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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 14, 2013Tim MilesShavon ShieldsBrandon UbelCHICAGO, ILLINOIS Nebraska – 57 THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from coach. TIM MILES: Just happy that I poured my drink in this big cup and didn't miss like we did our free throws the last five minutes. I was watching these guys, it didn't go so well. It was a good win for Nebraska. It was a good program win. I thought these guys really committed to a defensive game plan like they have all year. It wasn't an excellent finish again, but we'll take it. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student‑athletes, please. Q. Brandon, I know you didn't play in the game against Purdue in Lincoln, but Terone and his brother, Ronnie, have made a living off getting into the lane and shooting those floaters. It just seemed like it wasn't there for them all day. Just talk about the strategy and obviously your being back helped. How did you stop that weapon they have had? BRANDON UBEL:  We came in with a game plan of keeping them out of the paint. They get downhill on just about everybody. So we wanted to hard head hedge those ball screens, not really let them attack the bigs and not get too extended with our guards. It was five guys stopping that. As soon as I would retreat back to my man, a wing or somebody else would be sitting in the lane waiting for them. So I think we just did a really good job as a team of just keeping them out of the lane kind of at all costs. Q. For either of you guys, there was talk coming into this tournament that Purdue was the hot team and that they might upset someone of these Top‑10 teams. And when stuff like that is said it always seems like people are almost overlooking you guys. I wonder if any of you heard of that talk and was it any motivation. SHAVON SHIELDS: They were hot. They beat Wisconsin, played Michigan tight and everything. A lot of, like almost everyone didn't expect us to win this game. So we had to match their intensity and excitement around them and win the game. Q. For either of you guys. Talk about the last month talking about building up momentum for this tournament to try to make a run at post‑season. Was this kind of a culmination of the last month or so, I guess, do you think? BRANDON UBEL: It's the start of it. We're not done with what we want to get done. Because if we want to play post‑season like we want to, we got to come out tomorrow with the same intensity, same focus, same excitement, and try and win another game. Because the night's over, we got to look ahead and try to keep winning. Q. Brandon, it's well known you guys were picked to finish last on 23 out of 24 ballots before the season. What's it feel like to be up here with a W and walk out of that place celebrating a little bit? BRANDON UBEL: It feels good any time you win. Obviously when you're going in picked last, you kind of feel like nobody believes in you but ourselves. But we don't need anybody outside to believe in us, because if everybody in that locker room and on the coaching staff and everybody believes, then we'll be fine. That's what we did. We came into this game, we believed we could win, and we had a good game plan. I thought we executed the game plan pretty well. It feels really good to do that. Q. Shavon, talk about the game you had tonight and did you feel you were heading up to a career night similar to the one you had at Penn State? SHAVON SHIELDS: No. I was just within the offense curling and things like that and my teammates were screening and finding me open. So if it wasn't for them screening and getting me open and that and playing as a team, I wouldn't have got those 19 points. Q. For you guys, a big win, but you got Ohio State tomorrow. Talk about enjoying this for now and shifting focus for tomorrow. BRANDON UBEL: Coach told us after this game, he said he'll give us until dinner to celebrate this one. And we all kind of laughed, but it's true. We got to get in the film room, got to really focus in on what they do well. Try to take away those things. Try and contain Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft whose been playing really well lately too, and hopefully we can come out and execute that game plan as well as we did tonight. SHAVON SHIELDS: We need to enjoy it until dinner, have a good film session tonight and things like that. Figure out what they do and figure out a way to win the game tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you, fellows. You may go to the locker room. Take questions for coach. Q. Only six turnovers. Talk about how you were able to protect the ball so well. TIM MILES: Well, I think we're in the top three or four in the league in turnovers and it's important that we don't, because we don't make a lot of shots. So we need as many possessions as we can. Our kids are almost too careful with the ball because we don't get to the foul line very much. But at the same time the way this team's got to function and operate like that to be good. Q. Did you think Shavon going off in the first half kind of got them a little scattered. I don't know if that was part of the game plan. But touch on that a little bit. TIM MILES: I think they were aware of what Shavon can do. And I think Shavon had a really good game. They did a nice job on him after the first 11 or so points. Everything he got after that was hard earned. But maybe they got the matchup that they wanted, but at the same time, you have to credit him, because he really carried the load for a long time in that first half. Q. Talk about the free throws, the issues you had there. Talk about what happened there. And then on that final possession, defensively, what were you guys trying to do? TIM MILES: We were trying to survive. All right. So that's just the truth. Trying to keep it in front of us and just see what we could do. But the free throws, that's just hard to replicate in practice. That's part of learning how to win. Free throws are mental toughness. It's like a golf skill. It's something you have to stand up there and do. It's mental. Usually, technically, by the time you get to a junior and senior in college, you know what you're doing. That's what those guys who are shooting or missing or making were. And it's just one of those positions that we have to continue to get better at. We're going to have limited opportunities here at the end of the year, but at the same time, hopefully tonight will help make us feel a little more at ease tomorrow night. Q. On that last possession, did you expect them to try to set up that curl? It look like you were set up for a curl. TIM MILES: We wanted to try to eliminate that cut for him, but still it was only a 2‑point game. So you want to win the game. I'm not happy just going to overtime. We were playing five and six guys is all, so at that point we had not played Andre the second half, I don't believe, and we wanted to win the game. You knew that Byrd might get a look. We also know that Ronnie and Terone can drive the ball too, those guys scoring the ball. But the offensive rebound, too, because any shot at the rim is a good shot. So they had plenty of options to me and I thought we just did better at getting in there and fighting. And they got two looks at it, I believe, but Ray came up with a big rebound to end the game. Q. You mentioned that it's a program win. Maybe just elaborate on that and the significance of this victory for your program. TIM MILES: I think to build off the point earlier that was made, we were picked dead last by everybody but my mom. We at least out performed that expectation. Sometimes you got to creep to crawl to walk to run. And that's where we're at right now. So I think that the idea to bring a team in, understand the process, what it takes to win, it's important for us. Especially since Purdue's playing great basketball. And so to be able to beat the hottest team in the league, probably, was a good accomplishment for this group. Q. You only took three, 3‑point attempts the second half. Was that by design or more because of their defense? TIM MILES: We didn't really‑‑ I felt we were‑‑ the way their quickness is, they chase you off the line pretty good. So we really didn't talk about it. Just keep attacking the defense, take what the defense gives you. And I just didn't recall being very open from the 3‑point line. So I thought Purdue just did a really good job defending the line. Q. Last time you played Ohio State out at your place you scared them there in the second half. I wondered if just doing that, does that give your players some belief and confidence tomorrow night to do it again? TIM MILES: I think you stole my post‑game talk. That's what we told them was, hey, that game was a game down the stretch. And we were right there. And a few other things go our way, we could have come out on top. And that's what you have to cling to. That's what you have to build your case on. Our guys will be ready to go. I think they will be locked in and their hearts are fresher than their legs, but I think that's going to be all right. We'll just play a low possession game and see what happens. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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