Michigan State University Athletics
Post-Game Quotes: Ohio State
2/17/2019 4:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Opening statement…
Another day in the Big Ten. I give Ohio State a lot of credit. I told my team, I said, they're going to come in here desperate; We beat them the first time, you get to this time of year and people are desperate for a lot of reasons. Some are desperate, like you watched Rutgers last night, they played so hard it was scary - some are desperate because they're trying to get into the tournament and some are desperate because they're trying to win the league. If you ask me, the desperate trying to get in - which they deserve to be in - was a lot better than our desperation to try to compete for a championship. I was totally disappointed with our effort in the first half. I was not disappointed with our offense. We had about four shots that went halfway down then popped out. I've never seen Cassius (Winston) go 3-for-15 or whatever he went, and with pretty good shots; That wasn't the problem. I thought the problem was we just weren't guarding and we were getting out-rebounded. The out-rebounding thing is getting to be a little bit of a burden in my side. At halftime I think everybody made a commitment that we have to guard better because we're going to have days where the ball doesn't go in - The better we guarded, the better our break went and the better the ball went in a little bit. We didn't shoot it well all day and part of that was Nick (Ward) couldn't go the second half - thought he might've dislocated a finger or something here so I won't know until they go through all the medical procedures. Guys that didn't play well in the first half I could just list everybody except Cassius; The second half, I could list just about everybody played a lot better, especially Kenny Goins, Xavier (Tillman) - Those two struggled the first half. We got a lot out of (Thomas) Kithier. He'll sleep well tonight; His 10 minutes will be like an hour of work. But McQuaid, like I told you, he was guarding a guy that's been on fire lately, did an unbelievable, unbelievable job on (Luther) Muhammad and today he had an offensive end too. We looked disheveled a little bit, we looked out of sync a little bit, had a lot of different lineups in there, but we did what we had to do. The 18-point win, that's unfair to Ohio State because they played their tail off and that was a close game the whole way. For my guys, to figure out how to get a win different ways, it's not going to be pretty all the time. Defense not only travels, sometimes it works at home too and this time it worked at home.Â
On when Nick's hand injury occurred…
Late in the first half, I guess. I didn't even see it. I don't know if he fell or he got hit on a rebound but when they came in… On the bench they said he hurt his hand and it was his right hand but it was hurting then and they thought there was something wrong then and that was - I don't know how many minutes left in the half. Then at halftime they worked on him, that's why he came out a little late. We thought maybe he could go, but he just felt like he couldn't go.
On Kenny Goins' being a 'glue guy' for the team…
I'd say my two glue guys are him and McQuaid and what they normally do is guard - he rebounds. He started to hit a couple of those three's, give him a lot of credit for that. I'd say those two guys are glue guys and they - Hey, Kenny might've been the reason we won the game the second half. Part of the reason we were in trouble the first half is the guys weren't doing their job either. As I told them at halftime, Magic talked to our team at the end of last game and he said, 'The key is who is going to stay consistent the longest?' That is very difficult to do in this 20-game schedule, it really is. And yet we're going to find a way to get that sense of urgency that we did not have in the first half. I think sometimes now we've been on the road so long - 6-out-of-9 on the road then we come home and it's almost like a… we'll let the crowd do it. The crowds have been so good the last three, four games if you ask me, but we have to give them something to cheer about. They can't always get us going, we have to get them going and we didn't do that today. I'm just happy we got a win because you got to win a lot of different ways.
On Kenny's ability to make clutch shots…
What I like about Kenny, he's been working harder on his shot and he's always ready to shoot it now and his shot looks very smooth to me - almost smoother than anybody else on our team. I think he's gained some confidence, I think he's put the work in, but I also think he's ready to shoot and our guys are comfortable to get him the ball. He's gotten some great passes from guys, you know, those inside-out, Nick Ward and out, Cassius penetrates and out. He's catching it, ready to shoot it, it's right there in the pocket. That was a big day for Kenny and he did a lot for us.
On the different lineup with eight minutes to play…
Cassius was so tired, he never asks to come out. I asked DJ what the hell he was doing taking him out and then I looked at Cassius and I was like oh I got you. He had to work on both ends today and they put some pressure on him. Again, I can't tell you the respect I have for how they played but the lineup we put in there… It was a different lineup, and that's kind of what you need. Maybe that's why you play some of those guys all year. I'm sure somebody will say why don't you play that lineup - maybe I should start that lineup next game. That's kind of the way you guys operate sometimes, no insult intended. They gave us some minutes, they did their job and I'm greatly appreciative for that.
On how the team defended Kaleb Wesson…
One thing we tried to do even when Nick was in there is not let him get it so easy. I thought down there we let him get it easy. They run some nice stuff for him and he is a load in there. When they come down from the top… He is hard to handle. I don't know what he weighs - a lot more than most of my guys. He buried people; he did a good job. I thought he got a little tired and that was one of our game plans; Can we run him in ball screens? Can we run him up and down the court? Can we get him tired a little bit? I didn't think he was moving as good at the end and they tried to do a good job at getting him rest. Especially when Nick was out, Xavier got in foul trouble… We had a lot of problems today. To win against a good team… I'm sure when I get home and watch the film I'll feel better than I do right now. Just that sense of desperation, even Langford said it, we got to re-energize ourselves in that.
