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Quotes: Duke 82, Davidson 69
11/18/2011 9:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
"What a week. That was a heck of a game. We beat a really good basketball team. I was telling Bob Harris that when you play a team like Davidson, you're not just playing a team - you're playing a program. There are basketball teams and then there are programs. And in three of the four games that we've played so far, we've played against programs. And programs are harder to beat than teams because programs have character that is long-standing and they usually have continuity. Belmont with Coach Byrd, Michigan State with Coach Izzo and Davidson with Bob [McKillop] - they have amazing continuity and they've built programs that compete against you until the end. And they win a lot. These first four games have been terrific for us, and the fact that we've been able to win them has given us great experience that this team needs. The second half, I thought we played just a heck of a half. Our big guys, we got them the ball and they responded. Our defense was very good, especially for about a 10-minute period. It was outstanding, and it caused offense, it gave us offense. And then we actually ran good half-court offense against the zone and against man. We made a couple of mistakes, but you're going to make some mistakes with a team like this. We played well. This was a tough game. This was our fourth game in eight days. After Maui, we'll have played seven games in 12 days. Murderous schedule against really good competition. We were hoping that we could get better. I think we are getting better, and you would hope that you could get better and still win. So right now we've still won. That's a good thing too. Before I open it up for questions, I want to thank President Brodhead, Kevin White and our Duke community for that honor. That was really nice. As nice as Tuesday was, this was better because you're with the family, you're with Duke family. And it was great having Tom and Lynn [Butters] there."
On the performance of Miles Plumlee:
"He and Quinn Cook coming off the bench were dynamite for us. And I think that's the type of team we're going to have right now. Quinn played two minutes against Michigan State. I don't think Miles played very well against Michigan State. They've got to put that behind them as we grow. Andre [Dawkins] had a great game against Michigan State. He played okay today. I'm not going to evaluate each player. What I'm saying is we're going to have fluctuation like that, and if we get to a point where all of them are playing well consistently, where they know who they are consistently. They don't know that yet. It's not their fault they don't know that. The only way you know that is to compete and you've got to get the experience of doing it. But in saying that, to see Quinn and Miles step up - Quinn was big-time for us. And that keeps Seth [Curry] a lot fresher. Miles had to play even more because of Ryan [Kelly] being in foul trouble. So we've just got to be a collective effort, and hopefully everyone keeps getting better."
On the play of Mason Plumlee to ignite the Duke offense:
"There were some spectacular plays. It ignited the crowd. It was even and then all of a sudden it was 10 points ... That generated so much excitement. And I then I worry after we do something like that, because we're younger, then you're going to let down. But we stayed pretty good after that."
On several different players controlling the ball at the point:
"I think you have to adjust to whatever team you have the opportunity to coach. If we had one guy who was just going to dominate - if I have Bobby Hurley, you have to give him the ball. We don't have that. What we do have are good players. That's what we've tried to do all the time. You don't talk about what you don't have. You try to use and develop what you do have. Many years here, some people would say, 'You don't have a big guy,' and we'd win the league. Okay, well we didn't have a big guy. You can't spend all your time making excuses about what you don't have. You've got to figure out how to do it. We're still trying to learn about our team."
On what he told the team at halftime:
"I thought we were on our heels defensively. [Davidson] looked good on tape. When you do your scouting report, and when you play certain teams, they'll ratchet it up even a couple levels when they're playing us. And I just thought they got it down faster, they cut harder. They were a very determined team the entire game, and I thought it knocked us back. We're not old enough yet. We had no talk on defense. It's not like we didn't care, but it was going so fast, there was a lot of movement. In the second half, I thought our pressure on the ball was a lot better and it gave us time to talk. It slowed them down just a little. We kept people in front of us, and that's where Seth and Quinn did a much better job for us in the second half."
