just urgency of if we don't win, it's going to be my last game. I wanted to win this game and keep playing. And I'm also senior leader, and I wanted to leave everything on the floor.
Q. You just talked about how it was your last game. Was there a moment after the game when you thought, wow, it's over?
TRE DEMPS: Yeah. I mean, just emotions. We've been through so much, you know. This university has done so much for me and Alex. I think the first thing, when you have a deep connection, is just emotions, when you care about something. So I think that was the first thing that came to mind.
ALEX OLAH: Yeah, just first time I was just sad that we lost. And then everything came back, that it's going to be my last game. And, you know, it is what it is. I wish we could play more.
Q. Tre, when Bryant was inbounding at the end there, you came around and looked like you had a little opening for a three and thought he was going to pass you the ball. What did you see there?
TRE DEMPS: If it was wide open, we would pass it. But it was more of a decoy to get the second screen attack. He had a great look at it, and we executed perfectly, just didn't knock it down.
Q. Chris, you said, "I guess sometimes other things come into play." what are you referring to there?
COACH COLLINS: I don't know. I don't know. You guys saw the end of regulation. Looked like a lot of steps on the end line with Duncan Robinson, but I don't know. You guys watched the game. Make your own determination.
Q. You guys have played a lot of games in overtime. Why do you think you have had so many overtime games with them?
COACH COLLINS: I think we're just two evenly matched teams. I think we're evenly matched. I think we're two good teams, two teams that deserve to win that game, honestly. And I guess our name isn't big enough yet, and that's something that we have to do for ourselves. We don't have the brand name yet, and to that's something that we're going to work on.
We're fighting like crazy. It's a battle. I can't even talk. It's a battle, fighting so hard. That's what I'm fighting and that's what I'm going to keep fighting. And I'm really proud of my guys. We don't have that brand name on our chest, but you know what? We play good basketball. We're a good team now. I hope people take notice of that. I hope people take notice of that. We're a good basketball team and a good program. And we're going to keep getting better and hopefully one day we will be viewed as such.
Q. Coach, you guys did a good job on Robinson the first time you played them. Did you feel like he was kind of a difference for them?
COACH COLLINS: Yeah, he was tremendous. He played great. Thought he got loose, had a couple of breakdowns. He had a big three. He got fouled. We fouled him on a three in the first half. He got five free-throws which, for a great shooter, you never want a great shooter get free-throws because he sees the ball go in. And obviously that three he hit when they were down three, that's a big-time shot. I have to look at it again. I thought we defended it pretty well. It was a good set by Coach Beilein. He came off. I thought Olah was all over it, and he was fading. Just had a big-time shot. You have to give him credit. I thought he played very well for them today.
Q. Alex and Tre were talking about the game as if it was their last. Do you believe it's going to be the last game of the season for you guys or is the postseason something that you are confident that you will get a shot to play in?
COACH COLLINS: Well, I hope so. I hope so. I hope the league will fight for us the way they fight for other teams.
Q. You were sitting next to Tre and Alex, and if that is their last game, the way they played, not only tonight but all season, how much does it show how far they have come and how far you guys have come?
COACH COLLINS: I told them to remember what it was like when we had our first team meeting, you know, and you got a new coach, a young coach. It's a little bit disarray. We didn't know if Drew Crawford was coming back. And I had core group of guys, man, that -- I had a core group of guys that just believed in me and my staff coming in. All we wanted to try to do was be a continuation of what the -- I didn't think the program was in an awful place. Coach Carmody is a helluva coach. He proved that last night. I wouldn't have come to Northwestern if I didn't think we weren't in a place where we could build on what he did. And for what those guys have done for me the past three years, I could never repay them. They have given me everything. I feel I have given them everything. We have gotten better. And I think that showed today. For us to win 20 games, eight league games, to not have Vic all year, to not have Alex Olah for about 10 or 12 week games at full strength, to still find a way to gut out eight wins and have a great opportunity to win today against a really good Michigan team.
I think it shows how far we have come. And they should be really proud of what they have done for our program. As we move forward, I hope they feel when we do accomplish the things that we want to accomplish, I hope they feel great pride, because they will be a big part of it, a big reason why.
COACH COLLINS: I would just like to congratulate Michigan on a tremendous victory. I thought the two teams played really hard. I'm really proud of my team. I thought we battled like crazy, and just really disappointed that our run ends here. It's a tough loss because I thought we deserved to win the game, but sometimes other things come into factor.
And you have to live with it when you try to climb the mountain, so it's for another day.
Q. For you guys to battle back the way you did after staring at that early deficit, what were you guys thinking as you were making that comeback?
TRE DEMPS: Frankly, we thought we were going to win. There's nothing more that you are really thinking about. We just wanted to make tough plays because we felt like we didn't do that last time we played Michigan. But this time we did, but we just still fell short.
