Postgame Quotes: Wisconsin vs. McNeese State

Nov. 13, 2019
Kohl Center  |  Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin Head Coach Greg Gard

On Walt McGrory:
"Walt has really caught our attention over the last couple of weeks, regardless of Kobe King (not playing tonight due to injury). I needed to find a way to get him on the floor because he has earned that opportunity. He's just solid, that's how he played tonight. He really gave us a catalyst."

On the second half:
"The second half was much better. We were more proactive and aggressive. We kept the ball out of the post and obviously got a little offense out of our defense. We were much better defensively in the second half."

On how defense leads to offense:
"You've gotta score in transition. If it's a turnover, it's a live-ball turnover. Trevor Anderson made a great play diving on the floor. We were more active in the gaps. We were digging dribbles loose at times. We have a lot of guys that can shoot it. That puts the pressure on a defense."

Junior Guard Walt McGrory
On contributing against McNeese State:
"I just tried to be ready for the moment. Just play solid, get good shots for our guys, attack, don't be timid. It felt good and I felt like I was prepared. It was fun."

Junior Forward Aleem Ford
On second half adjustments:
"It started on the defensive end for us, just trying to get more stops, playing inside-out and then just getting good looks. I thought we had some good looks in the first half, they just didn't fall, but in the second half they were falling. We just tried to stick to it and stay confident in our shot."

Junior Guard Brad Davison
On stepping up with injuries and fouls:
"I think with Aleem in foul trouble, Nate (Reuvers) in foul trouble, Kobe (King) out, we all kind of tried to take an extra step and be more assertive on both ends of the court. We had some new and improved lineups out there that we kind of just had to ride out the waves. I think everyone saw that opportunity we had to step up a little bit and pick up some of that slack with the guys on the bench in foul trouble, or with an injury."

On the second half adjustments:
"At halftime, coach got into us pretty good. Once we came out, we stopped trading baskets and it really started from the defensive end. Coach told us that's where we have to pride ourselves, so we forced them into some tough stops. They made a lot of tough shots, we created some turnovers, which also created some good looks for us on the offensive end in transition. I think the halftime speech and then coming up and really digging in defensively really got us going."