March 4, 2012
Updated Sun Devil Men's Hoops Stats (as of March 4, after Arizona tilt)
POSTGAME QUOTES FROM COACH SENDEK
"I though it was a tremendous team effort today. We could pass around superlatives to everybody who contributed and played this afternoon. Two areas on offense that we have been addressing all year have been our turnovers and our free throw shooting. We have maintained all along that if we could somehow get our turnovers in the neighborhood of 12 or fewer, if we could convert better at the line, that would put us in a much better position to be competitive and this afternoon both of those happened. We played with ten turnovers, three in the second half and we made 22-of-24 free throws (third-best in ASU history for a minimum of 20 attempts). Our adjusted field goal percentage was over 60 percent and I thought offensively we really executed."
ON WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE
"More than anything else, our guys made plays. I remember talking to you a few games ago after UCLA and as you looked for an explanation I replied that we just didn't make plays that were there. This afternoon we did that time and time again."
ON THE GREAT 7-0 RUN TO START THE SECOND HALF
"I thought a real key for us was the start of the second half, after losing momentum and not executing at the end of the first half, our guys came out and delivered the first blow and had a seven and zero run. I thought that was a very important stretch of the game for our team psychologically. Then they kept stride the rest of the twenty-minute period. "
ON GETTING DEFLECTIONS
"Statistically, a couple of things really stand out. Our team had 33 deflections, I think that is a season high, Jordan Bachynski contributed to that with six blocked shots. Chris Colvin's nine assists to two turnovers were really instrumental."
ON IF HE SAW ANYTHING SPECIAL IN PRACTICE THIS WEEK
"Nothing particular to this week. I think we just had a very steady even-keeled approach. We have kind of kept our nose to the grindstone. That's usually how you have a break through. It doesn't happen by someone putting a chalk line down saying it has to happen by a certain week. It's continuous."
ON THE PLAY OF JORDAN (BACHYNSKI)
"Our game at Utah seems to be a key turning point in his development. You can really begin to see some great signs of hope for Jordan. He played very good today on the offensive end of the floor and contributed six blocked shots."
ON WHAT THE WIN MEANS HEADING TOWARDS PAC-12 TOURNAMENT
"Our guys are obviously excited right now. They are thrilled with the victory and looking forward to going up to the Pac-12 tournament. We play Stanford that handled us pretty easy and we are going to have to within a very short week pull together and be ready to roll."
ON CARRICK'S ILLNESS
"We've had really key guys miss chucks of our conference season. Carrick was really sick. He was literally in bed. Even in this week, it was a very gradual turn. It is not like we finished the game vs. USC last Saturday and then he was back full go on Monday. He went through a gradual return to action. I just thought his energy today was contagious for the team. He played to his strengths today and when he does that he's a good player. He's really in his element when he's doing that."
ON (JON) GILLING'S SHOOTING
"He hit a lot of big shots and you cant say enough about his courage and his poise. Especially on that last three pointer when Chris came off the ball screen and he lifted for the throw back, he took that shot in rhythm like he was Larry Bird. He just has a lot of ice water in his veins for a first year player."
ON (TRENT) LOCKETT'S PERFORMANCE
"This was his best game since returning. It's hard to miss three weeks of conference and return where you were before you were hurt. I think today there were some possessions where he almost just willed it to happen. There were a couple of possessions where he made something really good out of almost nothing."
JON (GILLING) QUOTES
"It was fun. I've never tried anything like this. Our fans did a good job today of yelling louder than them. I liked it. It's fun.
ON HIS BIG-TIME THREE
"Chris drove and he just hit me. I was almost wide open and just shot it. We looked for a couple of different things but that was one of the options. (Coach putting the ball in his hands) gives me a lot of confidence and shows that he has confidence in me also so both ways. I like it. I am meant to do it...I was just wide open and sometimes...you just knock them down right?"
QUOTES FROM TRENT (LOCKETT)
"That's a big win for us. They beat us the last three times I think. It is good having a two-game winning streak going into the tournament next weekend. To be honest we can win every game we go in to. We don't ever go into the game not thinking we are going to win. But today everyone came together played hard and pulled out the win."
ON THE GAME PLAN
"Coach is one of the best x-and-o guys in the country and you give him a week for a game and he's always brewing up concoctions. He had a good game plan today and I think executed pretty well."
ON WHAT THEY PREPARED FOR
"The way they guard our flex action and our cross cuts between the four and the five, just little things like the angles of the screen and setting them up at certain points."
ON IF THE PRESSURE WAS ON ARIZONA
"Not really. They've been taking it to us, their fans travel well, they had good support here but they needed that win and we did well today."
ON THE ANKLE
"It is fine."
ON EVERYONE GETTING THE BALL INSDIE
"We have some pretty big wings and guards so we like to off our flex every now and then and try to exploit our mismatches. Carrick can get to the basket, Jon got to the basket pretty well. We have a lot of options and we have been using that pretty well."
