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Quotes: Duke 94, Indiana 74
12/3/2015 1:13:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“We played really well tonight and we played well from start to finish against a really good team”.
On playing Indiana:
“Playing Indiana, they are such an explosive offensive team. [Kevin Yogi] Ferrell is one of the best guards in the country and he sets these guys up so well. The limited amount of time that we had for practice, that is what we practiced on, just to try and cut down on his assists. He had only five, but in some games he can have 12, and they can end up being 36 points because he kicks it out for those threes.
“We did a pretty good job on [James] Blackmon, he only had four threes and he is one of the best-three point shooters and [Troy] Williams is one of the best athletes. They are good, and a tough team to defend, but we are also a tough team to defend because we have scorers. Brandon [Ingram] started the game so well and played a really good game, but his start gave us energy.”
On Duke's cohesiveness:
“One of the great things about our group is how happy our upperclassmen are, when the freshmen do well. It's unbelievable. You can see that they were just so happy for Brandon and it got them excited. The performance of Matt [Jones] and Amile [Jefferson] was spectacular. They were veteran, veteran good players. We won a big game, we beat a really good team and I am proud of my team. This is a tough week for us, with the week before exams and for them to be focused like they were tonight is terrific.”
On why Duke was so efficient:
“We shared the ball well and for whatever reason, Amile became like a point guard, which just kind of happened because they do a bunch of different things defensively. They man, zone, combination, they're playing man, then they go zone. So you need an alert player, and Amile in that position, when he had the ball, was able to make plays and he made them. Amile has been an outstanding player for us. He is averaging a double-double, he is one of the top offensive rebounders in the country and we don't set anything up for him. The two veterans, those two kids were sensational tonight both Matt and Amile.”
On Duke's feistiness:
“I think our kids have had great attitudes and have worked hard the entire season, thus far. The last game against Utah State, we didn't play well but I thought we started to see everybody playing the whole game together and this was a carryover and that is what we can do, it is learned. Just like we had that 13-point lead with a minute to go before the half and we let up.”
On getting bumped at half time:
“I did not even know what the hell happen, all of a sudden 'boom' I get hit. Where I am from, usually when you get hit, you do something and I didn't do anything. Usually somebody would say I'm sorry. However, I did not tell my team that, and I did not want the officials to look at anything. The game was too good. I do not blame anybody and did not want it to become...that should not be the thing in this game; it should be about what we were doing.”
Duke Senior Matt Jones
“It was fun. I was happy for Brandon [Ingram]. He came out and kind of asserted himself in the beginning of the game. We've been looking for that Brandon Ingram to come out a little bit more. As a team, we fought tonight. Indiana's a really good team and I feel like we can grow in confidence in this game and just learn from it and continue to move forward. But it was definitely a good step for the team.”
On Duke's hot start, hitting its first four shots to open the game:
“It gave us a lot of confidence. It kind of put us in a rhythm on the offensive end and it kind of led to our defensive end as well. It made us want to get more stops so we can go score the ball, so it kind of made us more eager and more focused. For this team, that's a good thing.”
When asked what happened that allowed Indiana to come back and take the lead in the first half:
“We kind of got happy. They came out confident, which we knew they would, but they kind of knocked us back. We weren't talking as much as we did in the second half and kind of at the end of the first [half]. So we just had to regroup and just show what we were made of, just regroup and show some maturity.”
“We can be really good at times. I feel like we played really good today. We played really good defense. We haven't done that a lot this year, so for us to come into this game and send a message like we did, it's a confidence booster for sure.”
On his own hot shooting, including five three-pointers:
“I don't think I did anything but kind of just space the floor and found opportunities. Guys found me today and overall I'm just happy we won.”
Duke Senior Amile Jefferson
On the play of Brandon Ingram:
“He's a 6-9 wing that can shoot the ball like that, put it on the floor, unselfish, plays that hard, so he adds an unbelievable dimension to our team. He makes us even longer. At the start of the game, he was unbelievable. He was great tonight and I'm proud of him.”
“For me it's just about making sure these guys are doing the right thing and then trying to be a leader, constantly talking, always being ready, making the most of every chance I get, every possession, and then just fighting. When we fight like we did tonight, we're a really tough team. When everybody plays hard, when it's not just two guys or three guys, when we have all our guys playing together, we're a really good team. I think we saw that tonight and it was something special.”