Duke Junior Seth Curry
"We didn't want to come into this game and have a lull after playing a big game in New York or have a letdown. We knew Davidson was going to be a good team, and they came in and ran their offense well. They just played harder than we did in the first half. In the second half, we came out and kind of did what we wanted to do, imposed our will, got it inside, and we were able get a lead."
"I think every team in the country is a work-in-progress right now. It's early in the season, so we're just trying to get better and gel as a team. We've got a lot of young guys playing big roles for us. Everybody's learning their roles, so we're just getting better as a team."
"It was good [to break the record] in the first three games and now we're going to Maui with just basketball focus, and we're trying to get better as a team."
Duke Junior Ryan Kelly
"[Davidson is] a very good team and they're going to win a lot of games this year. This is a tough game and a good team has to win this game and has to play well. To be in [Madison Square Garden] and that whole event before and to be going to Maui tomorrow, this was an important step for us, especially that second half."
"We've been taking it one game at a time and [now] we're worried about our game on Monday. That's what you have to think about. It's a brutal tournament, going three days in a row, but we'll be ready to play and we're excited for it."
Duke Freshman Austin Rivers
"[Davidson is] very disciplined on offense. They pass the ball like eight times before they get a shot up. [Defending them] is just a matter of time, talking and switching. It is really hard though to guard a team like that though, and they did a great job. Eventually we started catching on to it."
"I'm definitely comfortable. I've just got to continue to mix it up and shoot a lot more jump shots. Tonight they let me drive a lot, so I just kept driving to the basket. If they play off me I'll shoot it, and if they get up on me, I'll drive. My teammates do a great job - we're all playing well with each other right now, and that's why we're scoring so well."
On Coach K's message in the locker room at halftime:
"He just said that what we have to lose is everything. We worked so hard in the preseason. We've run so much, we've practiced so much, and we've built so much as a team, starting from China. We're here on our home court where everybody came out - and they always do. He always talks about people who stand outside in the freezing cold waiting to see us play, and then for us to go in there and play like that in the first half, it wasn't acceptable. He just said that in the second half we need to step up and he believes in us. He gives us confidence and that's what we did - we stepped up for him."
Davidson Head Coach Bob McKillop
On the loss:
"This is an experience this team has never had. This roster has never played in Cameron. We could not simulate it. We could not simulate the level of intensity, the noise level, the proximity of the sidelines, and we paid a price for that. Normal cases, where we don't get stripped of the ball, in which a secondary defender came and stripped from behind, we have such vision and awareness, the vision that is created by four other teammates yelling out, could not be heard tonight. It led to three forced turnovers. We had the one time when the guys went onto the court and they did not hear the communication of who they came in for and we had to call timeout because we had four guys on the court. So the communication that was lacking today was a big factor in the game. It will be a great learning lesson for us because this is what this game was, a tremendous learning lesson. Our guys made a terrific effort. They fought from the opening tap to the end. They showed signs of brilliance. We gave [Duke] a very good run at one point in the first half and yet we fought back to get the lead. We also did a great job of attacking the basket in the second half and we missed a lot of layups. Give the Plumlees tremendous credit for that because Ryan Kelly, Mason and Miles really locked up that rim and shots that we would make, we did not make."
On having to call timeout with only four guys on court:
"Certainly that was a big factor. Give them credit. They came out of the timeout after they had gone to the 1-3-1 zone and they made two big threes right in a row. That's why Mike Krzyzewski has won 900 games and why he's one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. We were going back to the man, but we said, 'no, we just got two good stops and we forced the timeout, let's stay with the zone.' And there it goes."
On Davidson's play in the first half:
"We were aggressive and I thought we were aggressive the whole game. The difference was the aggression in the second half did not lead to the baskets that it led to in the first half. I'm pleased with our effort, our aggression. We need to work on communication and certainly we need to do a better job of stopping runs."
On what the team will learn from this game:
"Three years ago, four years ago we played Duke and Carolina in Bobcat Arena and lost both games, but wound up having a pretty good year. There are things we can identify that we need to work on. We can be pretty good if we work and eliminate mistakes and build on the strengths we do have."
