	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

CHARLIE FISS: Ready to begin with Oklahoma State with Sean Sutton and his student athletes, Mario Boggan and JamesOn Curry.
Coach, your thoughts?
COACH SEAN SUTTON: I am sorry for our players. I thought they really competed their tails off all three games here. Got within 40 seconds of having a chance to make a play to play for the championship tomorrow.
Texas came up with a huge play there late and then Durant, he just made a big-time shot. I thought the difference in the second half, we did not do as good a job on the defensive glass. And they hurt us on the boards during that half. We outrebounded for the game, but it seemed like they came up with a bunch of missed shots early that allowed them to keep the lead throughout the second half and then ultimately Kevin hits that shot at the end.
It was a tough loss. I am really proud of our players and how hard they played down here. Like to say thanks to our fans for the passion they brought to this arena and wish it would have turned out different, but just didn't happen today.

Q. JamesOn, you guys tied up at 61 and then the scramble after the miss and Durant ends up with it. Just talk about that sequence and the three he hits there.
JAMESON CURRY: It was a great shot. But before that, the emphasis in the huddle was play tough defense, box out and rebound. And if we could would have complemented our defense with a defensive rebound, we may not have been in this situation.

Q. Do you think despite the 6-10 conference record that your play this weekend proved that you should get a NCAA tourney?
JAMESON CURRY: Definitely hope so. I think with 13-1 in our complete team, I know we are 0-8 on the road, but I don't think we played any road game with our complete team. Our R.P.I. is 40 something, I believe.
But that's up to the committee. Hopefully we -- we do know we have more basketball to play, but hopefully we will be in the tournament. Just going to stay positive.
MARIO BOGGAN: Same as JamesOn said.

Q. JamesOn, with all the games you all played, did you feel like you had your legs all the way through today? And did you feel like they were trying to push the tempo to get you all tired?
JAMESON CURRY: I think five games in seven days for any team is kind of tough. I think we still played hard. The only thing is it took too late in the season for us to play this hard.
If we was playing this hard defensively and collectively as a whole early on in the conference, we wouldn't be in this situation. But for Mario and Davis, it is a sad situation. But for the young guys, it is something we can learn from and make it better next year.
COACH SEAN SUTTON: I want to say something. I thought the Big 12 made a mistake when they rescheduled that game for Monday this week. I didn't agree with it at the time and don't agree with it now. I am not making any excuses. But I thought that put two teams at a competitive disadvantage this week knowing that we were going to have to win four games in four days and then you add an extra game on top of it.

Q. If you don't get the NCAA bid, especially you, Mario, how do you feel about your career coming to an end in the N.I.T.? Do you feel like you can still accomplish things there? Are there still things for you to play for, you personally?
MARIO BOGGAN: If that's what it is, we got to go out there and, I mean, play and try to win. I won't feel as satisfied going to the tournament.
Like you say, for us, it is sad. But it is just an experience for the younger guys. You know what I am saying? I'll live. But it hurts, though, not being able to go to the tournament.

Q. Sean, you guys -- I think the last 13 minutes, Durant only made one shot and that was that three. I mean, just talk about the defense on him. You have already said it was a big shot. Just that sequence.
COACH SEAN SUTTON: I thought Marcus did a great job on him. Especially the second half.
I think Kevin would say this, that Marcus has probably guarded him as well as anybody he has played against all year long.
He certainly was very valuable to our team this week, the way he defended Kavaliauskas and Acie Law last night and the way he defended Durant down the stretch tonight.
I thought the second half, Augustin, even though he didn't shoot the ball well, he really controlled the game for their team. I have said this a lot this year, he is one of the best young point guards I have seen in a long time, the way he can manage a game.
He has six assists. He has no turnovers and he just seems like he always makes the right play. And then Abrams, Abrams had a good day shooting the basketball in terms of making threes, 4-9 and made his free throws.
I thought those two guys were big keys for them that kept them kind of on top when Durant wasn't scoring during that stretch.

Q. Sean, when you expressed your concerns about that make-up game to the league office, what kind of response did you get?
COACH SEAN SUTTON: That's when Nebraska wanted to play the game. I don't think it is the student athletes fault that the weather was so bad that we couldn't get there to play the initial game. That's all I am going to say about it. I didn't agree with it at the time and still don't.
I don't think it is fair -- I don't think it is fair to my players.

Q. Sean, do you think you guys did enough this week to convince the committee to get in?
COACH SEAN SUTTON: If you are asking me do I think we're one of the best 34 at-large teams right now? I would say yes. I think we've proven that this week when we've got our team -- the only game we have lost all season long where we have had all our players and this is a game that really came down to one possession. Best player in the country made a great shot and he won the game for their team. Now, does that mean we will get in? I don't know. That's up to the committee.
I feel like we're certainly one of the 34 best teams out there right now. A month ago, probably not. But you look at 7-2 in neutral sites. Didn't play well on the road. Last time I checked, NCAA tournament wasn't a road game, it was a neutral site game.

Q. The decision on whether to accept an N.I.T. berth, is that entirely up to you, are you going to ask your players?
COACH SEAN SUTTON: I think they want to go play. That's what it comes down to, that's what we will do, NCAA runs the N.I.T. now. It is not the goal that we had when we started the season, but if that's what it comes to, we'll go compete and try to win five games and try to win a championship.
I will say this. Regardless of how it turns out, I do want to wish the teams in our league the very best in the NCAA tournament. I feel like we got three teams in Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas all capable of making a run to go to the Final 4. Best of luck to those teams and best of luck to Texas and Kansas tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297