CU-Air Force Post Game Quotes

University of Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle

General

"There were some really good things tonight I thought from our team. There were a lot things that we can build on and obviously some room for improvement. I was really pleased with our play in our first half, except for the first four minutes before that media timeout when we turned it over all five times we had the ball. From that point on in the first half, I thought we played really really well and moved the ball well. One of the things that we talked about at half time was to win the second half. We didn't do that. We have some things we have to get better at. 13 assists and 15 turnovers isn't the number we were looking for. But, we hit our defensive numbers. We didn't hit our offensive numbers. It's still a work in progress with the Buffs."

On How They Went Into Today After Wyoming

"Our guys are trying to hard. The turnovers are big. We're trying to do the right thing, we're trying to feed the post and make extra passes. We have to play the game and try to make the game simple. We want to be in attack mode but sometimes you have to move the defense a little bit before you are able to attack. Again, we talked about being positive, thinking about the next play, not getting now on ourselves. I really tried not to get down on them and they responded. We got that behind us and we got a couple buckets which got us going. Xavier Johnson got us that end one to kind of get that spark going."

On Why Askia Booker and Wes Gordon Sat Out The First Half

"Askia [Booker] and Wes [Gordon], there's some off the court stuff. Askia's was an academic related issue and Wes has an issue with tardiness. It was off court disciplinary things.

On The Play Of The Front Court

"We have to get Josh Scott the ball. Again, I always say we have to give him touches. He doesn't necessarily have to get shots. He draws so much attention down there. He caught it one time in the second half and he had three guys on him. They fouled him but he draws a lot of attention down there. Our guys know that Josh is a heck of a player. But, he's not the only one. Wes Gordon is good down there. We posted up Xavier Johnson one time in the second half and he got a bucket. So, we've got multiple guys that can post and Josh is one of them. But, we have got to get him touches. Josh has really worked on his passing. I thought he was unselfish tonight. When people game plan against Colorado, Josh Scott is a big focal point. That should make our premier guys feel pretty good because it frees everybody else up."

On Dominique Collier's Play

"I've said this before he was even playing but he makes the game simple. He makes simple plays. The two assists he got to Xavier Talton for threes was just an extra pass that didn't stick. He's got that feel that you can't coach. It's nice to have a guy out there like that that's got six assists, no turnovers, takes two shots and he's fine with it. He's absolutely fine with it. That's pretty special and that's pretty rare. He's going to be on the floor more and more. We're going to have some competition and guys are going to have to play better to get minutes. Again, I thought played and made some plays for us in transition. He's great to coach. I always felt this way with Spencer [Dinwiddie]. When the ball is in his hand, you feel comfortable. You feel like he's going to make a good decision with it and he's not going to make a crazy play. That's not to say that he's not going to turn it over his whole career but he's got a feel that you can't coach. When it comes to passing the ball especially."

University of Colorado Student-Athletes

Xavier Talton, Jr., G

On Rebounding From Loss At Wyoming

"Great, coming off a loss like that (at Wyoming), I mean they are a good team, but you never want to lose like that. It felt good to get on the court and win the game."

On Holding Mountain West Conference Leading Scorer Max Yon Scoreless

"He's a great shooter. For the most part, I think we there defending on his first catch. We tried to make him drive early. He's a great player, he just had an off night."

On Air Force Making A Small Second Half Run

"I mean we had a little bit of a lapse on defense. I feel like that we started to get a little bit lazy, and we weren't really sticking to our principles. You really can't have that when going against better teams."

Dominique Collier, Fr., G

On Playing His First Game At Coors Event Center

"It felt great to just be out here and to play my first game in front of all these fans, and to play with my teammates. It just felt great."

On Making Simple Plays

"It just comes natural to me. I'm not going to be more athletic than some of the players I will play. I can't always make the harder play, so I have to make the simple play which is easier for me. And it's fun to see my teammates get the ball and to see them scoring. I just like making easy plays."

The Difference Between High School Basketball And College Basketball

"They run a lot more, and I got winded out there a couple of times. In high school I could have run for 40 minutes and not get winded. But out here, like coach Boyle (Head Coach Tad Boyle) said if you play hard, they will sub us out and then get us right back in. The intensity is much higher. (Then in high school)."

Air Force Academy Head Coach Dave Pilipovich

General

"They were the tougher team, the better team, and they competed harder than us. That was the disappointing part but I thought our second half we showed a little bit more fight in us. We were able to manage the game a little bit better and make it a little bit competitive. I'm very disappointed in our effort for the most part all night with some of the older guys. We have to get better than that."

On Not Capitalizing On Colorado's Slow Start

"We were up, I think 10-7, and then they went on a 22-0 run. We started throwing the ball all over the place. We had nine turnovers in the first half but only one in the second half. That's where our maturity in our older players has to be recognized. You have a lead against a very good team on their court and you have to manage the game better. That was our game plan and I'm disappointed a little bit we didn't carry out the game plan. But, it's early. It's not Thanksgiving yet, and we will get better."

On Having DeLovell Earls On The Bench

"He's been out for so long now we're kind of moving on without him. I don't know if we will get him back or what will happen with him. We always say next man up, so I'm excited about some of the freshman that finished the game in a competitive nature."

On Younger Players Performances

"We have to be competitive and sometimes the answer is just play harder. It's not "X" and "O" and it's not a philosophical thing. It's just about playing harder."

On Playing Front Range Schools

"Obviously with CSU in our conference we have to play them twice. As far as CU, Coach [Tad] Boyle is an unbelievable coach. For us to have the opportunity to play them is good for our program. We just have to be more competitive."

On Turning Point In The Game

"We were up 10-7 with a short clock, about four seconds left, and right in front of our bench we let Xavier Johnson get free for a three. We didn't push out to contest it at least, and that's when they went on a 20-0 run. That was a big part. Then there were a few possessions where the ball was on the floor loose and we reached for it, we didn't put our nose in it. That was disappointing, but we will grow from this."

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