Opening Statement: I thought it was a great college basketball game tonight, two teams that went back and forth, punch for punch. Guys played really hard, that's what I love, it became a possession by possession game, overall our defense was good, and then just in overtime they made a couple more plays than we did. We didn't have one of our leaders out there, for those other guys to step up, I thought it was Turner's best game of the year. Overall, the record isn't where we want it to be, but we're gonna get back to work, I'm proud of our seniors, proud of Law and Pardon, what they did for our program. There's a lot of firsts that will never be taken away from them. Their legacy isn't defined by this year.
On Bezhanishvili: I wasn't surprised, his footwork, his ability to pivot, you think you have him under control and he's a terrific player. Certainly it was a handful for us. They went to a steady dose of him, and that's why he's a really good player.
On Turner: I think he showed the talent that he possesses, for a lot of our guys this year I felt bad, guys had to take on roles that were outside of their comfort zone. We had to put guys who were wings and forwards at guard, and that's not easy to do when you're in the Big Ten. I hope for the guys that are returning that it can be a real growing point for their games. A.J. is going to be a big player for us coming back.
On not having Vic: I thought it really showed up in the overtime, everyone was really tired, we had one less perimeter defender. Just being down, forget about what he does as a scorer, I missed what he does defensively.
On the mood: It was emotional, there was a lot of crying in there, there's gonna be one Big Ten champion and one NCAA champion. What I love as a coach is seeing that emotion pour out, to see them share that emotion with each other, that's when you know you have the right kind of guys. Where we are right now is not where we want to be as a program.
On the guard situation: We need to get guards on the roster. Our guys did admirably this year, but you cannot win in this league without elite guard play and it's something we need to address.
On Bezhanishvili: I wasn't surprised, his footwork, his ability to pivot, you think you have him under control and he's a terrific player. Certainly it was a handful for us. They went to a steady dose of him, and that's why he's a really good player.
On Turner: I think he showed the talent that he possesses, for a lot of our guys this year I felt bad, guys had to take on roles that were outside of their comfort zone. We had to put guys who were wings and forwards at guard, and that's not easy to do when you're in the Big Ten. I hope for the guys that are returning that it can be a real growing point for their games. A.J. is going to be a big player for us coming back.
On not having Vic: I thought it really showed up in the overtime, everyone was really tired, we had one less perimeter defender. Just being down, forget about what he does as a scorer, I missed what he does defensively.
On the mood: It was emotional, there was a lot of crying in there, there's gonna be one Big Ten champion and one NCAA champion. What I love as a coach is seeing that emotion pour out, to see them share that emotion with each other, that's when you know you have the right kind of guys. Where we are right now is not where we want to be as a program.
On the guard situation: We need to get guards on the roster. Our guys did admirably this year, but you cannot win in this league without elite guard play and it's something we need to address.