Players Mentioned
Colorado-Arizona Quotes
February 24, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
General
"If you didn't come to watch this game tonight, you missed a hell of a college basketball game. I have two questions after a night like this, and that is why can't the Coors Events Center bet like this every night? And why can't we bring that kind of energy and concentration as a team every night. I think they are both valid questions, it should be like this every night. And if we want to get this program where we want it, which is a top 25 program, one like Arizona, we have to do this every night. It's up to our fans to come out, and it's up to us as coaches and players to play with the passion, toughness and energy that we played with tonight. It doesn't guarantee that we're going to win every game, but it makes for a hell of a lot of fun. I don't understand why it can't be like that every night. Look we have to do our part, but what a great win and I'm so proud of our team. We're not the finished product by any means, but the whole message to the team before the game was to compete for 40 minutes and our guys answered the bell against a really good team."
On Josh Scott
"He did it on an ankle that's not 100 percent. So what that kid is showing down the stretch of his senior year is incredible, since he wasn't 100 percent tonight but he played like he was, that was an unbelievable performance. The one thing about Josh is that he's been our one consistent player. It's the rest of the guys that brought it with them. He led the team, and the team followed and that's a step in the right direction. Again they answered the bell and that's all you can ask for in your senior leader. We just played UCLA, and you walk around Pauley Pavilion and one of the things that's up on their concourse is one of John Wooden's quotes and that is that you need to be at your best when your best is needed. And tonight was a great example of that, we needed to be our best when our best was needed and we were. We didn't play perfect but we were at our best."
On Importance of the Win
"I can't begin to tell you how important this win was. Number one it gets us to 20 wins, number two it gives us a great win in terms of RPI and top ten. So as you go into the stretch run in February you need to be able to show that you can beat top teams and we showed tonight that we can beat a top team. This game was NCAA tournament atmosphere, and these were two NCAA tournament teams playing tonight."
On Team Rebounding
"We knew going into this game that they're number one in rebounding and we're number two so it was a challenge. We finished even, we would have rather outrebound them but tonight we battled. Dominique Collier's rebound at the end by a guard going up to get it that was a big time rebound. Rebounding was a big part of the game and we knew it was going to be a big part of the game. Arizona is a top ten team and we beat a really good team tonight."
On Josh Fortune
"He's a good player and we want to get him going offensively. There's a lot of guys who haven't been playing well recently that played well tonight, and that might not show up in the stat sheet but tonight Josh Fortune was one of those guys that really brought something to the table. He made some big shots for us and played with poise and confidence. That's one of the things we talked about going down the stretch, be aggressive and be confident. I thought we did that tonight."
On Dominique Collier's Defense
"He's effort and toughness was good. Dom has all the tools to be a good defender, he's got good length and he can anticipate. He just has a tendency to reach, and tonight he did a good job of keeping his hands off. He's in some tough defensively situations as the point guard having to go back and defend the fast break, but I thought he did a terrific job."
Colorado Players
Wesley Gordon, Jr., F
On Preference Between Josh Scott And Demarcus 'Boogie' Cousins
"I'm taking Josh's performance. Don't tell Boogie I said that."
On Josh Taking Over The Game
"This was probably one of his best games offensively. He was good defensively. He really kept us in the game. This is probably his best games."
On Crashing The Offensive Glass
"That's my focus every game."
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George King, So., G
On Initial Reactions To Win
"Happy to get the win. Obviously, they're a great team."
On Making Three-Pointer To Spark The Crowd
"The atmosphere that we just had – that's the type of thing that we commit to as players. That's the thing we were told about when we were being recruited. Being a part of it and playing in that environment in the Coors Event Center, there's nothing like it. That put us up 10 and everybody started cheering and getting loud, it was a great feeling. It put Arizona back on their heels a little bit."
On Team's Defensive Effort
"We predicate ourselves on defensive and rebounding, in that order. To beat a good team, you have to do that on a consistent basis, 40 minutes. You can't slack off defensively and rebounding the ball. That was my focus going into this game."
On Comparing Game To Kansas Win Three Years Ago
"It's up there with it. I'd have to pick Kansas over this one."
On Finishing This Weekend With Another Win Against ASU
"We need to continue to do what we try to do every day: defend and rebound, play inside and out offensively, take good shots. I still struggle with that."
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Josh Scott, Sr., F
On Difference Of Protecting Lead Late In The Game Compared To Past Games
"One thing is that we played aggressively down the stretch rather than getting tentative on offense. Also, we were just tough; we came up with big boards and came up with big stops. That's what you've got to do against a good team like that."
On Playing In Final Home Games Of Career
"It kind of hit me this week. I spoke to this about it being my last two home games in Boulder and wanting to play well in those. Really it comes down to – I'm just really happy and proud of our team. We've been through adversity against good teams and not come out with the 'W'. To do that today, that's really all I could ask for as a senior and as a teammate of these guys."
On Play Down The Stretch
"I wanted to play aggressive. I know that they were scoring and I was feeling my Wheaties a little bit after I got that and-one. It kind of propelled me on through the second half. I've had some tough shooting nights before, but these guys kept feeding me – I was two for seven at one point – and they kept feeding me. Credit to them for looking for me."
