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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: PORTLANDMarch 15, 2012Jake CohenClint MannBob McKillopPORTLAND, OREGON Louisville – 69 Q. Your lowest point total of the season today. Was it a matter of the 3's, they had foul trouble? Why were you guys not able to put up the normal amount of points that you do? COACH McKILLOP: The shooting percentage, the first half was 30 percent, 16 percent, and 50 percent. Normally we make our foul shots at a higher rate. Normally we shoot 3's at a higher rate, we shoot from the field at a higher rate. I think it was a combination of Louisville's great defense and us missing shots. There were several times we had wide open looks and just didn't knock them down. Q. Just wondering if you'd attribute any of that to the cross‑country trip to come out to play and losing legs at the end of the season, anything like that? COACH McKILLOP: No, maybe factor in Louisville pressured you from end line to end line the entire game. And while it may not show its ugly head in terms of turnovers, I think it wears you down. And when you have to do that it takes away some of your legs. And then look on the defensive side of the ball, they're not a five‑second, ten‑second and shoot the ball kind of team. They're a possession after possession, where they took the shot clock into the 15, 14, 10 range, but it wasn't just holding the ball. Our guys defended ball screens three, four or five times during a possession. I don't know if you've ever defended a ball screen before, but when you defend a ball screen, you better move your legs, and that is wearing and tearing on your legs. I think the combination of their consistent use of the ball screen in each possession, with a guy as good as Siva, who is so quick, and it required not just one guy to make the effort, but five guys to make the effort to stop him or try to stop him, and then a combination of their pressure. Q. Talk about the difficulty of dealing with the defense you faced today. You were able to find openings in the middle. JAKE COHEN: Like Coach said, they pressure you from end line to end line. It's something that's always in the back of your head. When you get the ball out you've got to be worrying about their pressure and how you're going to break it. I think for the most part we did a really good job, we did a good job after a turnover or something bad happened we got back in and forgot about it and moved on to the next play. Q. It seemed like you guys were right there with them for just about the majority of the first half. But right at the end of the final two minutes they go on a 9‑3 run. And it seemed like they were able to carry the momentum from there. Was there anything in particular that changed during that stretch? COACH McKILLOP: First of all, I want to say that I thought our guys were magnificent with their effort. I'm incredibly proud to be the coach of this team and these guys. They laid their hearts out on the line the entire game. At the end of the half we tried to become really aggressive and productive. It's systematic to our team. And we ran a play and we ran it as efficiently as we could. We got a great look at the basket. We missed it. They came down and they scored a three. And then we gave up that two at the end. So those five points there and us not getting that three, and then we missed two one and ones. I don't think there was anything we could have done differently, make the one and ones, make the open three, maybe they don't get that run out three and that layup at the end. I'd rather us be aggressive and attack than sit back on our heels. Q. Obviously '07, '08, '07 you lost first round, '08 we know what happened. You've got a young team. These guys are coming back. Things you drew on from that five, six years ago, things to move forward. Given that you've had a team in a similar situation, could you expound on that and the possibilities for next season? COACH McKILLOP: The hardest thing I felt in terms of this team for this particular game was lack of NCAA tournament experience. And I think they showed themselves very well. For being their first time in the NCAA tournament, I was incredibly pleased with the way they handled themselves. They were superb. You saw there at the end, we didn't quit. We didn't relent. We didn't give up. We used every ounce of energy to make every play count and try to stay in the game. And I thought they were masterful, even on that last play, almost getting another shot to cut it down to four points with six seconds to go. Q. When Dieng got three fouls midway through the first half, made it tough for you guys inside. Did you feel like ‑‑ kind of like a sigh of relief or anything? He had such a big effect on the game at that point it seems like it's a relief to have him out. JAKE COHEN: He's a defensive presence, for sure. Once he went out we knew we could attack inside a little bit more, because he's such a good shot blocker. Without him in there things are going to open up a little bit. Yeah, one of our keys was to attack and hopefully get him in foul trouble and we did that really well. After he went out, I think we did a good job getting the ball tight. Q. What's it like dealing with that aggressive defense of theirs? Every step you take somebody is around sort of slapping at you. CLINT MANN: Well, I think like my coach and Jake said earlier, it wears on you for 40 minutes, but it's not like we had a ton of turnovers, either. I think we had ten turnovers for the team combined, the whole game. I thought we did a great job handling the pressure. It's a real credit to our guards and the way we work together. It's just one more thing you have to keep on your mind when you're playing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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