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Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern 
Feb. 7, 2015 
Kohl Center- Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan
On Bronson Koenig's game and his ability to step up for the team:
"He had two assists and no turnovers, and he didn't force any shots. I thought he hit some big 3s as we were moving the ball. You have to take what the defense gives you, and if they are going to pinch everything and try to keep the ball out of the middle of the zone, you have to knock down some outside shots. He was a guy that hit some big ones for us. He didn't panic out there, he made good ball fakes, and he set up other guys. A lot of times he made the pass that led to the pass to the basket."

On the progression of Wisconsin's player mentioned by Northwestern head coach Chris Collins:
"He knows. He's been around the game long enough. You have to be patient, but not so laid back that the players aren't getting messages.  He's obviously been getting his messages across. He understands being around the game so much that there are certain areas people should be improving in. As teachers, we are constantly looking for the students that are improving, and if they're not improving, it is our jobs as teachers to try and figure out why. I'm sure he's doing the same things with his players, because that's what we've been doing with our players forever."

On Josh Gasser's hustle plays and what those do for the team:
"Well, Josh feels those plays the next day, so that's where they show up. He's just a young man that we saw play like that even back in high school and the summers in AAU, and he hasn't changed. He'll never have the nickname, 'Pretty Boy,' but don't tell him I said that. He doesn't miss much in life and you've got to love being around those types of guys."


Nigel Hayes
On what it says to him that he had a good game even when he wasn't shooting well:
"I think it shows that when we rebound offensively, it gives us more opportunities to make up for the previous missed shot. It's a testament to our shooting ability. We work hard on that during practice and at the end of practice and it's great to see that. It doesn't look like it was 1.2 (points-per-possession), but by the way we moved the ball, we made sure the ball was going to get open shots. It's a very unselfish team that's capable of knocking down shots."


Bronson Koenig
On how his confidence has changed to a level he needs to compete here:
"I feel like I've been a lot more confident in the last couple of weeks. My teammates have done a good job of giving me that confidence and my coaches as well. Traevon (Jackson) has done a good job as well of just telling me to be aggressive as much as I can, and just being the leader, the point guard and everything like that, it gives me a lot of confidence."

On if he's getting more comfortable in pressured situations:
"I've always been comfortable with the ball in my hands, especially with the shot clock. But like I said, my confidence has been growing. I'm trying to work on being more aggressive and taking it to the hole. That was kind of tough against their zone, so I thought I did a pretty good job of putting up shots."


Sam Dekker
On working on the glass and capitalizing on the rebounds:
"Coach always tells us to attack the glass when you see opportunities. The past few weeks, I think I've tried to be a little more aggressive and use my athleticism - something I've been gifted with. I should be able to get some boards. Especially against a zone, there's always some ways to get in there, and it's tough to rebound out of it. When you have me, Nigel (Hayes) and Frank (Kaminsky) going up against the glass that puts the defense on their heels and makes their job tougher to get another stop."


Josh Gasser
On if it's nice to know that they can still win Big Ten games without Frank Kaminsky having a huge game:
"Yeah, that's what makes us so good. Northwestern, that's pretty much what they wanted to do. Get the ball out of Frank's hands, (and) not let him touch it. It's smart, he's an able player, but that's what shows how good of a team we can be offensively. I think we had 1.2 points-per-possession, (but) it didn't really seem like that. That's good. Sam (Dekker) stepped up big, Bronson (Koenig) played really well. That just shows what type of guys we have around Frank. We're better when he plays well, but we have other guys who can step up too."

Northwestern Head Coach Chris Collins
Opening Statement: 
"Congratulations to Wisconsin. They're as good as a team we've played all year. I say this all the time, when I'm not competing against them, I love watching them play. (They're) just a bunch of guys who are veterans - all juniors and seniors - who love playing with each other; they know each other inside and out. They play basketball the way it's supposed to be played. Really, in those first four or five minutes, that's where the game was won. It was 21-4, and then we started playing. Overall, we held them to 39 percent shooting average. If you would've told me that before the game, I would've taken it. We just had a hard time rebounding out of our zone. I'm really proud of how my young kids are fighting. A lot of times, there's four true freshmen out there playing against a top-five team in the country. We're going to keep fighting." 

On if he's seen a difference in how  Bronson Koenig runs the team vs.  Traevon Jackson: 
"They pretty much do what they do.They run their offense really well. The difference is, I think, Koenig is a better shooter than Traevon. Traevon maybe has the ability to get into the paint and foul. They're both outstanding players. Really. they were running their stuff. They did a good job spacing and moving the ball. I think the element that Koenig has really given them is the shooting. That element really adds a lot. He's a heck of a player. I'm impressed by how he's been able to run the team since Traevon's injury." 

On challenge of facing an experienced, physical team like Wisconsin with a young team:
"Yeah, I don't know about in preparing for the game, but when you're on the floor you have to be tough mentally and physically in this league. I think every coach in this league would tell you that it's really hard to win with a lot true freshmen out there. I'm not making excuses; we're building. We have to develop these guys. I love my young players. I think they have a chance to be some really good Big Ten players, but they're playing against teams that are well-oiled machines. Wisconsin, they're physically tough, you look at their bodies. You look at Sam Dekker's body versus (Scottie) Lindsey and (Vic) Law. There's a difference. Kaminsky was skinny as a freshman. Some of you might not remember that because of how good he is right now. We're going to keep fighting. We're going to keep working with our guys every day. I'm proud of my team, even today. We were down 21-4. It could've gotten out of hand really quickly, and we fought back and cut it to eight. To me that shows a lot about my group."