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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: OMAHAMarch 16, 2012Marcus DenmonMichael DixonFrank HaithPhil PresseyOMAHA, NEBRASKA Norfolk State – 86 THE MODERATOR: The Missouri Tigers are here, Coach Frank Haith, please. COACH HAITH: Thank you. Obviously Norfolk State, I congratulate them, they played a whale of a game, they had 2 points on air balls on the weak side rebound and they banked a couple of three's in but they were better than us going after loose balls and rebounding the basketball which ended up doing us in. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student athletes. Q. Marcus, it seemed like every time you guys would score, every time you would make a big play, every time a run would start, Norfolk had an answer. Do you feel like defensively there was something you guys should have been doing that you weren't doing? MARCUS DENMON: They killed us on the glass, like Coach said a lot of 'em was off us playing good defense initially and then they would get a loose ball, an air ball, or skid three that rebounded long and they would get a fast one. Q. All that being said, you guys were hanging in there and took the lead at one point. When do you feel like‑‑ when did you start to get worried and, then, when did you have the feeling that you might get it done. PHIL PRESSEY: Well, we knew coming into this game if we let them hang around toward the end it was going to be a ballgame. They stuck with us the whole game, congrats to them and I just felt like they made the right plays at the right time and we didn't make the right plays at the right time and that pretty much decided the game. Q. They put you close to home, as close as you could be, in Omaha, but the crowd was on Norfolk State's side. Did you sense that? Do you think that hurt you or helped them at the same time? MICHAEL DIXON: The crowd doesn't have any bearing on us mentally to the game, that's just something that happened and we wasn't too much worried about it. Norfolk State is a good team, they hit shots tonight and took advantage on the offensive glass and had a counter for every time we scored, pretty much any kind of basket, almost. Q. Was there anything more, how much more could you have done preparation wise to counter what Norfolk State was doing? MARCUS DENMON: I felt we were prepared, we were overly prepared, the coaches did a great job getting us ready, but they can't go out and get loose balls on the floor, can't make free‑throws or get rebounds and that's for the players to do and we came up short. Q. Guys, was the feeling any different toward the end of the game shooting the basketball than it normally is, in any other situation? Did it feel tighter, was it more difficult in, say, the last 5 minutes when you had an open look? PHIL PRESSEY: I don't feel like the game was any different. We have played in these type of games before, we just didn't execute on the defensive end like we usually do, we gave up too many offensive rebounds. I feel like once we tried to get a lead they would always get an offensive rebound or loose ball. I just feel like this game wasn't decided by X's and O's, it was us going out there and out workin' them. MICHAEL DIXON: He pretty much said it all. They made shots, the shots didn't feel any different, we wasn't nervous, they're a good team and they played it well. Q. Marcus after all you guys accomplished this year, can you find any words to describe going out this soon in the tournament? MARCUS DENMON: I mean we had a lot bigger‑‑ I mean, not really. It was a tough loss for us. We had higher expectations for ourselves, and there is really nothing to say when you come out and you don't perform the way you perform. We gave up 86 points to a team that we don't feel we should let that happen. You can't win a game giving up 86 points. THE MODERATOR: Anything else for the student athletes of Missouri. Gentlemen thank you very much for your time. Questions for head coach, Frank Haith. Q. Coach, the prescription that was going on today during the game wasn't unusual for your team in the fact that sometimes you get out rebounded, you usually shoot the ball really, really well and sometimes your field goal percentage hasn't been great. Is that something in the end that's going to bite you one time? COACH HAITH: Well, I think, yeah, we haven't defended particularly late in the year like we did earlier in the year and rebound‑‑ bigger teams, Kyle O'Quinn is a taller, longer guy, there were two air ball rebounds where they got 6 points off of, and they stuck 'em back in and on a free‑throw block‑out we don't step to the defender and they come over us and get it and it was a jump ball. That was a 1‑point game right there. So loose balls, air ball rebounds, I think those rebound we have been getting, and we needed to get those tonight. Q. Coach, you mentioned a lot with the air ball rebounds and all that. Do you think it's more than just a couple of plays or is there something collectively you can take from the game in order to adjust? COACH HAITH: Well, I've said this all year about our team. We're not very big, but we've got to be so perfect at blocking out and rebounding the ball, and this team was not tonight, and that did us in. Rebounding is what did us in, and our defense, guarding the ball, we didn't guard the ball at all. Q. Can you elaborate a little bit on Kyle O'Quinn's play tonight, the emotion his team got from him and how you had a hard time answering him? COACH HAITH: He was terrific tonight, he was very good, he got 2 feet in the paint. He was very efficient and, you know, he was a tough match‑up for us. Q. Coach, you've been in sports a long time. Try to describe your level of disappointment and what did you say to the team and what did you say to Missouri fans? COACH HAITH: I'm very disappointed as everybody in that locker room was. You know, I hurt for those seniors, because they put so much into this and they had high expectations, as we came into this season. But let's understand one thing, they have had a hell of a year, a great year. They won 30 ballgames, all‑time winningest senior class in the history of Mizzou basketball, and I'm proud of them. We are disappointed we were not able to continue in this tournament but I'm very proud of these young men. Q. Coach, you've been in the business a long time so you understand this can happen, a 15 can beat a 2, but for an 18 to 22 year old is it hard to get those kids to grasp that everything, anything is possible once you get into the tournament? COACH HAITH: You really try because you anticipate that could be an issue, we tried all week, our coaching staff explaining to them how good Norfolk State is. Because you don't see 'em on TV, the guys don't know their players, you worry that they don't understand, hey, these guys are pretty darn good and you get in an NCAA Tournament on a neutral court, the fans cheer for the underdog and that's what happens. And as long as they stay in the game, the momentum, then you bank a couple of three's, which they did, it becomes a ballgame. Q. Frank, Kim English has been a spokesman for this team and has been that player who has said to over achieve in his role, maybe, for you. He was not out here tonight and he had a 2‑point game, what do you feel for him? COACH HAITH: I hurt for Kimmie. I really hurt for him. The young man is a warrior. He didn't have it all today. He just wasn't himself. I really hurt for him. Q. Did that look like a No. 15 seed to you before the game when you were looking at the length of Norfolk State and their profile? COACH HAITH: I mean, the Committee, they do a great job of putin' together this tournament. They're the type of team that would give us problems because of their length at every position, they start at 6‑6, the point guard is 6‑6, the wings are 6‑5 and 6‑6, and Kyle O'Quinn is 6‑10 and they're a lengthy team and they played Marquette to a 2‑point game earlier in the year so we knew they were a capable team. Q. Frank, looked like Phil got a good look at it when that ball was in the air did it look good to you? COACH HAITH: Yeah, it looked good. He got a good look and I thought we had great execution there on the last play and I thought he got a good look. Q. Frank, neither the success you have had through the regular season or the disappointment of today could have been predicted, I know it's awfully soon but could you talk about this year as a whole and how you will look back on your first season here at Mizzou? COACH HAITH: Well, we have had a tremendous year, there will only be one team to cut nets at the end of the day and we would have loved to have had a chance to continue through the tournament but as I told the team, we have no reason to hang our heads, these guys have competed all year through adversity, we have seven scholarship players, these guys have listened to people tell them what they are not all year and they have defied all the odds, they are tournament champions, Big 12 champions, won 30 ballgames and I am proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of these young men's lives. THE MODERATOR: Coach Frank Haith, thank you very much. COACH HAITH: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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