“I think Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] does a great job of keeping us hungry. We were hungry tonight. We were playing in front of a really good Cameron crowd, and in that second half our guys just don't miss a beat. We come out knowing that Coach is hungry and if we have the same energy and enthusiasm and we're connected, we'll be really good. So now it's about not settling and getting better every day. I still don't think this team has reached its peak and I think we can still get better. [It was a] great win. We beat a great team. But now we have to bounce back and get over this.”
“We never stopped. In that second half, we never stopped playing defense. I thought for a little bit we started trading baskets, but then Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] got on us and we never stopped playing hard. We respect our opponents, we know how good they are, and we know that if we let up, they can hit three, four, or five [shots] in a row. You saw at the end of that first half, they scored eight points in about 30 seconds, and that 13-point lead went to about six or seven. We know how good they are, so for us it's about always knowing that the teams we're playing are always in the game.”
Duke Freshman Brandon Ingram
When asked if he made an effort to come out more aggressive tonight:
“We try to do that every night but tonight we were knocking down shots and we were getting after it, so we kept pushing. My teammates were finding me and we found everyone else and started knocking shots down.”
On his hot shooting in the early part of the game:
“Shooters keep shooting so if I'm knocking one down, I just keep shooting. And if my teammates find me, I know that they trust in me that I'm going to knock the shot down.”
“My teammates are getting me open, I'm getting to the basket, being more aggressive, and I'm looking for the other guys. We're playing together and we're starting to connect.”
When asked if he was satisfied with his play in his first several games prior to tonight:
“Of course not – I never settle for less. I knew I had to pick it up. I knew I had to have my teammates' backs, so I had to pick it up and just be aggressive. I'm never satisfied but [tonight] was better. I got to the basket, I found my teammates, and I was just more aggressive tonight than in other games.”
Indiana Head Coach Tom Crean
Opening Statement:
“We were not nearly good enough on the ball tonight defensively, which forced us to help, which is what we don't want to do against a team that has shooters like that. We never really made them feel us presence wise. For that matter, we didn't have a lot of trouble scoring ourselves, but we didn't put enough pressure on them. The glass, the length and the strength, and the experience of that front line on the boards really hurt us. We didn't get enough guard rebounds to make up for it, but offensively we were able to move the ball. When we made the next pass, when we spaced it, we did a good job with that, but we didn't get enough stops. We didn't get enough stops in a row. We didn't create enough pressure on them to put them in enough uncomfortable situations. When you get caught over-helping on a really good passing team, which they are, that creates problems. That's not how we want to guard. That is not how we practice guarding. We're not a team that wants to over-help and then be in a rotation. We're a team that wants to do a much better job of guarding the ball. That is the biggest problem that without seeing the film, that I think we've got to really, really get a lot better at is that individual determination of guarding the ball, finding the screens, and keep ourselves out of help situations. I'll give them a lot of credit. They shot the ball at a really high rate. If you shoot the percentage we shoot on the road, with the exception of the threes in the second half, that's usually going to be a pretty good percentage, but we let them have too much. The length, again like I said, we hadn't seen that length. Our young guys had not seen that length, in the sense of Thomas [Bryant]. It'll be December 3rd here in about 30 seconds. It's early in the season. We've got to continue to really work hard to get better. I think we'll get a lot better. We're anxious to get back and learn from this one and get ourselves back on the practice court and continue to improve in all aspects of the game.”
On how the team needs to improve their defense:
“Guard the ball better. We need to guard the ball better. We need to make sure we're not playing angles and giving up position, as much as getting up into the ball and putting really good pressure on the ball.”
On the help defense:
“We don't want to leave shooters as much. We just have to guard the ball better. We did not guard the ball as well, that's going to create the help that we don't want to have to have. We really want to do a good job with an early stunt, get back to the shooters, especially with a team like this. When we've done that in the past, we've been pretty good at it. Again, it all starts with ball pressure and keeping the ball contained. We just weren't consistent enough, close in the first half and then the second half not really at all and that's where we have to improve. But it's December 3rd and we've played 8 games. I love their work ethic in practice. We need to play like we practice, and that's a lot easier said than done when you're playing a team with that experience and that size up front. They played like it. I told Mike [Krzyzewski] before the game that his team was really tough and you can see that on the film. They're every bit of that and I'm sure they'll get better too. They've got two really, really experienced front line players with a lot of talent in that back court.”
