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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 8, 2011MarShon BrooksKeno DavisNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Marquette – 87 COACH DAVIS: Just, you know, to congratulate Marquette. We knew when we got the draw as we were trying to build a program and improve that there are two teams I thought that were probably our toughest draw for one reason or another and Marquette was probably at the top of that list, but, you know, I felt we gave a great effort. We got behind early and couldn't get going and to be able to fight back, didn't surprise me. We just couldn't make enough plays to get it within striking distance, but the effort that our guys gave even when it was against us, I think, shows a lot about the character of the young men on this team. Q. Talk about that start, it was 17-0, it was like you were clearly stunned. COACH DAVIS: Yes, I think stunned would be a fitting word to describe the start. I think a lot of our young guys being the first time in Madison Square Garden needed to experience success to knock down one of those shots, to go in, to feel a little more comfortable. Marquette did a great job of being aggressive and physical which we knew they would and we couldn't stop the bleeding with a basket or two. We played at Marquette the same thing happened, they got off to a 10-0 lead, all of the sudden we got a basket and played them even for a long time after that but unfortunately when you're down that much playing them even the rest of the way isn't going to be good enough. Q. Transition defense especially in the second half was a real problem. Was that not balancing the flow well or that's what they do well? COACH DAVIS: A little bit of both. Marquette is arguably the best transition team in the Big East. They run on every opportunity. I think one reason that they're so successful and have been even though they've had some stars in the past. They've been deep. You know, for the past seven, eight years it seems like they've got nine, ten guys that can play at a very high level and when you run and you're a running team like they are, when they're able to sub guys in, they don't drop much. They get after you and they wear you down and we weren't as deep as we would like to be this year. We didn't have much room for error and transition defense was something we had been working on all year. It just wasn't good enough for us tonight. Q. What would you say to people who don't follow the Big East day in, day out, who question whether this league should get 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament? MARSHON BROOKS: I would tell them to look at Marquette. They're a tough team, they keep coming at you with so many different players, on top of the fact that they run and like Coach said they're so deep. You can stick with them for a while but after a while it continues to wear and wear and wear because they're in you for the whole forty minutes and they keep fresh players coming into the game and when you miss you got to get back on defense. When you got a lot of fresh legs you can run more and more so I think Marquette is definitely worthy of a bid. COACH DAVIS: I don't think there is any doubt you look at the Big East and you've got a couple of teams that are playing on the first day that are nationally ranked. Marquette is arguably better than some of the teams that are ahead of them. It's a year in where you might not see the three No. 1 seeds like you saw a few years back but you've got 11 teams, maybe 12 that were that talented this year to be in there so it's going to be interesting to see on Selection Sunday how highly they get ranked and seeded, Marquette is a top-20 ball team this year and they're in the 11th seed. It's showing what the Big East has been able to grow to as a basketball conference and for the teams that are trying to jump over some of the teams it's been difficult but I know that all those teams in that second half are working extremely hard to make that happen. Q. Coach, talk about how special Marshon has been to you and to the program? COACH DAVIS: I can't say enough about Marshon Brooks. He's a special individual. I knew I had something in him when I got to Providence, because of his talent, but not just because of that but because of his attitude. He just -- he really, with coaching, he accepted is everything that I would say and then he would want to know why, okay, well why? Then I would explain well this move or that move in this kind of position and that position will help you and relate it to NBA players or guys that were in his body type successful, and I think anybody that's met Marshon knows what a special person he is. Much better of a person than he is of a player and that's saying quite a bit. Q. Marshon, any difference tonight than how Butler played you in the last game? Seemed like a carbon copy? MARSHON BROOKS: I think Butler matches up real well. I was trying to attack him. I watched tape on how they played me the last time and it was different because I was running off of -- this time I was playing off the ball more so I could catch them closing out but they did a great job of help defense. Whenever I did beat Butler there was two or three people there so I was kicking out to open teammates. Q. Marshon, talk about how you guys were trying to cut that lead in the first half, talk about how you tried to get back in the game. MARSHON BROOKS: Well, what happened was they got off to a good start. I think it was 8 and once they got up 8 everybody panicked on the team, everybody wanted to be Superman and get us on the board and we dug a big hole for ourselves when everybody wanted to get on the board and I think the main problem was Vince, he was driving a lot and the two-man wasn't rotating back and getting in his place everybody was crashing boards just to try to get on the board and it kept piling on us, good defensive team and you can't beat them off one pass. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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