Post-Game Quotes: Illinois
2/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2011
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Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo
Opening statement...
Well, that was an old fashioned Keady-Heathcote game and it was two teams that were playing for their lives a little bit, even though I think Illinois had a little bit more breathing room than we had. I told our team before, because it looked like Day-Day was pretty good this afternoon but then it looked like he was really in trouble when I got to the arena today, we just didn't know what to do and Delvon, poor kid, I've never been prouder of two kids than I am of those two kids, and Kalin, because I told him he's got to be an iron man, we can't take him out, and he too was walking on his knees by the end.
I thought it was a total team win and we played a good team. I thought we both missed shots the first half, I thought the defenses were tough, but we both missed some shots. I felt the couple times we turned it over they scored with the dunk and the 3-point play. But to out-rebound that team by eight, get our turnovers down to 11, and shoot 54 percent in the second half, there were some pretty good things. I thought Appling - after a wicked first half, I think that air ball got to him a little bit - I thought he did a pretty good job defensively in the second half. I thought Durrell had his moments when he was great defensively and he got a little better at some of it. Sherman's playing more minutes and I think that he put himself in a couple positions that were a little tough, he doesn't realize how long he's played.
All in all, a gritty, gutty, win from a team that has two players that are sick and hurt like nobody's tomorrow. I'm really proud of my team tonight. I thought Illinois, you know it was a tournament atmosphere, the fans were great, and they played hard also. With their better record, I think it was more of a desperation for us than them but both of us I thought played as hard as two teams could play.
On Kalin Lucas...
He is shooting well and he missed a few shots that I thought would have gone in. We started taking him off the point a little bit and we ran some ball screens, brought him off some pinned down picks and got a couple shots there. I thought we ran some stuff that got him some looks in the second half and he made some great, great, lucky but great plays at the end of the shot clock. But what I am most pleased with Kalin, this is the first time in the last three weeks he's starting to pull up. He's got a great mid-range game where earlier in the year you saw him getting in there and getting shots blocked, you hardly see any of that now. His mid-range game in the last three games has been unbelievable. It's good to see the swagger back and it's good to see the speed back you saw on that one drive.
On Delvon Roe...
I'm telling you that kid played on...if ever the word grit should have his picture in the dictionary next to it because he made two big plays, he had a couple good rebounds, he had a couple good switch outs that we can switch with him like we haven't been able to do in the Ohio State game because he's the only one quick enough to switch out on a kid like McCamey. So the two big ones that he scored on but there were a couple others, and a couple (he) passed and a few defensive plays that he made, and you could tell that he was hobbling. I got a text from Morris Peterson today that said `Coach, tell `em to play like Spartans.' And if Delvon doesn't embody that nobody does.
Michigan State senior guard Kalin Lucas
On having his swagger back...
My teammates put me in great position to score the ball and I was just trying to create, create for my teammates, but create for myself as well. As far as the ball screens, if I came off the ball screen and tried to attack and if the big man stayed back I was able to do a step back and if the big came with me I was able to get somebody involved.
On having another gear...
I feel like every week it gets better and better. I'm still doing a little bit of my rehab and trying to get it as strong as possible; it is starting to feel a lot better.
On what this game meant for the team...
We're just going to take one game at a time but today was a great win for us. We didn't know if Delvon was going to play and how long he was going to play. Day-day too, he was kind of ill a little bit, sick a little bit, so we didn't know how much he was going to play either. As far as the team, we just had to play aggressive the whole game, dive on the ground, get loose balls, and just play tough basketball, just play our style of basketball and that's just how we did it today.
Illinois head coach Bruce Weber
On Kalin Lucas...
We let him get a couple open looks, and then he feels good about himself. He was taking the tough shots and making them. And getting to the free-throw line down the stretch as well. We did try some things, that obviously weren't working, but they were different looks than what we've used before.
On his team's play down the stretch...
I told the guys we have to execute in the gut check part of the game. Whether it's cutting hard, people picking up their defense, or exaggerating your cuts; or just seeing the open guys, and making a play when you get fouled, because maybe they won't call the foul. I don't know every possession, but I thought we had some opportunities. Demetri (McCamey) had a 2-on-1 that we didn't get anything out of. Billy (Cole) threw it to Myers (Leonard), we didn't get anything out of it. Jereme (Richmond) gets the rebound on the shot clock play and it goes in. To their credit, they picked up their defense. When you look at the game in our place, it was pretty similar. They didn't score for a while down the stretch in the gut check part of the game. Same with us here.
On his team's NCAA tournament chances...
We have to focus on Ohio State. That's the main thing. We can't worry about anything other than that. We played a tough non conference, we've beaten top 50 people, and our RPI is pretty good. But you got to do it at the finish of the season. But as we learned last year, you can not anticipate anything. And if our kids anticipate anything we're going to be sorry cats again.
On his team's play in February...
I thought we had a good attitude tonight. We came to win, we battled. It wasn't very pretty early on, but you know you make the play at the end of the half you think maybe you have a shot. I thought even at the beginning of the second half, I thought we were a little sharper, and they weren't. Then we went into the home stretch where we didn't get much done. Then (Kalin) Lucas took it over. Hard fought game, it would be nice to win a couple, but when you look at the schedule it's not very easy. You're going to have to be very special, and someone is going to have to come up big time.
On Tuesday's game at Ohio State...
Their mindset will depend on tomorrow and how they play at Purdue. I've just been so impressed by their maturity, their drive, their thought process of winning. To me, (Jared) Sullinger might get MVP if they get it, but I would pick (David) Lighty. He doesn't have any jealousy, he just plays the game. I think that's why they're so impressive and where they're at right now.