Opening Statement:
“We played really well tonight and we played well from start to finish against a really good team”.
On playing Indiana:
“Playing Indiana, they are such an explosive offensive team. [Kevin Yogi] Ferrell is one of the best guards in the country and he sets these guys up so well. The limited amount of time that we had for practice, that is what we practiced on, just to try and cut down on his assists. He had only five, but in some games he can have 12, and they can end up being 36 points because he kicks it out for those threes.
“We did a pretty good job on [James] Blackmon, he only had four threes and he is one of the best-three point shooters and [Troy] Williams is one of the best athletes. They are good, and a tough team to defend, but we are also a tough team to defend because we have scorers. Brandon [Ingram] started the game so well and played a really good game, but his start gave us energy.”
On Duke's cohesiveness:
“One of the great things about our group is how happy our upperclassmen are, when the freshmen do well. It's unbelievable. You can see that they were just so happy for Brandon and it got them excited. The performance of Matt [Jones] and Amile [Jefferson] was spectacular. They were veteran, veteran good players. We won a big game, we beat a really good team and I am proud of my team. This is a tough week for us, with the week before exams and for them to be focused like they were tonight is terrific.”
On why Duke was so efficient:
“We shared the ball well and for whatever reason, Amile became like a point guard, which just kind of happened because they do a bunch of different things defensively. They man, zone, combination, they're playing man, then they go zone. So you need an alert player, and Amile in that position, when he had the ball, was able to make plays and he made them. Amile has been an outstanding player for us. He is averaging a double-double, he is one of the top offensive rebounders in the country and we don't set anything up for him. The two veterans, those two kids were sensational tonight both Matt and Amile.”
On Duke's feistiness:
“I think our kids have had great attitudes and have worked hard the entire season, thus far. The last game against Utah State, we didn't play well but I thought we started to see everybody playing the whole game together and this was a carryover and that is what we can do, it is learned. Just like we had that 13-point lead with a minute to go before the half and we let up.”
On getting bumped at half time:
“I did not even know what the hell happen, all of a sudden 'boom' I get hit. Where I am from, usually when you get hit, you do something and I didn't do anything. Usually somebody would say I'm sorry. However, I did not tell my team that, and I did not want the officials to look at anything. The game was too good. I do not blame anybody and did not want it to become...that should not be the thing in this game; it should be about what we were doing.”
Duke Senior Matt Jones
“It was fun. I was happy for Brandon [Ingram]. He came out and kind of asserted himself in the beginning of the game. We've been looking for that Brandon Ingram to come out a little bit more. As a team, we fought tonight. Indiana's a really good team and I feel like we can grow in confidence in this game and just learn from it and continue to move forward. But it was definitely a good step for the team.”
On Duke's hot start, hitting its first four shots to open the game:
“It gave us a lot of confidence. It kind of put us in a rhythm on the offensive end and it kind of led to our defensive end as well. It made us want to get more stops so we can go score the ball, so it kind of made us more eager and more focused. For this team, that's a good thing.”
When asked what happened that allowed Indiana to come back and take the lead in the first half:
“We kind of got happy. They came out confident, which we knew they would, but they kind of knocked us back. We weren't talking as much as we did in the second half and kind of at the end of the first [half]. So we just had to regroup and just show what we were made of, just regroup and show some maturity.”
“We can be really good at times. I feel like we played really good today. We played really good defense. We haven't done that a lot this year, so for us to come into this game and send a message like we did, it's a confidence booster for sure.”
On his own hot shooting, including five three-pointers:
“I don't think I did anything but kind of just space the floor and found opportunities. Guys found me today and overall I'm just happy we won.”
Duke Senior Amile Jefferson
On the play of Brandon Ingram:
“He's a 6-9 wing that can shoot the ball like that, put it on the floor, unselfish, plays that hard, so he adds an unbelievable dimension to our team. He makes us even longer. At the start of the game, he was unbelievable. He was great tonight and I'm proud of him.”
“For me it's just about making sure these guys are doing the right thing and then trying to be a leader, constantly talking, always being ready, making the most of every chance I get, every possession, and then just fighting. When we fight like we did tonight, we're a really tough team. When everybody plays hard, when it's not just two guys or three guys, when we have all our guys playing together, we're a really good team. I think we saw that tonight and it was something special.”
