Colorado University Athletics
Colorado-Hawai'i Post Game Quotes
December 25, 2014 | Men's Basketball
University of Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
General
"Another disappointing loss for the Buffs, I'm really frustrated. We've had two games over here in my mind that we were in position to win both of them, and we let them both slip away. I've got to do a better job as a head coach; we're just not closing out games. We had an opportunity tonight, they hit a big three and made plays down the stretch. We turned the ball over 16 times, and you can't do that against a good team. That's the most frustrating thing; we have a lot of inconsistencies within our game right now that we have to get better at. We have toughness, we have fight, we have resilience, but it has to be for 40 minutes, not just when we are down or when our backs are against the wall. I thought our guys did a great job of fighting back. We got back in the game with our defense; we held them at 58 for I don't know how long, but it was a long time. We didn't do a very good job of guarding the three-point line, though. It's just a really frustrating night, because it was a winnable game. As a coach those are the ones that just eat you up, and I'm not getting it done either."
On Hawai'i Forcing Turnovers In Transition
"The last turnover of the game came right from behind. I like to try and attack before the defense is set, I don't like calling a timeout in that situation. But, when you turn it over, you second guess yourself as a coach that you should have called a timeout. I just believe philosophically when the defense isn't set get the ball where you want to get it and make plays, and if you get stuck in a difficult situation, then you can call a timeout. Our team right now, it's above the neck, it's between the ears, that's where are issues are and we have to get better. I think mentally, sometimes our guys over think the game. It's funny, when we run offense that we've practiced, we're not very good. When stuff breaks down and guys just ball and make plays, we're pretty good. It's really something I have to look at because I don't understand it."
On Late Possessions In The Game
"We were trying to get a backdoor play to XJ and if we didn't get it we were trying to post him up. We got the ball exactly where we wanted it, we just didn't convert. Then they came down and got the ball at the elbow and they drove us and made a play in the lane and they went up one. Then we get it out quickly, don't call a timeout and we turnover it over, and now we have to foul and we're in a foul game and don't get out of that. There's so many things you can look at within a one possession game, I did it the other night after the GW game, and I'll do it again tonight. The bottom line is we are just an average basketball team right now, not much has changed since last year (when Spencer Dinwiddie got hurt). We were 10-11, I think after that, and right now we're 7-5 going into conference play and have our backs against the wall. What this program has done in the past has absolutely no bearings on where we are today. That's what our players have to understand. The world doesn't owe us anything and people are coming at us. Hawai'i played a hell of a game today and we're going to face a hell of a UCLA team on January 2nd. We have to get better. My vow to our team and to all of Buff Nation is we will get better. I'm going to seek to it, and our players are resilient and they will bounce back. But we've put ourselves in a whole, there's no question about it."