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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2016

Kansas City, Missouri

West Virginia-69, Oklahoma-67

THE MODERATOR: We are joined now by the Oklahoma Sooners, Coach Lon Kruger, the student-athletes will be Christian James and Ryan Spangler. Coach, we'll turn to you first for an opening statement.

COACH KRUGER: It's kind of a crazy game in a lot of ways. I thought West Virginia had us on our heels with their press. I don't think we handled that well at all. They dictated for the most part and then rebounded well. Then when you play West Virginia and you don't handle the pressure very well, don't rebound very well, you're going to dig yourself a hole, which we did.

Then the guys did find a way to fight back and get back into the ball game there late. Then, of course, with the crazy ending, came up a little bit short. But, you know, we've got to take steps from here and move on to the next opportunity.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. Questions to our two student-athletes.

Q. Christian, can you and Ryan talk about your emotions of Buddy's last shot, thinking it was a game-winner and then seeing the replay and seeing the refs wave it off?
CHRISTIAN JAMES: It hurt, because I thought it was good. We all ran into the crowd. It was just a split-second short.

RYAN SPANGLER: Same way, you know, thought it was good and then it came out no good.

Q. Ryan, can you talk about maybe what was the difference between their press, opposed to the first regular-season games tonight?
RYAN SPANGLER: I feel like they were doing the same thing. We were kind of leaving Isaiah out to dry and not helping him once he was getting trapped. Had receivers running down the court but not coming back to him to help.

Q. Christian, you haven't played a whole lot this season. What was this game like for you to get a chance to play the final 12:30, I think it was, of the game like this? And what can this do for you moving forward?
CHRISTIAN JAMES: Just confidence. Seniors got me through it, because I had never been there on that big of a stage. Just giving me confidence to know they believe in me and my coach believes in me, so I tried to go out there and make plays.

Q. Ryan, you guys haven't played a lot of games where Buddy struggled to score like that. How tough was that for you guys trying to fight through that tonight?
RYAN SPANGLER: It was tough. They guarded him good. And I think we have to screen a little better and do things as a group out there on the court to get him open more. But when that happens, you know, the other four guys on the court have to figure out a way to get the ball in the hoop.

Q. Either one of you, what changed in that 20-5 run that took it from a 12-point deficit to give you the lead? And then what went wrong at the end?
CHRISTIAN JAMES: Energy. We found the energy on defense, just get stops together and run out. We hit a couple of transition buckets that got us back in the game.

Q. Ryan, on the foul shots, the first one rimmed out and then the second one you missed everything. What do you think happened?
RYAN SPANGLER: I just missed shots, you know. It happens. Made the first four and missed the last two.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for our student-athletes? Guys, all the best next week. Good game tonight. Questions for Coach Kruger.

Q. Lon, what was West Virginia doing to keep the ball out of Buddy's hands and not giving him any room?
COACH KRUGER: They did a good job of staying up into him. And then when he did get it, they had another guy, you know, ready to help. They did a good job. Made it tough on Buddy to get looks, and obviously the fewest looks he's had on the year, for sure, by far.

Q. Coach, I will ask you the same question. What changed to start that run, that 20-5 run, and what went wrong at the very end of that run?
COACH KRUGER: I think Christian said it, we got some energy, stops defensively made some momentum from that. Got some run-out opportunities, make a shot or two and it picks your energy up more so defensively. Got a blocked shot or two. Just defensively we had some good activity that got us going a little bit offensively.

Q. Coach, you went with Christian over Jordan Woodard about the last 13 minutes. What gave you that hunch?
COACH KRUGER: I just went with the group that got us back in the ball game. Jordan was doing fine. Christian was doing a good job as well, but nothing bad about what Jordan was doing.

Q. Lon, did they do anything different to you defensively on Buddy? Was it more physical? Did they allow more pushing, shoving? Was that a part of it at all?
COACH KRUGER: Well, West Virginia is going to be up into you, you know that. You just have to work a little harder away from the ball and work -- as a group we have to work harder to get him open and he has to work a little harder to get open. It is a combination of doing things with a little more conviction and staying after it.

Q. Lon, you talked about the energy and some of the different things that you all did during that big run, and you talked about Christian and some of the things that he brought you. How important can his performance tonight, even in a loss, be for this team moving forward as you all have struggled to find consistent production off the bench?
COACH KRUGER: It remains to be seen, but hopefully it will perk Christian up and encourage more play like that. We can certainly use that, we need that. I would expect Christian to come back and play with that type of confidence and that type of aggressiveness coming out of a performance like this.

Q. Obviously your season's not over Coach. You have a few more games left, but this is the end of the Big 12 season. Can you just talk about what this group of seniors has meant to this program overall?
COACH KRUGER: They've been unbelievable. They've changed the culture, without question, not only on the court, obviously in terms of wins and points and rebounds and all that. They've been fantastic. But just their work ethic, their investment, the way they've represented the University in the community, on campus. They've been unbelievable.

The younger guys have benefited from that already in terms of working hard, harder than they would have had they not had that senior leadership. They'll impact our program, those seniors will, for a long time after they're gone. So unbelievable impact.

Q. Lon, Khadeem was pretty banged up, it looked like, with his eye. I assume that was from Isaiah getting him with the elbow yesterday. Was there ever a thought that he wouldn't be able to go today? How do you think it affected him?
COACH KRUGER: He was checked out carefully and the swelling was there, but it was checked out thoroughly and, you know, he was cleared to play without any question. So the doctor said absolutely.

You'd have to ask Khadeem, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. He said his vision was absolutely perfect, 100%. Just a little puffiness, but nothing else.

THE MODERATOR: Again, good luck next week, Coach.

COACH KRUGER: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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