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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2011

Brandon Ubel

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Oklahoma State Â– 53
Nebraska - 52

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler and his two student-athletes, Lance Jeter and Brandon Ubel. Coach, opening comments.
COACH SADLER: First, congratulate Oklahoma State. I thought the game got started off obviously in their favor. For whatever reason defensively we gave up I think 15 points in the first five minutes and four seconds. And 38 points maybe in the last 35 seconds. Or 35 minutes. Go figure that.
I did not, as I told the team, when you get to this point, you don't have time to -- you don't have time to get going. You've got to come to the game ready to play. Oklahoma State got off to a hot start, and you gotta slow them down.
And I thought from that point on we played pretty well and made some shots. We got some guys got the lead, four points, maybe, and lost Page a couple of times and you can't do it. If you're going to win, the stakes are too high.
But, again, I congratulate them. The two guys to my right played about as well as you can play. And got us back in it and we had a shot at the last. And they just made the play; we didn't.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Lance, can you just take us through the last possession?
LANCE JETER: Pretty much got tripped. No call, which it shouldn't be, especially in the last second. You gotta make a play. And I didn't do that. So I guess they got the last possession, and they won the game.

Q. Brandon, can you talk about the slow start? Any reason for that?
BRANDON UBEL: It just didn't look like we came out with a sense of urgency that we really needed to, to get done what we wanted to get done. We looked slow on offense and on defense. I think we just didn't come out with the energy we needed to do that. And that's about it. That's all I saw.

Q. Lance, what changed after halftime? You came out and played much better in the second half until right to the end. What changed after the half?
LANCE JETER: We pretty much knew what was wrong, not being aggressive on offense and defense, being sluggish and slow. Coach Doc definitely told us what was wrong. We kind of knew what was wrong, picking it up on defense, not letting them dictate where to go.
I mean, we did that in the second half, definitely picked up on our defense. I feel that's what was our problem. Like Coach Doc said, you give up 15 points in the first five minutes, you can't do that. Especially postseason play. Everybody's playing for something, and I feel like they came out more aggressive in the first half.

Q. Brandon, can you talk about your team's composure? After that sluggish first half, were you guys able to bear down and come out and make it a game?
BRANDON UBEL: I think that's kind of something that we've been -- unfortunately we've been in that position before where we kind of had a few slow starts early in the season and in Big 12.
So we knew we could do it. We knew we could turn it around. But against a team like Oklahoma State, they can really shoot the ball. You just can't afford to get down that big that early. And I think that showed -- I mean, we eventually did get the lead, but they're going to hit shots. They're going to make some baskets. So we just can't get ourselves in that position.

Q. Lance, you laid on the ground there after that final possession. What was going through your mind and what emotions did you have at that moment?
LANCE JETER: Pretty much the season's over. Not completing a play for my teammates who I know worked so hard especially all season and in the off season. And putting the ball in my hands hoping for me to make a play, and I didn't come through for them. It's just a feeling that it was just -- it's sad because I wanted to do it for them because I know how hard they worked and how hard the coaching staff works. You just want to be the hero, and unfortunately that wasn't the case at that time.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions for Coach.

Q. Lance just said he feels bad because the season's over. I don't think the season's over for you guys. What's your projection for what's going to happen here with your team the next few days, in terms of post season?
COACH SADLER: I don't know. The NCAA option is out. That's not an option, unless somebody's really looking out for us. But, no, I don't know, you know, so many teams, I think, have won their league that have lost in their tournament. So that's going to continue to be an issue. I guess we'll know Sunday night.
I really don't know. I mean, we were still being talked about a team that if we could have won today -- because I still believe, guys, there's so much basketball -- I'm not for sure there's ever been a year like this. Who knows who is going to be in this big tournament.
But I think probably what Lance -- and I'm just speculating, because I was sitting when you were there -- and our season we wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament. That's probably what he means is it's over with. Hopefully it's not. Because this team deserves -- they've been so close, you know? I mean, gosh, going to the last four ball games and pretty much need to win two of the four, but we didn't.

Q. Can you take us through that final possession?
COACH SADLER: You know, possession before we set two flare screens from the corner. And then we changed our set, went with the box set.
And we had a screen, the screener play, and Toney McCray was wide open. But Lance went in there to make a play, like a good player tries to.
And just didn't make it.

Q. Forgive me if you've been asked this, but, I mean, now that it's officially over, could you just kind of just sum up what your experience has been like in the Big 12 and your thoughts about making the transition now?
COACH SADLER: Haven't been very good. I mean, I've been here five years and we didn't win the league. So in that aspect, it hasn't been very good for me.
But, no, the Big 12's one of the best leagues in the country. I think probably, unfortunately, I've been here when it may be as -- out of these five years -- unfortunately, it may have been three of those five -- the best league in the country. And so that part of it I've seen some great players, some great teams, had a national championship team in our league, coaches who are unbelievable, the officials. You're going to miss everybody. You're going to miss seeing people.
But, hey, bigger and better things are down the road for us. That's the way you've got to look at it. But I can't speak for the history of Nebraska and the Big Eight and the Big 12. But I know Nebraska has been very good for it, and it's been good to them.
But that's unfortunately the way college athletics are nowadays. I don't think it's the last of the split-ups, myself. So you'll get a chance to ask some of these other guys that in a couple of years, probably.

Q. You guys were down 14 at one point in the first half. How were you able to make that up?
COACH SADLER: We defended. You've seen us play all year. The first five minutes of the game is not us. And you've got to give them some credit for making some shots, which they did.
But at this time of year I really believe you're either going to defend or you're going to go home. And for the last 35 minutes we defended about as well as you can defend.
But the first five minutes we dug ourselves a big hole. And we couldn't overcome it. But defensively, I mean, guys, 53-52, you've got to be kidding me. You hold a team to 53 points, you think you're going to win most of them.
So and then probably offensively it's when we got six or eight points easy in transition. That's probably what got us back. Then we got the four-point lead, and then Keiton Page did what he does best; he hits two back-to-back 3s.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

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