Opening Statement:
"What a week. That was a heck of a game. We beat a really good basketball team. I was telling Bob Harris that when you play a team like Davidson, you're not just playing a team - you're playing a program. There are basketball teams and then there are programs. And in three of the four games that we've played so far, we've played against programs. And programs are harder to beat than teams because programs have character that is long-standing and they usually have continuity. Belmont with Coach Byrd, Michigan State with Coach Izzo and Davidson with Bob [McKillop] - they have amazing continuity and they've built programs that compete against you until the end. And they win a lot. These first four games have been terrific for us, and the fact that we've been able to win them has given us great experience that this team needs. The second half, I thought we played just a heck of a half. Our big guys, we got them the ball and they responded. Our defense was very good, especially for about a 10-minute period. It was outstanding, and it caused offense, it gave us offense. And then we actually ran good half-court offense against the zone and against man. We made a couple of mistakes, but you're going to make some mistakes with a team like this. We played well. This was a tough game. This was our fourth game in eight days. After Maui, we'll have played seven games in 12 days. Murderous schedule against really good competition. We were hoping that we could get better. I think we are getting better, and you would hope that you could get better and still win. So right now we've still won. That's a good thing too. Before I open it up for questions, I want to thank President Brodhead, Kevin White and our Duke community for that honor. That was really nice. As nice as Tuesday was, this was better because you're with the family, you're with Duke family. And it was great having Tom and Lynn [Butters] there."
On the performance of Miles Plumlee:
"He and Quinn Cook coming off the bench were dynamite for us. And I think that's the type of team we're going to have right now. Quinn played two minutes against Michigan State. I don't think Miles played very well against Michigan State. They've got to put that behind them as we grow. Andre [Dawkins] had a great game against Michigan State. He played okay today. I'm not going to evaluate each player. What I'm saying is we're going to have fluctuation like that, and if we get to a point where all of them are playing well consistently, where they know who they are consistently. They don't know that yet. It's not their fault they don't know that. The only way you know that is to compete and you've got to get the experience of doing it. But in saying that, to see Quinn and Miles step up - Quinn was big-time for us. And that keeps Seth [Curry] a lot fresher. Miles had to play even more because of Ryan [Kelly] being in foul trouble. So we've just got to be a collective effort, and hopefully everyone keeps getting better."
On the play of Mason Plumlee to ignite the Duke offense:
"There were some spectacular plays. It ignited the crowd. It was even and then all of a sudden it was 10 points ... That generated so much excitement. And I then I worry after we do something like that, because we're younger, then you're going to let down. But we stayed pretty good after that."
On several different players controlling the ball at the point:
"I think you have to adjust to whatever team you have the opportunity to coach. If we had one guy who was just going to dominate - if I have Bobby Hurley, you have to give him the ball. We don't have that. What we do have are good players. That's what we've tried to do all the time. You don't talk about what you don't have. You try to use and develop what you do have. Many years here, some people would say, 'You don't have a big guy,' and we'd win the league. Okay, well we didn't have a big guy. You can't spend all your time making excuses about what you don't have. You've got to figure out how to do it. We're still trying to learn about our team."
On what he told the team at halftime:
"I thought we were on our heels defensively. [Davidson] looked good on tape. When you do your scouting report, and when you play certain teams, they'll ratchet it up even a couple levels when they're playing us. And I just thought they got it down faster, they cut harder. They were a very determined team the entire game, and I thought it knocked us back. We're not old enough yet. We had no talk on defense. It's not like we didn't care, but it was going so fast, there was a lot of movement. In the second half, I thought our pressure on the ball was a lot better and it gave us time to talk. It slowed them down just a little. We kept people in front of us, and that's where Seth and Quinn did a much better job for us in the second half."
Duke Junior Seth Curry
"We didn't want to come into this game and have a lull after playing a big game in New York or have a letdown. We knew Davidson was going to be a good team, and they came in and ran their offense well. They just played harder than we did in the first half. In the second half, we came out and kind of did what we wanted to do, imposed our will, got it inside, and we were able get a lead."