On Strategy Of The Game
"We talked about this being a grown man game. Go up in the paint; take it to the rim and take it to their chins. I think we did that. That's our game plan every night and we need to be consistent with that going forward."
On Making A Key 15-foot Jumper
"He was sagging off of me at that point, so I had to. I was a little winded to say the least. I think the altitude got to me for a second. After that I was fine."
On Team's Tournament Resume
"I don't like believing in Selection Sunday. I've heard too many stories from the likes of former players, one in particular, and I just believe that this is a quality win. I believe this gets us in the tournament, but I think we've got to take every game like we got to win this one if we want to get in. That's important to us."
On Taking A Key Charge
"I like to tell my guys that not only am I a charge-taker, I'm a shot blocker and I'm just a rim-protector in general. I get fired up with charges. I'm hoping my man Wes here will learn from me and take one himself eventually. I was pretty fired up; it was a big play. Big plays like that can help you win games."
On Wes' Offensive Rebounding
"Wes is really good at offensive rebounding; I don't think people give him a lot of credit for it. He gets in there for sure."
On Arizona's Kaleb Tarczewski
"I have a lot of respect for that dude. What he does consistently is play hard. He's a load down there; it's hard battling him. One thing I will say is that I always respect him and I always will. I got a chance to know him a little better at the Pan-Am Games and that just furthered my respect. You never know, I might see him again. In terms of valuing an opponent, I value going against him and playing against him more than probably any other center in the Pac."
On Notching CU's 400th Win
"I didn't even know that. I think it's just memorable in itself. I think all of these wins are going to be memorable down the stretch probably."
On Comparing Game To Kansas Win Three Years Ago
"Nothing beats Ski's (former player Askia Booker) buzzer-beater, I'm sorry. That was crazy."
On Fatigue Having An Effect On Last Offensive Possession
"I don't know if it was fatigue. On my part, it was that I baby-tweaked my ankle a little bit and I kept going. That was pretty un-clutch of me, but thank goodness for me Dom [Collier] came up with a huge rebound at the end there. It's just a concentration thing with our team, always has been and always will be. In terms of me turning the ball over twice, it happens."
On Relief After Arizona's Missed Three-Point Shot
"If it would have gone in, I would have been beating myself up a lot. I would have proved it in overtime and get a 'W' in overtime. Luckily for me, it didn't get to that point."
Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller
On the Game Plan
"I think number one, Colorado was ready to play tonight. They were the harder playing team, they gave tremendous effort and I'm a big fan of Josh Scott. I watched him a year ago as a junior and he played most of the season injured and did the best he could. He's healthy now and you can really tell. You want to see somebody like him, whose one of the best players in our conference down the home stretch of his senior year, play his heart out. You look at his numbers tonight and he dominated the game and he did it against a very good front line of our own. With his partner Wesley Gordon, we knew before we played them how good of an offensive rebounder he is and how good of a team they are. The fact is that he was able to get seven second shots and I think two of his shots lead to three pointers when they only had five three pointers. A big difference in the game was Wesley Gordon on the offensive glass and Josh Scott being a great player. I thought that Tad Boyle and his staff did a great job of having his team ready to play. They've had a great season and this was a meaningful game, the last two home games of the year. You felt it by looking at the great crowd and the team. Sometimes you have to take your hat off to the opponent and say, you know what tonight they were the better team, and they were."Â Â
 On Staying in the Game Early
"I never really felt comfortable. I went through our timeouts just to kill momentum and keep our guys engaged. Try to get it as close to the end as possible with us having a chance to be in the game. Some of it is prodding our guys to give great effort and to not give in. Tonight we played against a physically strong team and a team that really, what I thought did a great job. They shot 17 free throws in the first half and three in the second. So we did a much better job of not fouling in the second half."
On Having a Week Off
"We've had a good week of practice. It's not that story of they wanted it more. Both teams wanted it. They were ready to play though. They were the harder playing, more physical team and they were playing in front of a terrific home crowd. I don't know if their crowd and energy in the building is like this every game, but if it is, it's a tremendous advantage. I thought they feed off the crowd and the crowd feed off their great effort. Tad is a tremendous coach and they have a 20 win season going. You're not going to win every game right now in the PAC 12. For us we also have had an excellent season and we can't let one game ruin a lot of the great things that we have fought so hard to achieve. I want to credit Colorado, Josh Scott, Gordon, their staff and the way they played. They played with tremendous energy and it's something that our guys have to see and feel. Coming down the stretch here in March this is how the games play."
On Foul Trouble
"It did because our bench wasn't quite up to the task as they usually are and defending those two guys. They are so physical and when they go to the bench, Miller is also physical. They had their way with us".
On Storming the Court
"The one thing that I will say about our situation is this. I have no problem being a great sport and I have no problem recognizing that Colorado deserved to win tonight. They won the game, they were the better team. But what's eventually going to happen in the PAC-12 is this: an Arizona player is going to punch a fan and they are going to punch a fan out of self-defense and when it happens only then will everyone take a deep breath and say we have to do something to protect both teams. So when the game ends, we have a deep breath to leave the court or at least shake the other teams hand and then get to our locker room. Then if the court wants to be stormed, fine.