Colorado-Washington State Quotes
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
General“I think that was as good of an all-around performance as we’ve had all year. I thought our guys defended, we rebounded, we turned them over 24 times, 16 assists and 11 turnovers is a good ratio. One of the things we talked about offensively was to cut hard, we knew back door cuts would be there if we cut hard. Great team victory. We’ve talked all week long about the mantra, ‘it’s not about you, it’s about us.’ That’s the mindset we want every player on our team to have. It’s not about you as an individual, it’s about us as a team. If we can buy into that we can have a lot of success.”
On Difference Defensively Tonight
“We guarded the three point line better. Our post guys really took on a challenge, I thought Wesley Gordon was very active down there with three steals, he moved his feet well. You’re not going to win a wrestling match with (Josh) Hawkinson and (Conor) Clifford, so you have to move your feet. We did a good job fronting the post, our guards did a good job digging. Really what it comes down to is, we guarded their post guys well, we guarded their perimeter guys well, we guarded the three point line well. We held them to 38% and we out rebounded them 13. When we hit our defensive numbers, which we haven’t done in a while, you don’t even have to look at the score, you know you’re going to win."
On Forcing 24 Turnovers
“We just want active hands. We want to think about deflections, you don’t necessarily want to think about steals because you don’t want to gamble. We wanted to have active hands while guarding the ball, pressure the ball, and our guys did a good job of that. Some of those turnovers were forced; some were unforced. We tried to press and set the tempo early, hope they take some quick shots. We’re playing at altitude, we have a depth advantage over Washington State, and I’m pleased with how our guys responded.”
On Offensive Performance
“We’re getting better. We shot over 50% again. Your offense should be getting better, it’s the middle of February, you should be clicking on all cylinders. The key is to play for each other and make plays for each other. I thought once we got up 20 we got a little selfish and it was down to 15 like that (snap). We want to attack the paint, we don’t have a low post presence like we did with Josh (Scott) last year, but we have guys that can score down there and guys that can finish at the rim. We finished with contact tonight, even when there was bodies bumping against ours we put the ball in the hole rather than looking for fouls.”
On Season Turnaround After Starting Conference Play 0-7
“We’re defending. Bottom line is we’re defending and we’re rebounding on a much more consistent basis. We’ve won 5 of 6. We’ve got 5 league games left, so we can just assume that’s going to continue. Again too, the thing you have to remember about our 0-7 start was we had more points than our opponent in the final minute of 4 of those 7 games and we couldn’t get stops when we needed to get stops. We were 0-7 bottom line, but we could have been 4-3.”
On Ball Movement
“The key for us is ball movement. Whether it’s against a matchup zone, or man to man, the key is that we get the ball moving, we cut. We want great ball movement and we want great man movement. The bottom line is we got good shots, and when you shoot 52% a lot of that comes from getting the ball into the paint and attacking the basket. The threes come as a result of that.”
Colorado Players
Derrick White, Sr., G
On Continuing their Current Level of Play“I think so. We have been practicing hard. We have been improving each and every day. We just have to keep building on this one and try to hit this last stretch hard. “
On Team Steals
“It was probably as good as we’ve had. We were good against Oregon as well. I think [Wesley Gordon] was great there in the second half, getting his hands on a lot of balls they were trying to post-feed. We just played great team defense, so this is something we have to build on.”
On Difference Tonight vs. WSU and WSU Game Three Weeks ago
“We guarded. They scored 91 points and then tonight they scored 49 points. That is the biggest difference.”
On Improving Their Defense from Earlier in Season
“We committed to the defensive end. We talked about it early but we didn’t really commit to it. So these last few games, starting with the Oregon game, we committed to the defensive end and that is the reason we are on this run right now.
On Improving their Offense
“We talk about ball movement every game in our pre-game talk. We have a lot of depth and talent on this team, so we can’t have selfish plays, or selfish one-on-one attitudes, so if we move the ball well, and get a great shot every time, we are going to be tough to guard.”
On Looking to the End of the Season
“You want to peak here down the stretch. So, we just have to keep improving each and every day. We cannot be satisfied with a couple of wins here and there. We just have to practice, watch the film, learn from it and continue to improve.”
Bryce Peters, Fr., G
On His Contributions as a Freshman Player“I would say it is the older guys. They put a lot of trust in me and I respect that. So I would say it is my job to come out there and show what I can do with the trust and respect. I think these past couple of games I have been performing to the best of my ability and I can continue to do that.”
On High Number of Team Steals
“I would say that it has to do with a lot with our energy. Guys have been coming out, like if we are down 20 in the jump and playing better on the defensive end, and we have been playing together on the defensive end. Most people do not talk about playing together on the defensive end together because people say ‘I got my man’ type of thing. So when we start playing together, they give us the ball and that is when we go on runs.”
Washington State Head Coach Ernie Kent
On His Team’s Performance vs the Buffs“I thought it was the most physical game we’ve played against them. I thought they just completely took us out of everything. We couldn’t run our offense and couldn’t handle the ball. We turned the ball over way too much. We didn’t handle their defensive intensity. They pressured us extremely well. They did a good job of making us keep the ball out of the post. Defensively, they were at another level. That’s not the same team we saw in Pullman. You keep looking at their defensive numbers coming down and now I know why. They’re a very physical team. If they keep playing that way, they’re going to cause a lot of teams problems. See how they beat Oregon, that’s the kind of intensity they played with tonight.”
On What The Team Can Take Away From This Game
“When you talk about getting people the ball and being able to get to where you want on offense, it goes back to CU’s defense. They just took us out of everything. We have not played a game this year where we have not been able to run offense. This was the first one. At the end, you just throw this one away and get ready for the next one. There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s just one loss and we’ll get ready for the next one. You don’t get too up and you don’t get too down. You just get ready for the next one.”