"I think every team in the country is a work-in-progress right now. It's early in the season, so we're just trying to get better and gel as a team. We've got a lot of young guys playing big roles for us. Everybody's learning their roles, so we're just getting better as a team."
"It was good [to break the record] in the first three games and now we're going to Maui with just basketball focus, and we're trying to get better as a team."
Duke Junior Ryan Kelly
"[Davidson is] a very good team and they're going to win a lot of games this year. This is a tough game and a good team has to win this game and has to play well. To be in [Madison Square Garden] and that whole event before and to be going to Maui tomorrow, this was an important step for us, especially that second half."
"We've been taking it one game at a time and [now] we're worried about our game on Monday. That's what you have to think about. It's a brutal tournament, going three days in a row, but we'll be ready to play and we're excited for it."
Duke Freshman Austin Rivers
"[Davidson is] very disciplined on offense. They pass the ball like eight times before they get a shot up. [Defending them] is just a matter of time, talking and switching. It is really hard though to guard a team like that though, and they did a great job. Eventually we started catching on to it."
"I'm definitely comfortable. I've just got to continue to mix it up and shoot a lot more jump shots. Tonight they let me drive a lot, so I just kept driving to the basket. If they play off me I'll shoot it, and if they get up on me, I'll drive. My teammates do a great job - we're all playing well with each other right now, and that's why we're scoring so well."
On Coach K's message in the locker room at halftime:
"He just said that what we have to lose is everything. We worked so hard in the preseason. We've run so much, we've practiced so much, and we've built so much as a team, starting from China. We're here on our home court where everybody came out - and they always do. He always talks about people who stand outside in the freezing cold waiting to see us play, and then for us to go in there and play like that in the first half, it wasn't acceptable. He just said that in the second half we need to step up and he believes in us. He gives us confidence and that's what we did - we stepped up for him."
Davidson Head Coach Bob McKillop
On the loss:
"This is an experience this team has never had. This roster has never played in Cameron. We could not simulate it. We could not simulate the level of intensity, the noise level, the proximity of the sidelines, and we paid a price for that. Normal cases, where we don't get stripped of the ball, in which a secondary defender came and stripped from behind, we have such vision and awareness, the vision that is created by four other teammates yelling out, could not be heard tonight. It led to three forced turnovers. We had the one time when the guys went onto the court and they did not hear the communication of who they came in for and we had to call timeout because we had four guys on the court. So the communication that was lacking today was a big factor in the game. It will be a great learning lesson for us because this is what this game was, a tremendous learning lesson. Our guys made a terrific effort. They fought from the opening tap to the end. They showed signs of brilliance. We gave [Duke] a very good run at one point in the first half and yet we fought back to get the lead. We also did a great job of attacking the basket in the second half and we missed a lot of layups. Give the Plumlees tremendous credit for that because Ryan Kelly, Mason and Miles really locked up that rim and shots that we would make, we did not make."
On having to call timeout with only four guys on court:
"Certainly that was a big factor. Give them credit. They came out of the timeout after they had gone to the 1-3-1 zone and they made two big threes right in a row. That's why Mike Krzyzewski has won 900 games and why he's one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. We were going back to the man, but we said, 'no, we just got two good stops and we forced the timeout, let's stay with the zone.' And there it goes."
On Davidson's play in the first half:
"We were aggressive and I thought we were aggressive the whole game. The difference was the aggression in the second half did not lead to the baskets that it led to in the first half. I'm pleased with our effort, our aggression. We need to work on communication and certainly we need to do a better job of stopping runs."
On what the team will learn from this game:
"Three years ago, four years ago we played Duke and Carolina in Bobcat Arena and lost both games, but wound up having a pretty good year. There are things we can identify that we need to work on. We can be pretty good if we work and eliminate mistakes and build on the strengths we do have."
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