ON THE FREE THROWS
"That was huge. Free throws have plagued us throughout the season but today everybody had the confidence and knocked them down. It probably won us the game."
ON HOW FAST THE PROGRAM CAN TURN AROUND
"I think it can turn around pretty fast. Since I have been here it's been the best scouting team we have had. They really knock down some crazy shots and it makes us frustrated in practice but going into next year I think we have some options we are going to be able to work with."
QUOTES FROM CARRICK (FELIX)
"By far, by far...one of the best games we've put together all season. We're just going to keep chipping away. We are all coming closer, coming together. We really believed in this one and coaches put together a great plan."
ON WHAT THIS WIN COULD DO FOR THEM
"I think it does a lot. It gives us a lot of momentum going into next week. It also shows how much we are improving like JB and Jon from the start of the season. So we have a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season and actually next year too. We have a couple of new guys coming in so it's going to be exciting knowing everyone is improving."
ON TURNOVERS
"Execution. We were all focused and in the right places. I think everybody was just making a simple play and doing their jobs."
ON BEING SICK THE PAST WEEK
"I'm good. I am at one hundred percent and I mean last week I missed my guys. I am glad to be back and they are happy to have me here. I couldn't really tell you what it was but the doctors put me on a lot of medication and I am getting better everyday."
ON WHAT THIS MEANS MOVING FORWARD
"It means a lot. It gives us a lot of momentum and after this one a lot of our spirits are up. I think we are ready to go. We have a big opportunity coming up next Wednesday and we just got to prepare. We have to get ready to go tomorrow and execute and get ready for our opponent. I think going into our Pac-12 Tournament we are good to go."
ON THE POSTGAME IN THE LOCKER ROOM
"Everyone is screaming and Coach is jumping up and down, but really we were pretty calm. We have to focus in and get ready for next week. Arizona game is a good win but we are ready for next week and trying to prepare.
QUOTING JORDAN (BACHYNSKI)
"My coaches have been working with me a lot in practice to not be so soft, I guess, and to take the ball to the hole and take it to them instead of them bump me and get me off my shot. So again, it's just a combination of things. It is not one thing I can name. The guards passed me the ball exactly where I needed it and led me to be in an area where I could be successful."
QUOTES FROM ARIZONA COACH SEAN MILLER
"I thought ASU played an excellent basketball game. There are always characteristics that you look for when you play an opponent, especially in early March. After playing 17 games, you figure out what you do well and what you don't. They don't get to the foul line a lot but they went 22-of-24 today. Their three-point shooting and Jonathan Gilling was excellent. They're a team that has turned the ball over a lot over the course of the season but tonight they had 10 over 40 minutes. You can go through every statistic offensively. We had a really hard time guarding them individually. When they needed big shots, I really believe they made every one of them. I give credit to them. They were prepared and hungry together. They earned their victory today."
ON THE WILDCAT DEFENSE
"I don't look at us as being lackadaisical. We had a good week of practice but we did today what we always do. Its just a couple match ups. We had a real hard time keeping the ball in front of us. In crunch time, whether it was a post-up, drive, or shot, I really thought their offense created good opportunities."
ON ASU'S DEFENSE
"They executed and they have a really good defensive team. Ironically, one of the things that I told our team before we came here was that there's a reason we are who we are and there's a reason we have the record we have and we're in a good position for a lot of things. We have to bring those things to the arena. It can't be different. We're arguably the best defensive team in the Pac-12 over the last 17 games but today we let ASU have 87 points."
QUOTING WILDCAT SENIOR KYLE FOGG
"This one definitely hurts especially since it was losing to our rivals. We didn't execute down the stretch and they had a great game. Their coach did a great job coaching. I have to take this one upon myself. There were some shots at the end of the game that my teammates needed me to make."
ON THE ASU DEFENSE
"We weren't defending out there. I think we needed to play a lot harder in order to stop their runs and they were able to go on a lot of them. We are supposed to be number one in defense in the Pac-12 but today we didn't go out and show it."
ON NCAA TOURNAMENT CHANCES
"We knew either way that we would have to go to Los Angeles and try to take the whole tournament in order for us to go dancing. It is back to practice tomorrow and we'll have to get ready to go to L.A. to try and take the whole thing."
ON IF IT FELT MORE PRESSURE TODAY
"I think we worked hard all week. Maybe some guys put more pressure on themselves but for me it was just a tough game. I expected them to play great and they did." ON THE UA DEFENSE
"We weren't guarding like we usually do or like we have in practice all week or like we have through 17 of the Pac-12 games."
QUOTING SOLOMON HILL
"It's a dagger. This is the one that we needed to get. There's no way we're getting into the tournament unless we take it all. I can't speak for other people but me personally, I love basketball and every chance that I get and today was no different. I went out there with the same mindset. We just tried to do what we need to do."
ON ASU'S BIG MEN
"Their big men are effective. Their big guy opens stuff up for other people. Gilling had a good game and Trent Lockett and Carrick Felix fed off of that."