Wisconsin Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
February 10, 2016
Kohl Center– Madison, Wis.Opening Statement:
"I'm happy for our guys to be able to find a way whenever you're working with guys that are 18 to 22. Not every game is going to be perfect and for us to be able to rally and surround each other, I thought was a sign hopefully in the right direction of having different guys step up and help each other out as we continue to grow together as a team. To be able to go 11-of-18 from 3, we talked about last game that I thought we shot too many, but I thought we did a good job tonight of touching the post and playing inside out and being able to knock down shots that were made available to us and to also get to the line 28 times. I know they extended their defense and fouled some in the full court, but to be able to maybe not be quite in sync and not have played or been as sharp as we've been in the past, to still be able to find a way I thought was a sign of maturity of our team to be able to rally and pick each other up and continue to work forward."
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On the team shooting 24 3-pointers in the past two games:
"Well, the word is out that we like to touch the post. We kept it a secret as long as we could, but now it's out, so between them playing the zone, which I anticipated, I figured we would see it not only from that standpoint that they had success with it Saturday, but also from the standpoint of it forced us to play more in the perimeter. Fortunately for our guys we didn't get two, 3 happy from a standpoint of we're still trying to touch the post as much as possible. I think the biggest thing is that we didn't convert and we didn't finish. We had a lot of good looks in the first half and got the ball deep and either they didn't covert at the free throw line or didn't convert when we had the ball pretty deep in the post. So between them playing the zone and when they didn't go man, they doubled, which they had shown that all year. They were trying to take what has been our strength away and fortunately for our guys to be able to recognize that and to move the ball and be that unselfish I thought for the most part when you shoot 11-of-18 (from 3) and it's 33 points on 18 possessions that's really, really good. You're three points away from being two points per possession. For us to be unselfish and patient enough to touch the post and then be able to kick the ball out, a lot of those 3s we shot and made were with our toes pointed towards the rim. As you know, that's the type of shot we like to take versus off the run. I think it's more from what they're trying to take away and they're trying to keep us off the free throw line, which we were able to do both. We were able to touch the post, get to the free throw line, and add some good looks in the perimeter. So that's a good sign that this group is going in the right direction of understanding and being able to counter whatever the defense is trying to do."
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On if the team's confidence was affected at all by the early sluggish stretch:
"It wasn't a confidence problem. We just didn't come out with the same fire that we needed to. I think I blame it on people talking to Coach (Greg) Gard. They gave him negative energy and he transferred that to us and then we came out sluggish in the first few minutes. Whoever he was talking to, it's their fault."Â
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On his explanation for the team's effective 3-point shooting lately:
"We're just taking advantage of the way that people are playing us. Going back to the beginning of the year, we weren't the best team with our spacing. That was a problem for us. With the way we've been playing after that point, teams are now trying to double the post and get the ball out of our hands or go zone to prevent that in the beginning. We just make sure that we're always ready to shoot and we can always shoot the ball. We're all good shooters. We just have to be ready to shoot with confidence. The teams have been giving us a shot, and that's the shot we have to take."
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On what he thought of Vitto Brown's career performance and how it helps him and the team: "It's about time, because I was ready to rough him up! I told him to meet me outside the locker room. Seriously though, that's what we expect. We know he can play like that. I told him that in the beginning of the year, that's what we expect from him. He knows he can play like that. He just has to keep playing with the confidence that he has. He knows he has the ability and teams are going to keep playing off of him. He should have 18 or 20 points per game. It's just a matter of continuing to do what we do and him keeping his confidence and we'll be alright."
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On if his performance was a sign of how good things are going for him right now:
"I think I just didn't hit any corner shots because I wasn't in the corner in the beginning. That's where the opening was this game, so I just tried to be ready to shoot."
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On how it feels to finally find his rhythm:
"It feels good. The best part about it is that we're taking care of business and getting the 'W,' so that's the most important thing."
Nebraska Head Coach Tim MilesÂ
Opening statement:
"I thought that Wisconsin had a great shooting night. That was the difference in the game. We thought coming in that Greg Gard had done such a good job with things like getting the ball inside, getting fouled inside, offensive rebounds, foul shots, that we thought we just weren't going to be able to keep up with. So we tried some mixed-man zones and then they go out and make 11-of-16 3s or whatever it was. There are only so many things you can take away. You have to commend Wisconsin on finding the adjustment. A guy like Vito Brown picks up when Ethan Happ has a tough night. That's what good teams do."Â
On Wisconsin's transformation from early in the year until now:
"With Coach (Bo) Ryan they were running the things they ran with that team of a lifetime. I was watching some of last year's game and I was so thankful and grateful we didn't have to deal with those guys. I think Greg (Gard), when he took charge, he went right back to the basics. He gave other guys opportunities and a fresh start, so to speak, for some of those other guys. They had their chance to earn their way in or play their way out. So now everyone felt this breath of fresh air like, 'Let's try it. Let's go.' That's just what I see from an outsider point of view. They went back to a more basic swing, which I've seen since I was a Division II coach when I was up in the Dakotas. God, everybody ran it. We've seen it for a long time and it's tough to guard."
On Vitto Brown's performance tonight:Â
"Vitto did a tremendous job. I thought that if Vitto Brown was going to make a whole bunch of 3s, we were going to lose anyway. There are some things you have to give up. I think we did a good job of finding (Bronson) Koenig in the first half out of any high-post touch. We didn't really give him an opportunity to score. That was going to leave somebody else open and that next guy up was Vitto. He made us pay."
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