|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: BIRMINGHAMMarch 21, 2008Greg GrahamMatt NelsonTyler TiedemanBIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and start with an opening statement from Coach Graham and then take questions for the student-athletes. COACH GRAHAM: I thought the big key was the start of the game. We talk about getting off to a good start and I thought they set the tone at the beginning of the game versus us setting the tone. And from that point on we scrambled to catch up. I thought we cut it to 18 to 15 at one point and probably the thing that hurt us the most obviously the pressure kept us out of some of our offense, but I thought the thing where they did the best job is they hit the threes and we didn't. Them shooting the threes against the zone and I thought it extended their lead on us and that was the thing that hasn't been the strong suit for them all year but tonight it definitely was. And it was, it's been our strong suit and tonight it wasn't. So I thought that was the key to the game this evening. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes. Q. Tyler, what was, was it an up lifting moment when you saw David Padgett going to the bench with his second foul early on in the first half? TYLER TIEDEMAN: I didn't really look at it that way because they got so many good players coming off the bench anyways. We know all their players coming off the bench can score and defend, so it wasn't like, yes, we have a chance now, it's we just got to go and keep playing our game and you think that's what we tried to do. Q. If you guys can talk about just how difficult it was to get into your offense seems like they extended you because of their pressure. MATT NELSON: Going to the game that was a big focus, handling their pressure. We were working on it all week in practice and I think we did a decent job handling the pressure or the pressure for the most part. But, yeah, it's tough when you got big long athletic guys just flying everywhere, playing hard, and it's tough to get into your sets, but I think we did a decent job for a lot of the game. It's just they were just feeling it from the 3-point line tonight. At that I think we had a good game plan tonight really. We executed it well too. It's just we didn't expect them to shoot 50 percent from the 3-point line. TYLER TIEDEMAN: To go along with what Matt said, yeah, we for the most part I think we did a good job of handling the pressure. We had a few key turnovers, but the game plan I think the thing that hurt us the most was the 3-point shot is and the pressure didn't bother us I don't think as much as people think it did. Q. You two are two of the four seniors, you just played, I know it's very fresh, finished playing your final game for Boise State. Can you talk about going out this way, but still the effort that you continued to give throughout the contest tonight. TYLER TIEDEMAN: It's a tough way to go out losing, but hey, we made it this far. It's been a wild ride and unbelievable experience and can't say enough about the four seniors on our team and how we just battled this whole year just to prove people wrong. And it's just been an awesome experience and I couldn't ask for anything more for a senior year. MATT NELSON: He said it pretty much perfectly. These guys, the four seniors and our whole team, it's, we have been so tight and stuck together through thick and thin all year. It's been crazy, a crazy season. A lot of ups, a few down, but overall we did a lot of great things this year and it's tough to go out on a loss, but we can't look at that we have to think about the good things and we had a lot of them this year and there's nothing better to go out with these guys. I made like best friends really, these guys are like my best friends pretty much, so there's been no better way to go out than with them. Q. Either one of you guy, how tough of a matchup is Earl Clark number five for Louisville because he's 6'10" and he can dribble like that? TYLER TIEDEMAN: He's a professional prospect. You can tell by just looking at him. When he moves to the three spot it's a tough matchup, especially for me, because he's so long, so big and he hit a few big threes today that we weren't expecting for him to hit. And he gets the rim so easy, he deflects passes, gets steals, and just moves real well for how big he is. And he's going to be a great player. Q. If you guys could just talk about settling in, it was 10-1, then you cut it to 18-15. At that point how confident were you against these guys? MATT NELSON: We're pretty confident team. We don't ever think we're going to lose or think we can't compete with anyone. I think there was a few jitters at the start of the game just because we were overly excited and once we settled in we played pretty tough. I think the score didn't look that way like the game was that close and, but I mean we battled and I think we played a good game. They just had a great game. They're a tough team to beat when they're shooting the three like they did. Because they have so many great players, they have a great inside game, obviously, and that's what we focused on. And they just stepped out and hit the three and nothing we could really he do about it. But I thought we had a good game and battled hard all game and that's all you can really ask for. Q. Can you talk about what they did that kind of took the team out of the 3-point feel that you usually have, especially coming back in the second half you've been able to hit those and pull yourself back into the game. TYLER TIEDEMAN: They're, definitely, the pressure they put on you, they extend your offense and really like get you out of your sets, trying to just pressure the ball and it's tough to get our main focus is to penetrate and pitch out and try to find a three. And it's tough to penetrate when you're getting so much pressure and it was just shots weren't falling tonight and some nights that happens. You got to live and die by the three. THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you, guys. You guys are welcome to head back to your locker room. Take questions for coach. Q. Was it any kind of focus to go after David Padgett early on in the game? COACH GRAHAM: No, but we're -- the inside game is a big part of ours. Nellie's really hard to guard in there because he's quick and strong and he has very good post moves. And we told him to attack him when you get it. It wasn't, we're just going to come here and go to you every time, because that's not how we play. But when we get it we want our big guys to go to the basket like they have done all year. And Nellie is a tough matchup for everybody. And I was obviously glad when he got two fouls and was out. But I looked at the stats here and one of our keys was if we could control the paint well. We controlled the paint pretty well from the scoring standpoint and rebounding standpoint or neutralized the paint. But the 3-point line just killed us tonight. Q. You talked about their 3-points, was the key was it the strategy to sit in the zone and hope they just didn't go or could you not guard them man-to-man what was that all about? COACH GRAHAM: We wanted to pack it in a little bit, take away the paint, and the 3-point game is not their strong suit. Except tonight. You got to kind of pick your poison a little bit. And we were going to try to control the paint and make them have to shoot it to beat us. And they did. Normally I'm hoping those 3-point stats were switched the other way around. But they weren't. They shot the ball very well and did a good job against our zone and Palacios stepped outside and hit a couple against the zone. When the four man is stepping out shooting it, it makes it very hard to guard. And they're, you know, they're a very good team. They can hurt you a lot of different ways, with size, with speed, and when they're shooting the ball, if they shoot the ball that well, the rest of the tournament, they will be able to make a deep run into this thing. Q. You just had four seniors walk off that floor for the final time in blue and orange. Can you talk about the way they finished up? COACH GRAHAM: One of the things we said in the locker room was to make sure that they take a look at the picture of what they accomplished. Winningest team in the history of the school, most school wins, first team to ever win WAC titles, won two of them, their all league accomplishments. And that because you get so, I don't want to say hung up, but the game is right now in the present and that's what they think about. But those four guys did way more than anybody ever expected them to do or dream of them to do. Matt Bauscher, nobody ever expected a young man from Idaho and from Boise ever to play and do all the things he's done. Tyler was trying to say this, they probably created their best friends for the rest of their lives. And that part's probably just as important as a good thing too. So they will be four, I guess I should say eight big shoes to fill and I know they're going to miss it, and I know I'm definitely going to miss them and but we'll just have to manage. Q. How do you account for somebody like Earl Clark, a 6'10" guy who can move like he can? COACH GRAHAM: Usually we handle him by the draft, that and let him get picked up and get out of here. He's a good player. He's even better in person than he is on tape. I didn't think he was quite that good a player. But he, because a lot of scouts have talked about him and so forth, and he just creates so many problems. I don't think there's one thing he does super outstanding, he just does everything pretty good. And that's more dangerous. He can handle it at that size and get to the basket, he can rebound, he gets his hands on a lot of balls, he's just a very talented young man that's got an awfully bright future. THE MODERATOR: Okay, thank you, coach. COACH GRAHAM: Thank you. 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
|