CU-ASU Postgame Quotes

Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle

General
"Welcome to college football, I thought football season was over in December but I guess it is not. That was an unbelievably physical game, hard fought game by both teams but Arizona State had the ball at the end and they made a big time play and we didn't get a stop when we needed to. The most physical basketball game I have ever been a part of in college, high school, it was a very physical game."

On The Physicality Of The Game
"It affected both teams, the physicality of the game affected both teams, and I thought our guys reacted well, they played their hearts out. I have no problem with our team's energy, and with their effort. We didn't always execute and we will get better at that, but they did everything we asked them to on defense, they played their hearts out but we came up a little bit short. It was a helluva game which came down to the last play and it could have gone either way, but it stinks. Arizona State is a good team and every game from here on out is going to be like this, it is going to be like this, and we just have to get ready for it."

On Josh Scott
"I don't know, blacked out, he has a concussion I have no idea. I am sure we will find out more tomorrow after they do all those tests. Concussions are a big part of sports, and we will find out more tomorrow."

On Spencer Dinwiddie's Performance
"Spencer was aggressive, he didn't finish the way we wanted him to, but he got to the free throw line and he made all of them. Spencer is giving us everything he has, he had a game with four fouls, and it was a hard fought game. I have no issue with our team and the way they played and the way that they battled tonight, and I don't always feel that way after a loss. But you know we stole two games at Oregon and they were hard fought last possession games and we felt pretty good about ourselves. We can't get too down on us after this one, because it could have gone either way. It is the fine line between winning and losing."

On Askia Booker Guarding Jahii Carson On The Last Possession
"We wanted to just keep the ball out of his hands and make somebody else make a play, and we did a good job of that. The last possession was a bang, bang play; we score they get it out quick and we practice that. Our philosophy is exactly the same as Arizona State's was, we are going to get it out quick. And that is what they did and we weren't able to stop them, we were awful close. One thing we didn't do well tonight was taking charges, and that was an opportunity where we could have taken a charge because we knew they were going to drive it, but again it is something to learn from. We have a lot of young guys out there but they battled and I cannot fault this team's heart and effort tonight. I hurt for our players."

On Moving On
"My message to the guys is that there is a fine line between winning and losing. We felt good after Oregon where we won two close games but we cannot get too down on ourselves after a game like this. This could have gone either way and we will bounce back I am not worried about it. I am glad we don't play until Thursday, I'm glad we are at home and I hope we can get Josh Scott back as soon as we can. Physically we are taking the day off tomorrow, Monday we won't do much, we need to get our mind and body right for next Thursday. We would have loved to have this win in the bank, it would have changed our whole mindset, but we have to keep moving on. It is college athletics and loosing is no fun, but I feel differently after a loss like this one because our team battled and I know those guys in that locker room are hurting."

On The Pac-12
"I mean even look at the Oregon vs. Washington State game, I don't know who won that game but it was a close one, Washington State battled them down to the wire and that is the last place team playing the first place team and it goes down to the wire. And tonight this was two guys in the middle of the bunch, and they have separated themselves from us now and that is the part that hurts, when you look at the standings tomorrow we are 0-2 against Arizona State but guys what, we have a conference tournament and five more league games. There is still a lot of basketball to be played and Colorado is not done."

University of Colorado Student-Athletes

Askia Booker, So., PG

On Thought Process After Dinwiddie's Basket In Final Seconds
"To get a stop. We knew to get back and stop Jahii (Carson) and get the ball out of his hands. That's what I did. He passed it to Gordon and he made a play."

On How They Move Forward From This Loss
"Just move on. The fastest way to move forward is to just move on. Like when we lost to Arizona, we lost three or four games back-to-back after that. We can't have that happen again. We have to be prepared for Utah and to beat them pretty bad."

On If Quick Turnaround Had Anything To Do With Tonight's Loss
"No. We were prepared. We practiced hard enough, we went over all of their plays and we watched film. Maybe physically our bodies were a bit tired. But, other than that, the quick turnaround had nothing to do with the loss."

