CU-UO Postgame Quotes

Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle

General
"I told the team in the locker room I have been coaching division one basketball for 18 years now and I am not sure I have been more proud of a group of guys with what they did and how they stepped up. Our starters, bench, whoever we put in there played their hearts out and we beat a good solid basketball team. Unfortunately, we cannot enjoy it as much as we would like too, we have to get ready for Saturday, and this was a gutty effort with a great basketball team."

On Recovering From Cal
"Playing at home helps, but it says our team has resiliency, and character all of the things we have known. But college basketball is a long season and what people forget is it is March 7^th and these guys have been grinding for a long time. There is going to be ups and downs especially with a young team, and it is just the way it is."

On Playing The Bench
"I did not originally think I was going to go that deep into the bench, but everybody had two fouls in the first half and we had to preserve those guys and we had a lead, and it's a little different if you are down. But our bench responded and did a great job."

On Xavier Johnson
"It was terrific, he made some shots and Xavier has been working on his jump shot. I saw him working with Ski [Booker] earlier today. His performance was big time, when you make shots it covers up a lot of things and we were not able to do that at Cal but we were able to do it tonight. I was really proud of him stepping up because he is a guy that with Andre being out we needed to count on."

On Team Morale
"I cannot tell you how these guys responded to each other in the locker room. The guys were really happy for Shane [Harris-Tunks]; I thought he gave us some great minutes. Xavier Talton hit a big three for us, Jeremy Adams had great minutes; I can just go down the list even Ben [Mills] got in, in the first half. It is a feel good moment for all of them when they get a chance to play when they normally don't."

On When He decided Andre Wasn't Playing
"I found out Tuesday morning and then I told the team Wednesday morning at the scouting report but they didn't blink. I told Spencer [Dinwiddie] and Askia [Booker] on Tuesday just so that they could process it in their minds but the rest of our team responded really well. Andre's attitude was great about it, but he is out with a virus and will be day-to-day."

On The Program Now
"You realize that the program is bigger than any one player or one coach for that matter. The thing I looked at tonight was Oregon has four seniors and we only have one out there. We were playing with a bunch of sophomores and some freshmen. This says a lot about the youth of this team and the talent of this team and our resiliency."

On His Coaching
"That is a part of the subs, you put a guy in and if he is playing well you adjust, you rely on your bench and there are certain nights you rely more, and tonight was one of those, because we were in such foul trouble early. But it doesn't have anything to do with me or how we have prepared; we just try to make the best decisions with the information given to us. Our staff was great tonight and the thing I loved tonight was we didn't show panic."

On Saturday's Game

"Saturday's game is Saturday's game and has nothing to do with tonight's game. Every game is a new game, and it has nothing to do with momentum. You saw Cal play last night as good as anybody in the league and they didn't win. The thing we have to understand with Andre being out is we have to cherish the opportunities you have every day because it could be taken away in a heart-beat, so hopefully that is a lesson our guys learn from tonight."

On Josh Scott
"Josh played great, he is still not himself; he rebounded the ball well but is still not finishing it, but he will, Josh is a good player. I looked at Josh's body today and I am not sure how much he has lost but he has lost some weight through the course of this season. It is hard for a guy that size to maintain his size and weight and the off-season is going to be important for him, and he knows that. He gives you everything he's got and he battles and that is all you can ask for."

Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman

General
"Oh, it was really disappointing. We were flat, no energy and in a game like this, it's just unbelievable. [I'm] disappointed in myself for not having them more ready than that; but Colorado played really well, loose, and [had] a lot of energy and we didn't match it. Free throws could have kept us in the game. We went 6-for-15 in the first half on two front-ends. We have to hit a few of those when you are not scoring baskets to stay in it, we missed them all and got behind and never recovered."

On Andre Roberson's Absence
"There quickness. They went small and we had a little trouble with that and then [Xavier] Johnson stepped up and hit a lot of shots, so he played really well. (He) really made a big difference in the game."

On Bouncing Back For Saturday's Game
"We have to bounce back quickly. We still have half a championship to fight for so we have to bounce back. It's done and there is nothing we can do about it and I don't say that very often. We definitely have to say it this time. It's over with and we have to bounce back real quick. I understand Utah won tonight and it will be their senior day and we'll have a big challenge on our hands this Saturday."

On Team's Effort
"Well I'm not saying effort. I'm just saying we didn't have a spark and energy, so yeah, I was disappointed for us tonight."

On Team's Free Throw Shooting
"We are a good free throw shooting team, so I'm not sure why we shot free throws that poorly. I don't know if it was pressure. I don't know if it was lack of energy. I don't know what it was, but we weren't sharp and that is as much my fault as it is theirs and it's very disappointing for all of us."

University of Colorado Student-Athletes

Spencer Dinwiddie, So., PG

On If He Planned To Crash Boards Harder Without Andre Roberson
"Rebounding is always our emphasis. We like to say that defensive rebounding is the pillar of our program. But, of course, when someone like Andre goes out and rebounding is their specialty, you have to pick up the slack in that area. We just all had to pick up the rebounds as a team."

On The Team's Mindset Going Into Tonight's Game
"Just to play with our principles, we wanted to give up as little layups as possible. We knew that their offense is set up to have isolated drives from the left wing going towards the right, so we wanted to make them shoot outside jumpers that were contested and not let them into the paint. I think we did an effective job of that in the first half. We didn't do as good of a job in the second half, but overall we held them to around 38 percent, so that is always good."

On What This Win Means For The Program
"I think the win doesn't just have to do with the players that were on the floor. It has a lot to do with our coaches and our fans who all bring us energy. It is really a collective effort. We each try to pitch in if we are going to lose something. For example, tonight we knew losing Andre we needed to make up 11 points and 11 rebounds."

On The 20-Win Mark
"The fact that we get a chance to tie Chauncey's [Billups] team is a big milestone for the program. We have a chance to win 21 in the regular season, so that is great. As far as the 20 wins, hopefully that just means we will get into the tournament without having to win the Pac-12 tournament first. 20 is not exactly a marker we had set for ourselves, we just try to win the next game."

On If The NCAA Tournament Is On Their Minds
"To a certain degree, but at the same token we are just trying to win the next game. We want to play with our principles and really follow through with what coach preaches, defense, rebounding and focusing on the next opponent."

On Following NCAA Tournament Projections
"We are told not to. I don't know who on the team does or does not, but I know I do. It is what it is. To say during class that you don't click on ESPN and look that would be a lie."

Xavier Johnson, Fr., F

On His Performance Tonight
"It feels good. I was just trying to step my game up tonight. Andre [Roberson] was out so I had to produce."

On What It Was Like Playing Without Andre Roberson, The Nation's Leading Rebounder
"It is hard. It puts a lot of pressure on the freshman and everybody else, knowing that we have to make up for those rebounds. So, we just tried to do the best we could."

On Sweeping A Conference Opponent
"It feels good and it shows that Colorado basketball has stepped up their game and that our program can go far."

On Colorado's Transition Game
"That was our game plan pretty much, to run them down. We are up here at altitude so we might as well use that to our advantage. Coach just told us to keep running and make them tired, so we did."

-COLORADO-