Everything Earl Grant said after brutal Miami loss
Let’s just get right into it…
Opening thoughts
“Credit Miami, they played a great game. I thought they forced us into turnovers. The game was pretty even, the first part, the start of the game into the 10-minute mark. Then they forced us into 12 turnovers, they scored off those turnovers and changed the game. Second half was pretty even, but you know, they had such a big gap, the first half down 17, so, credit them. They turned us over. We didn’t probe the zone at the level we needed to and that’s the story of the game.”
On what Miami did to force turnovers
“I’m not sure if it was them or us. We knew they were going to zone. We were prepared for it and we did a great job of attacking it in the second half. So, I don’t know if it was them or us. I mean, I thought we turned it over early in the possession a few times trying to be forceful in terms of getting the ball into the high post. They knocked it loose and every time they knocked it loose, they were able to go convert.”
On Ernest Udeh’s presence for Miami
“I mean, big, physical guy. But, we see those guys night in and night out at this level. He is big, he is a good defender. But, you know, I think he affects shots at the rim. I don’t think he had much to do with the turnovers. Those balls were getting deflected by perimeter players. But, once you drive the ball, you do gotta deal with him at the rim. He’s huge. He’s long, he’s a good shot blocker and a good rim protector.”
On the turnaround for Miami after winning three games a year ago
“I’m happy for him (Miami head coach Jai Lucas), I’m happy for him. It’s hard. It’s a challenge. He’s doing a great job, he’s got a great staff put together, a great roster. So, give him credit. They’re doing a really good job.”
On how he’d view the season if BC misses the ACC tournament again
“Well, you know, the season’s still going. So, really can’t reflect on anything that’s not done. So, obviously we got a game to get ready for on the road and one at home. So, we gotta figure out what’s the best way to put ourselves in position to be successful coming down the final stretch. But, in terms of reflecting on the year, it ain’t something I need to do right now. I gotta watch this game. I gotta get ready for the next opponent. I think if anybody been watching, what you would say is, for most of the year, the team has been very competitive and we’ve had a lot of heartache. We’ve faced a lot of adversity and our guys have handled it well. But, at this point, just got to really figure out how to finish strong.”
On having 2 scoreless streaks of over 5 minutes in the 1st half
“Well, you know, it’s hard because a blind man has a chance if he can get the ball up on the backboard. But, we didn’t give ourselves a chance too many possessions when the game was even. You know, and they converted. So, at the end of the day you’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got a standard we want to play to. Our standard is playing underneath 12 turnovers a game. For the season, we top three in the conference in taking care of the ball. So, that was uncharacteristic for us to have 18 turnovers, 12 in the first half where they got 15 points off the turnovers in the first half. So, we gotta be better.”