Q. Alex, on the last-second shot, what did you see when you were attacking the glass? And did you have any kind of conception of how much time was left when the ball left your hands?
ALEX OLAH: I had some idea. All I was thinking was I remember first time we played Michigan. I also had the chance to get an offensive rebound and it got tipped out and that was something -- coach said that was lack of toughness, and I did not want to lose this game, and I said I'm going to go grab the screen and it put it back in and send us to overtime.
And it happened.
Q. Four points in the first half for you, 16 in the second. What changed for you after the break?
ALEX OLAH: Just urgency of if we don't win, it's going to be my last game. I wanted to win this game and keep playing. And I'm also senior leader, and I wanted to leave everything on the floor.
Q. You just talked about how it was your last game. Was there a moment after the game when you thought, wow, it's over?
TRE DEMPS: Yeah. I mean, just emotions. We've been through so much, you know. This university has done so much for me and Alex. I think the first thing, when you have a deep connection, is just emotions, when you care about something. So I think that was the first thing that came to mind.
ALEX OLAH: Yeah, just first time I was just sad that we lost. And then everything came back, that it's going to be my last game. And, you know, it is what it is. I wish we could play more.
Q. Tre, when Bryant was inbounding at the end there, you came around and looked like you had a little opening for a three and thought he was going to pass you the ball. What did you see there?
TRE DEMPS: If it was wide open, we would pass it. But it was more of a decoy to get the second screen attack. He had a great look at it, and we executed perfectly, just didn't knock it down.
Q. Chris, you said, "I guess sometimes other things come into play." what are you referring to there?
COACH COLLINS: I don't know. I don't know. You guys saw the end of regulation. Looked like a lot of steps on the end line with Duncan Robinson, but I don't know. You guys watched the game. Make your own determination.
Q. You guys have played a lot of games in overtime. Why do you think you have had so many overtime games with them?
COACH COLLINS: I think we're just two evenly matched teams. I think we're evenly matched. I think we're two good teams, two teams that deserve to win that game, honestly. And I guess our name isn't big enough yet, and that's something that we have to do for ourselves. We don't have the brand name yet, and to that's something that we're going to work on.
We're fighting like crazy. It's a battle. I can't even talk. It's a battle, fighting so hard. That's what I'm fighting and that's what I'm going to keep fighting. And I'm really proud of my guys. We don't have that brand name on our chest, but you know what? We play good basketball. We're a good team now. I hope people take notice of that. I hope people take notice of that. We're a good basketball team and a good program. And we're going to keep getting better and hopefully one day we will be viewed as such.
Q. Coach, you guys did a good job on Robinson the first time you played them. Did you feel like he was kind of a difference for them?
COACH COLLINS: Yeah, he was tremendous. He played great. Thought he got loose, had a couple of breakdowns. He had a big three. He got fouled. We fouled him on a three in the first half. He got five free-throws which, for a great shooter, you never want a great shooter get free-throws because he sees the ball go in. And obviously that three he hit when they were down three, that's a big-time shot. I have to look at it again. I thought we defended it pretty well. It was a good set by Coach Beilein. He came off. I thought Olah was all over it, and he was fading. Just had a big-time shot. You have to give him credit. I thought he played very well for them today.
Q. Alex and Tre were talking about the game as if it was their last. Do you believe it's going to be the last game of the season for you guys or is the postseason something that you are confident that you will get a shot to play in?
COACH COLLINS: Well, I hope so. I hope so. I hope the league will fight for us the way they fight for other teams.
Q. You were sitting next to Tre and Alex, and if that is their last game, the way they played, not only tonight but all season, how much does it show how far they have come and how far you guys have come?
COACH COLLINS: I told them to remember what it was like when we had our first team meeting, you know, and you got a new coach, a young coach. It's a little bit disarray. We didn't know if Drew Crawford was coming back. And I had core group of guys, man, that -- I had a core group of guys that just believed in me and my staff coming in. All we wanted to try to do was be a continuation of what the -- I didn't think the program was in an awful place. Coach Carmody is a helluva coach. He proved that last night. I wouldn't have come to Northwestern if I didn't think we weren't in a place where we could build on what he did. And for what those guys have done for me the past three years, I could never repay them. They have given me everything. I feel I have given them everything. We have gotten better. And I think that showed today. For us to win 20 games, eight league games, to not have Vic all year, to not have Alex Olah for about 10 or 12 week games at full strength, to still find a way to gut out eight wins and have a great opportunity to win today against a really good Michigan team.
I think it shows how far we have come. And they should be really proud of what they have done for our program. As we move forward, I hope they feel when we do accomplish the things that we want to accomplish, I hope they feel great pride, because they will be a big part of it, a big reason why.