Nov. 16, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Colgate
Kohl Center - Madison, Wis.
Nov. 16, 2011
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan
On why the team got off to a slow start in the second half:
“I thought defensively we were doing some good things, but sometimes shots don’t go down. Basketball can be that way sometimes. But as long as on the other end we were getting some deflections and things going, we were doing OK. Nothing changed.”
On if the team is capable of playing defense as well as last year’s:
“As a teacher I’m always thinking I’ll let the classroom decide that. I’ll let the players answer that with how they do. I’m always putting out information for them, and if they’d like to adhere to it, they could be pretty formidable. If you’re one of the better teams in the country at doing the things that do not take talent, that team will always have a chance to compete.”
On Rob Wilson’s play off the bench:
“He got some hustle opportunities. Whenever a guy comes in off the bench, his goal is to stay solid and make things happen. Every shot that’s taken is a potential loose ball, and he hunted them down and made things happen. You have to be aware in games of opportunities, and he was aware and got some.”
On the team’s poor free throw shooting:
“Free throw percentages have a lot to do with who’s shooting them and when. We didn’t shoot them very well. We have to be better at the line, and they know it. They’re as disappointed as anybody.”
On Ben Brust’s shooting range:
“Have you ever seen those practices where my son, Matt, at UW-Milwaukee would hit five straight shots from half court at practice? I think the only guy that could give Matt Ryan a run would be Ben Brust. So his range is probably half court. Now, do we want him shooting from there? No.”
Sophomore G Ben Brust
On the comfort he’s found shooting after the first two games:
“I definitely got it going in the first half of both games so far. I might need to change some things for the second half. It’s been nice to get out there and just get comfortable with the guys and just keep working forward from here.”
On what changed from the first to the second half:
“I don’t think anything was different for me. I got as good of looks as I did in the first half, I just didn’t knock them down. That’s just stepping up and hitting those. As a team, we had looks. We’ll knock them down.”
On how his open 3-pointer felt and how it feels to be that hot:
“I just smiled and said thank you. It was nice to get that open.”
On if there has been anything surprising so far this season:
“It’s just been good for me to get out there and play. I learned a lot from the scout team and the limited minutes I had last year. I kind of used that feeling I didn’t like last year of not playing much to drive me for now. Now I’m just trying to take advantage of what has been given to me.”
Senior G Jordan Taylor
On the difference between the first and second half:
“I think we forced some shots, especially early on in the second half, especially myself, I forced a couple of shots that got blocked. As we got going, they got better towards the second half and we started moving the ball better and started moving better.”
On what he can say about the team after the first two games:
“I think it showed that we have some different pieces than we did last year, especially with Ben (Brust) shooting the ball from outside, I don’t think we had that last year, and with Jared (Berggren) back to the basket, playing the way he can down there, offensively. Defensively, it’s a work in progress. We’re trying to improve on things and stay locked in on defense, and that’s something that comes with experience. The more games we get in, the better we’ll be.
On the low percentage of free throws made:
“I think it has to do with a lack of focus. We came out sort of sluggish in the second half; I don’t know how many of those were in the second half. When you come out and get a lead like we did, some guys have a tendency to relax, and as a team we got too complacent and let our guard down.”
Junior F Jared Berggren
On how beneficial it is to have so many 3-point shooters:
“We have guys knocking down shots outside and it opens things up for me inside to hopefully face some one-on-one coverage. I have to do a better job of finishing down there; I think I was 4-for-13 today. That’s a little disappointing. I have to work on finishing around the basket and hopefully that improves in the next games. It’s something I have to work on.”
On how he thinks the team will benefit from the adversity faced in second half:
“Definitely [it’ll help]. Colgate is a good team in their league I’m pretty sure. I’m not sure how they will end up doing, but we’ll see. It’s fun to get out there and play and gain some experience for some of the younger players. I’m sure we’ll face a lot of adversity in the games coming up, especially Saturday. Wofford is a great team in their conference. It’s good and we’re just trying to learn and get better.”
Colgate Head Coach Matt Langel
Opening statement:
“This was a perfect game for us to play. Obviously you never want to end up on the short end of a 68-41 ballgame, but Wisconsin’s program, what Coach Ryan stands for, what his players year-in and year-out do on and off the floor is really a model for college basketball in my mind. Certainly if we could ever get our basketball program to be the Wisconsin of the Patriot League -- we’re not going to ever run the swing offense, although it’s a terrific system -- but if the toughness and togetherness and trust in the coaches and each other, if we could ever get to that point in our level, I’ll feel really good about our program and where we’re at.”
On Wisconsin’s defense:
“It’s good. It’s very good. They’re big and, fundamentally over the course of time, I’ve been fortunate enough when I was an assistant coach at Temple and we’ve been at some of the same NCAA tournament sites, they’re always going to make you make difficult shots. Typically it’s mid-range jump shots. When they lose ballgames, that’s what happens to them. When Cornell made that run in the NCAA tournament a couple of years ago, they had some really good shooters and they made shots. Their defense is really good. (Jordan) Taylor is exceptional. He’s a really special defensive player. The other guys, they do their job. They force you
where they want to force you. They don’t give you open 3s and they don’t give you layups. I think they are one of, if not the best team, at bodying you up and using their size and length to create a different shot. It’s not necessarily with their athleticism, but size and position, and they make you miss those shots without fouling you. That’s probably something they work on all the time.”
On the changes they made at halftime:
“I don’t think we could ever say we took advantage of them. I thought we did a decent job our first handful of positions, but they made a lot of shots. Taylor made some tough shots and (Ben) Brust really had it going in the first half. A couple of them, they were wide open, but a couple others we were in the area and they made them. Sometimes it comes down to making shots and missing shots. The message at halftime really was the positioning, and the philosophy was not any different, but just the fire and the competitive nature and the fight you have to play with -- that Wisconsin plays with every single second they’re out there -- is what you’ve got to do to even be in a game like this.”
