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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTFebruary 28, 2018Dupree McBrayerJordan MurphyRichard PitinoNew York, New York Rutgers - 65, Minnesota - 54 THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening statement. COACH PITINO: Well, it was disappointing. You know, we just couldn't generate enough baskets. It was difficult. But we kept cutting the lead and we just couldn't make a shot to save our lives. So they fought. We went small. And we scrapped. But it was just -- we got really, really worn down, tired. Depth became certainly a factor. But these guys gave me great effort. So we can't fault them for that. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the players. Q. Dupree, just talk about coming back to New York, for you and Isaiah, obviously it's not the season you would have hoped for. But what was your feeling? And then Isaiah's feeling coming into this game? DUPREE MCBRAYER: It's always good to come home, but it was a business trip and the goal was to stay focused, not worry about the families -- we'll see our families after -- but just focusing on the game, the tasks at hand. Q. Jordan, happy birthday, not the happy birthday you wanted, but you guys got back in it the second half. I think your dunk cut it to three and Sanders hit the big 3. Did that feel like a turning point? JORDAN MURPHY: Yeah, it definitely seemed like we were still in the game. We were still in the game I think with 11 minutes to go. So I think that was definitely a turning point in the game. Our guys tried really hard down the stretch. We were getting it done defensively. We just couldn't muster enough buckets to get it done. Q. Jordan, as a captain this year and a junior, when you look back on this season, what do you want the guys returning to kind of take into the offseason? JORDAN MURPHY: Just don't be complacent. I mean, anything can happen during any season. It's pretty unpredictable. It's not going to go the way you think it is. Just don't be complacent with where you are right now. Always become a better player and improve on every aspect of your game. I think that's what everyone has to take into the offseason. Q. Coach, the rebounding margin was pretty one-sided for them. Could you tell me how that affected the game and what the difference was there? COACH PITINO: Well, we didn't do a very good job of blocking out. I thought we did a better job in the second half. Then we had to go small, but I thought our smaller lineup actually was better. Physically it battled with it. They're a really good offensive rebounding team. We certainly stressed it. But I thought it might have surprised us a little bit early. And we just don't have the size right now and then with Jordan in foul trouble it really hurt us. Q. The way that Corey was playing over the last four or four and a half minutes there in the first half, what was he doing that was helping Rutgers to take control there? COACH PITINO: Just iso basketball. Nate Mason was exhausted. He's battling the flu. I was trying to get him in and out as best I could. But he was getting really, really tired. He was cramping up. And Corey was playing really good one-on-one basketball. Q. What did Corey do differently than the last time you played him? I think you kept him in check the last time you played him. What did he do differently; what did he do well? COACH PITINO: I think we had a different team. He got a lot of stuff off just one-on-one. Q. What do you take from this season? Obviously you guys had a lot of expectations going in. Just summing up now? COACH PITINO: I think there was a reason why we struggled. Dupree McBrayer was on one leg. Losing your starting center, losing your starting small forward, losing your first guy off the bench, reality -- not an excuse. Reality. I don't think any team can sustain that. So I think when their expectations were high, we had a full roster. When we lost players, obviously it changed. So take from it that it doesn't happen again. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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