|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 11, 2006Barry CollierAleks MaricWes WilkinsonDALLAS, TEXAS MODERATOR: Coach, opening comments regarding today's game. COACH BARRY COLLIER: Well, I felt like that our team battled as we have the last couple of games. The key I think to start out the game was that Kansas made some shots against our defense from the perimeter and really had us spread out somewhat. Then they went inside. Jackson had a great game off the bench. Hawkins did the same thing for them. Chalmer was a real key. And then on the offensive end, we weren't able to score with any consistency. Largely because of their good pressure defense. Q. Talk about past two days then coming in today, obviously for any team to win four games in four days is a tough challenge. What was your energy level coming into today and looking at playing a good Kansas team? WES WILKINSON: I felt like we had good energy today. We knew we had to play with heart because it's difficult to play three days, three games. It is a mental challenge. I felt like we were ready. Like I said, we just had to come out and play with heart and intensity and take it game by game. Q. Talk about the athleticism that Kansas, particularly their young back court, showed out there today. WES WILKINISON: These guys are a real athletic, talented team. They are really good defensive team as they have shown, and on offense they can convert, run the court, they are real young, that's key. They have people that can shoot the ball. They are an all and all around good team. ALEKS MARIC: They got all their players can jump through the roof. Very athletic. Made it tough for us rebounding, getting up and down the court. Obviously they can run up and down. Good transition team. That was the key. Q. Discuss the spark that you got going down here in this tournament, how that can carry into the NIT, what you hope to accomplish there? WES WILKINISON: We knew we could play good against Missouri. We lost that close one at Mississippi, they made a good run at us. Once we got that win, it boosted us a little bit with confidence. Once we got out of that first round, it was just playing hard and playing with heart, every day is a new day. We had to come out and play hard. ALEKS MARIC: We need to carry this momentum on. We can't look at stuff today and put our heads down. Hopefully we'll be in the post-season come Sunday, so we need to carry the momentum. I am very proud of my time, what we have done over the last couple of days. No one would have expected, outside of Nebraska, for us to accomplish what we have here, so very proud of my team. Q. Talk about you guys didn't get out of here until so late last night. These guys probably weren't in bed until pretty early this Monday. Did that have any effect on your energy level in the game? COACH BARRY COLLIER: We're not looking for excuses. It is a factor, but they played a game yesterday as well, and the one thing that you know is that as the coach of this team I know that they want to keep playing, so they found, I think, the mental energy. It is a difficult challenge, of course, but no excuses, Kansas outplayed us and they deserve to be the victor today. Q. Do you expect to be the coach of Nebraska next year? COACH BARRY COLLIER: As far as I am concerned, I am the coach of Nebraska until I hear different. I don't know any more than that. I don't really have much more comment than that. Q. Seemed kind of a strange sight their athletic director is 15, 20 feet away from you in an open door and talking quietly to a bunch of reporters. How do you react to that, I mean did you expect him to say something in support? COACH BARRY COLLIER: I don't -- I just try to coach our team and I am very grateful for the opportunity to do that. We're going to get ready to -- we're going to keep our fingers crossed for a nod on Sunday night to play. That's where my focus is going to be.
End of FastScripts... |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|