“I think Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] does a great job of keeping us hungry. We were hungry tonight. We were playing in front of a really good Cameron crowd, and in that second half our guys just don't miss a beat. We come out knowing that Coach is hungry and if we have the same energy and enthusiasm and we're connected, we'll be really good. So now it's about not settling and getting better every day. I still don't think this team has reached its peak and I think we can still get better. [It was a] great win. We beat a great team. But now we have to bounce back and get over this.”
“We never stopped. In that second half, we never stopped playing defense. I thought for a little bit we started trading baskets, but then Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] got on us and we never stopped playing hard. We respect our opponents, we know how good they are, and we know that if we let up, they can hit three, four, or five [shots] in a row. You saw at the end of that first half, they scored eight points in about 30 seconds, and that 13-point lead went to about six or seven. We know how good they are, so for us it's about always knowing that the teams we're playing are always in the game.”
Duke Freshman Brandon Ingram
When asked if he made an effort to come out more aggressive tonight:
“We try to do that every night but tonight we were knocking down shots and we were getting after it, so we kept pushing. My teammates were finding me and we found everyone else and started knocking shots down.”
On his hot shooting in the early part of the game:
“Shooters keep shooting so if I'm knocking one down, I just keep shooting. And if my teammates find me, I know that they trust in me that I'm going to knock the shot down.”
“My teammates are getting me open, I'm getting to the basket, being more aggressive, and I'm looking for the other guys. We're playing together and we're starting to connect.”
When asked if he was satisfied with his play in his first several games prior to tonight:
“Of course not – I never settle for less. I knew I had to pick it up. I knew I had to have my teammates' backs, so I had to pick it up and just be aggressive. I'm never satisfied but [tonight] was better. I got to the basket, I found my teammates, and I was just more aggressive tonight than in other games.”
Indiana Head Coach Tom Crean
Opening Statement:
“We were not nearly good enough on the ball tonight defensively, which forced us to help, which is what we don't want to do against a team that has shooters like that. We never really made them feel us presence wise. For that matter, we didn't have a lot of trouble scoring ourselves, but we didn't put enough pressure on them. The glass, the length and the strength, and the experience of that front line on the boards really hurt us. We didn't get enough guard rebounds to make up for it, but offensively we were able to move the ball. When we made the next pass, when we spaced it, we did a good job with that, but we didn't get enough stops. We didn't get enough stops in a row. We didn't create enough pressure on them to put them in enough uncomfortable situations. When you get caught over-helping on a really good passing team, which they are, that creates problems. That's not how we want to guard. That is not how we practice guarding. We're not a team that wants to over-help and then be in a rotation. We're a team that wants to do a much better job of guarding the ball. That is the biggest problem that without seeing the film, that I think we've got to really, really get a lot better at is that individual determination of guarding the ball, finding the screens, and keep ourselves out of help situations. I'll give them a lot of credit. They shot the ball at a really high rate. If you shoot the percentage we shoot on the road, with the exception of the threes in the second half, that's usually going to be a pretty good percentage, but we let them have too much. The length, again like I said, we hadn't seen that length. Our young guys had not seen that length, in the sense of Thomas [Bryant]. It'll be December 3rd here in about 30 seconds. It's early in the season. We've got to continue to really work hard to get better. I think we'll get a lot better. We're anxious to get back and learn from this one and get ourselves back on the practice court and continue to improve in all aspects of the game.”
On how the team needs to improve their defense:
“Guard the ball better. We need to guard the ball better. We need to make sure we're not playing angles and giving up position, as much as getting up into the ball and putting really good pressure on the ball.”
On the help defense:
“We don't want to leave shooters as much. We just have to guard the ball better. We did not guard the ball as well, that's going to create the help that we don't want to have to have. We really want to do a good job with an early stunt, get back to the shooters, especially with a team like this. When we've done that in the past, we've been pretty good at it. Again, it all starts with ball pressure and keeping the ball contained. We just weren't consistent enough, close in the first half and then the second half not really at all and that's where we have to improve. But it's December 3rd and we've played 8 games. I love their work ethic in practice. We need to play like we practice, and that's a lot easier said than done when you're playing a team with that experience and that size up front. They played like it. I told Mike [Krzyzewski] before the game that his team was really tough and you can see that on the film. They're every bit of that and I'm sure they'll get better too. They've got two really, really experienced front line players with a lot of talent in that back court.”
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