The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Postgame Quotes
02.13.2010 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2010
Texas Quotes
Head Coach Rick Barnes
Opening statement: I told the team at halftime, all you have to do is look two numbers-the assists and turnover ratio. In the first half, we flipped it, moved the ball, got great looks against a team that leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense. It is those numbers right there. That is what we have talked about. We have to move the ball, make simple plays. I thought defensively that is where we really set the tone. Our defense was great against a team that really, really executes. Without question, in terms of playing the way that I
envision us to play, it was the first day all year that I thought we really played because I thought that everyone that played for the most
part did what they did or what they should do and did not try to do things that they can't do.
On tonight's game: We want to push the ball. We want to be aggressive. I think that the biggest thing that we have learned over the last couple days-and we have changed some things up in terms of what we have gotten away from in the past-was making the team understand that when we say to be aggressive and attack as opposed to really being out of control. We spent a lot of time showing them how to just do simple plays. We need to drive the ball, but the only thing that we really did different was we opened up the elbow area where we could really drive it in there. This team all year has actually practiced really well, but we haven't gotten the carry-over. Today might be the one time that we have really carried over what we have done two days in practice.
On preparation for tonight's game: We are always putting together video to try to highlight and show our guys when we are playing our very best basketball. We had one again that we put together. It was not that much different from the ones that we have always used, but the one thing that we kept emphasizing to them is how easy we make it look when we play our best basketball just by simply moving the ball.
Freshman Guard J'Covan Brown
On tonight's game: It feels great to see our teammates bounce back from a loss. Avery steeped up to the plate today. He had the hot hand. It just feels great to get a win today.
On his expanded role: My job is just to take over this team and get us to the national championship game. I have to step up and be a big player with this team.
Freshman Guard Avery Bradley
On his play tonight: My teammates saw that I was open and making shots, so they just got the ball to me. We have been focusing on
becoming a better team, and we are just taking it one step at a time. We showed today that we are getting better.
On tonight's game: We wanted to come out and push the ball and play hard the whole game, and that is what we did. We wanted everyone to come in a give their all, and I feel like that is what our teammates did. We had each other's backs the whole game.
On rebounding from Monday night's loss: We just need to keep each other focused and keep each other up. We need to have the mindset coming into every game that we are going to play hard against our opponents.
Nebraska Quotes
Head Coach Doc Sadler
Opening statement: What do you say? Texas is just what you would have thought. You knew after Monday night's game against Kansas that you were going to get their best effort. We just happened to be the team that they were going to be playing. There's no better coach in the country than Coach Barnes. He had his team ready and from the get-go it was men playing with boys. We couldn't match their intensity. We couldn't match anything that they had. And then you add the fact that they shoot the ball the way they shot today. You've got to make a decision if you're us, are you going to take away some inside game and give up some outside because we can't just match up with them the way some people may be able to. We made the decision to do that, and I wouldn't change that part of it. It obviously didn't work very well.
On Texas: They're playing for March. They've got about two weeks to get ready for that. Rick (Barnes) will have them ready for that, believe me, and they will be playing their best basketball. They were plenty good today, I can promise you that.
On the defense of Dogus Balbay: Did you see where we were running our offense? At midcourt. Balbay's good. Do you have to guard him like you do J'Covan Brown? Probably not. But there's more to it. They've got plenty of offensive weapons without the point guard being a focal point. I mean, wow. Balbay disrupts everything that you want to do offensively. I can promise you this, they don't want to lose him. If he goes down then their team is going to suffer. He is that good in my opinion.
On J'Covan Brown: J'Covan Brown is good. There's no question about that. You had better defend (the post) close (against Texas). That's what allows J'Covan Brown to do what he does.
