University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina vs. Ohio State Postgame Quotes
November 30, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2006
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UNC vs. Ohio State 11/29/06
UNC Head Coach Roy Williams
Opening Statement:
"It was a heck of a basketball game. Even as a coach, you sit over there and marvel at the level that the kids are playing at offensively. I think both teams would probably like to play a little better on the defensive end of the floor, and I shouldn't speak for that.
I know we would like to play a little on the defensive end of the floor particularly in the first half. Second half we had about 3 or 4 possessions defensively that really gives me hope that we can be a good defensive team. We had a double team on the sideline, they throw it to the short corner, and we got a double-team down there and Wayne ends up with a steal. We get a double-team another time and Wayne ends up with a steal again, so everybody was getting to the spots they were supposed to be.
You can sit here and talk about a lot of guys. I told Brandan and Reyshawn they need to give us something in the second half. Brandan I think had 3 straight field goals in one stretch. Reyshawn made a big 3 for us. I thought Marcus was sensational for us defensively. Wayne probably had his best defensive game in the year. They're a difficult team to play. Mike Conley with the basketball with a screen on the ball, as often as they use it, is extremely difficult to guard. I think we were a little better in the second half, but you can't look by they shot 50% in the second half, but I think Steve said the first 16 minutes they shot 41%.
At the end, I probably got too involved in coaching instead of just letting the game happen. We had only used 2 fouls and we wanted to use some fouls to use some time. The first one worked out really well: we made the foul and then used 6 seconds, and I thought how bright I was, and then after that we stunk it up, so I showed how dumb I am. If you have that scenario, you should use some fouls, we just got to do a better job of it. When you say, do not foul as he's going to the basket, that's English, but we've got some very intelligent kids who take Spanish and French and those kind of things.
It was a heck of a college basketball game. Thad Matta is true gentleman and a big-time coach, they got a big-time team, and when Greg Oden gets back and playing for them, they're going to be a heck of a team. He's got their program to an elite level in college basketball and I think he's going to keep it and we feel very fortunate."
Ohio State Coach Thad Matta
Opening Statement:
"As I told our guys, that was a high level basketball game and when you get in a game like that guys are going to make plays. Quite honestly, North Carolina made more plays than we made to win the game. It was a game of runs, and I think our guys showed us some very good things out there as we're still experimenting with a young basketball team. I think I've never been in a building that was as loud as that building was at times, and we were able to communicate and guys were getting the calls. I think in the first half when we got them down ten, the foul trouble crushed us and it gave them some momentum going in at halftime. Once again, Carolina made the plays tonight, and we look at this and we will find ways to get better."
On UNC's defensive changes in the second half:
"Well I think they definitely extended out the pressure. They're long, they're athletic, they got fresh bodies coming at you at all times and they did a tremendous job of challenging our shots. The big guys were active, and at that point we just couldn't put the doggone ball in the basket."
On this game as a barometer for his team's progress:
"I think this was a very good test for our guys. I think that we learned a lot about our guys through the first six games, which was very important because there was that first tournament that we played in, and we didn't know what to expect. I think we can come from here and say, "these are the areas that we've got to get better at, these are the things we've got to do better at." The encouraging thing for us is that we're waiting on Greg (Oden), and where they got us tonight is some areas where he's going to help us a lot...I don't ever like to lose, but the barometer here is that we can play."
On Hansbrough's play in the second half:
"I think number one is that he made some shots. He had some pretty good looks there in the first half that he hit. The one he hit along the baseline in the first half, the eight-foot turnaround jump hook, those were the shots that we wanted him to make. I think they probably did a better job of clearing out. They did some things we hadn't seen them do coming into this game, a lot more screens (for their shooters) and that got us early, but those guys are powerful down there."
UNC Player Quotes
On the freshman and how the team kept in sync:
"Brandan came out and made three straight baskets in one time and then Ty hit a great pass to Brandan late in the game. Finishing baskets, shots, and shot clocks and Wayne was making shots the whole game, but they really stepped it up and they almost carried us the second half."
On the substitution between Frasor and Lawson towards the end of the game:
"Ty got tired and he called for one [substitution] so I went in there and we switched up how we were going to guard the ball screen at halftime. We really wanted to contain their three point shooters and I think for a couple of possessions in the second half we went after them and made them take some bad shots. The drive, Tyler had a huge block so that got them out of sync. We didn't want them to shoot three's and let them get the baskets and that's what got us the ten point lead."
On the box out effort:
"We knew we were bigger in size than them, but they went to the boards hard. I know myself I didn't have one box out or a tip in than some of the other guys, but on offensively Marcus really got to the offensive boards big time and that was huge for us, he kept the ball alive and defensively you have to box out sometimes and really concentrate on getting the ball."
On the shifts in energy in the second half:
"We don't want the guys to come in and win our home court no matter who the team is, number one or number one hundred, we don't care we have to turn it up and all the guys play hard and with all the guys it was definitely a team effort."
On the turn around from first half to the second half:
"First half we were stumbling around and were lucky to only be down by four points. The second half we came out and turned up the intensity to a level we haven't seen this year. Overall we played a good game, but we still not hitting on all cylinders and that's scary thing about this team."
On the year of the "Big Man":
"I mean I wouldn't call it that, but if that's what they think then I guess that's what it is. There is a lot of talented big men out in the country and it seems like every good team has a big man and that's what you need on a college level. You need a guy who is going to hit the paint and who does a lot on the team, a lot of the dirty work."
On the freshman and the out of sync instance in the game:
"We play all together and we play complete. Everybody is having fun out there."
On the defense of the game:
"We are working on that now. We just had to get and make sure the ball isn't dry so we can get all the three pointers and that's what we did in the second half."