On Physicality of Tonight's Game
"Just a lot of bumps and fighting down low. The big guys got into it a little bit, the coaches were ramped up and it's just a physical game. [Xavier Johnson] is down there battling his butt off and he might not get a foul, but he knows he has to keep fighting through that."

On If The Referees Not Calling Fouls Had To Do With The Result of Tonight's Game
"Doesn't even matter. It is not in our hands. The refs call what they see and it's out of our hands."

On Evan Gordon's Game Winning Shot
"Honestly, I think Jahii (Carson) is so great with the ball, he can create his own shot. I think everyone's focus was on him, especially mine. It was my job to not let him score towards the end of the game. Once he got the ball out of his hands, Gordon just straight-line drove the ball to the basket. So, we ultimately didn't guard the ball well enough at the end."

On Coach Boyle's Message After The Game
"He was actually pretty happy with us. He isn't happy with the result, but he was happy with the fact that we fought throughout the whole game and were able to come back and take them into overtime. We just didn't finish it out towards the end and didn't get the stop when we needed to. But, overall he was happy with our fight, just not with the result."

On If They Missed Josh Scott After He Went Down
"Without a doubt. He is our low post presence, he puts the ball in the basket when he's down there. He tries to be physical when he can, and I think that's when he got injured. Just by being physical and not giving up his position inside."

Xavier Johnson, Fr., F

On If They Went Into Overtime Feeling Like It Was Their Game
"Definitely. We felt like we had the momentum and everything was going our way. But we didn't finish it out, so we took the loss."

On Guarding ASU's Two Seven-Footers
"It's all about having heart. If you go out there and have heart, you can do anything. So, that's what I had to have. I came out there and battled, but they came up with the win."

If He Likes Playing Against Big Men
"Definitely. If anybody is looking to play professional ball, there are big guys out there too. So, it just helps me to prepare for the future."

Arizona State Head Coach Herb Sendek

On What This Win Means
"It's huge. I'm really proud of our guys. They played with a lot of poise and composure and a lot of heart. Colorado is an excellent team and obviously they are very special here at home. I couldn't be prouder of our guys."

On The Difference In Tonight's Game
"One point and one second. It could come down to one of so many plays. Both teams found it difficult to score. It seemed like the defense had the advantage for most of the game. [Spencer] Dinwiddie is such a special player though. My goodness, he is playing great. Not only does he make every shot, but the ball doesn't even graze the rim. It's incredible to watch. Not so fun if you're on the other team though."

On The Physicality Of The Game
"That's how every game in this conference is being played right now. The Pac-12 is so good right now. Everyone is scrapping and clawing and working really hard. In a game like this, there is no loser. When student-athletes on both teams are competing like this, there are no losers. I know that is easy for me to say in this moment, but I've certainly been on the other end. You just have to be proud of the way those kids compete on a big stage with a lot of heart."

On The End Of Regulation
"We had some opportunities. We missed a couple free throws. We had a couple of turnovers - one in press, one in the half court trap. Both teams can do that. After almost every game you go back through possessions and there is no such thing as a perfect game. The key for us was that our guys had a lot of poise and composure. We kept our composure and we got a good shot off."

On Coming Off Of A Bad Loss At Utah
"It doesn't matter. There is so much basketball to be played and that will change a million times between now and selection Sunday. There is so much parody in college basketball and so many good teams and nothing separates the teams. I don't know how a computer can split the hairs. Look at our conference alone and then you multiply that across the nation. This isn't an anomaly; this is what is happening night in and night out in college basketball. You never like to say there is such thing as a good loss, but playing in Salt Lake is not easy. They are extremely well coached and they are a good team. They have a special player in [Jason] Washburn. There is no shame."

On The Last Seconds Of Overtime
"To our guys' credit, they got it in quick. Once I saw them attacking in the open floor, I knew we had a better chance of getting a shot in that situation rather than calling a timeout. Letting them set their defense, I think you just have a much better chance in that situation to hopefully capitalize on the chaos of the moment."

On Evan Gordon Not Starting And Still Making The Game Winning Shot
"It feels great. I gave him a big hug and kiss. He knew he was going to play. He probably played the same amount of minutes as he always does, we just elected to start the game that way for a reason. It feels really good."

-COLORADO-