On if he's coaching to survive when a different lineup is in or still looking to attack…
Truth? Survive. I mean you want to do certain things, but trying to get Cassius some rest, trying to get X because he's in foul trouble, trying to get some guys some breathers because Kenny had to go along time and McQuaid… That's not an insult to them it's trying to survive and run some things but maybe run the clock a little bit more. Hopefully use a timeout or two. I was going to call one when we went on that little eight-nine point run, but I didn't do that either and then we put Cassius back in, X back in and I don't know who else. I don't know who else was all in there. Who was there during that stretch? I'll tell you what I was trying to do. Yeah that's a small lineup, considering they're really big. I thought Kithier did a good job and Kenny does a pretty good job trying to help on the weak side. We tried to get a little more pressure on the ball, I don't know if we did that or not. I just know that you had to find a way to win that game and as we talked about with five minutes left, we're up a few, I said, 'This is the way it's going to be now. We're not blowing anybody out usually.' So I'm proud of my team for that, I'm just disappointed in why we started like we did, especially at home.
On timely baskets being made by Goins and McQuaid…
You've got a fifth-year senior and you've got a fourth-year senior. I think there is a calmness about them. Matt McQuaid plays with a sense of urgency every minute. Bill Raftery said 'wow, McQuaid, impressive on defense.' We're starting to do it on both ends and we're starting to run a few more things for him. I've got to do a better job of that. To come back like that, with Cassius not making shots, is odd. He's been so good. But I think that'll help us in the end. I think it'll help us that we had to bear down for a half. I'll try to use that as a positive. It's not gonna get any easier. I watched Rutgers last night. Talk about a physically tough team. That's where you hope to get a little momentum. Maybe we got a little bit in the second half, but we've got some work to do. Those fans have gotta keep energizing us and we'll get back. In fairness, we were in a lot of foul trouble early. We had some guys we were worries about early on, Xavier (Tillman) especially. Anytime Cassius gets one, we start worrying because we know how it is with him. The bottom line is McQuaid and Goins have the most experience on the team, they've been through the most. Kenny's played in a Final Four, he understands the pressures. My biggest problem with him is getting that motor running all the time. My job is to keep pushing the gas pedal, and second half I thought he rebounded well, he ran well, great pass Cassius to him for a dunk. But it has hurt my team that we do not have a rotation. Nobody deserves any blame for that more than me, some situations that we've been put in with these injuries. Almost mind-boggling.
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On Ohio State's tough offensive stretch…
A few too many turnovers probably and we've had the same problem. I'm sure Chris (Holtmann) isn't happy about that. We're trying to play through Nick more. I think they play through (Kaleb) Wesson. He's a load down there. What he is, is a pretty good passer. I think they do a great job on their back-cutting. They got us about three, four times. We had spent a lot of time on that, so I'm disappointed in that. Part of it is they do a good job. Kid I recruited, Kyle Young, he's great at slipping those things. The only thing I see they struggled with is the same thing we struggle with. When you turn the ball over a lot, you've got problems. They're turning it over maybe more than they could or should. I think we're right next to them. That's not an insult to them, that's an insult to us. But those things create problems offensively for you. And they had a couple shots too. They came down on that break and flipped it to (Duane) Washington right in front of their bench. He makes those. They missed a couple shots. Kaleb Wesson missed a couple inside, maybe tired, I don't know. We go through the same thing. I wouldn't question their effort, their cutting ability. I thought they played harder than us, and it bothers me to say that. I thought we bounced back in the second half, but I give them a lot of credit.
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On the maturation of Goins as a shooter and McQuaid as a defender…
 No. Act of truths here. Kenny never spent a lot of time on his game. He just had some other things, very smart kid, and he started spending more time a year ago. If you look at his shot, his follow through and his rotation, it's better than anybody on our team. He's right there with Cassius. And McQuaid was a shooter his whole life. When he got hurt and went through all kinds of stuff, and when Josh (Langford) went down, he came in and said 'hey, I can do the job defensively.' You talk about a sacrifice that kid has made for this team. It's really nice to be able to see him do both. The farthest thing I would have taken Kenny as is a three-point shooter and the farthest thing I would have taken Quaido as is a defensive stopper. Both are doing those two things. I was pleased with Cassius that he hung in there as long as he did and did a pretty good job defensively. They made some shots too, especially in that first half, but he (Cassius) did a pretty good job on (C.J.) Jackson, holding him to eight points. Cash will be fine. It's getting those other guys, getting Nick back, and we'll see what happens.
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On Kyle Ahrens' game today…
Well I was really disappointed in the first half. We challenged Kyle. Told him 'can't lose to your brother. He's a freshman.' But Kyle's a tough kid. He took those charges. We all know he's got a bad back. But he hit two big shots too. I think it's important that we get Kyle back. This was the first time in a long time that he practiced two days in a row before this game. I really felt like his lift, his jumping ability was getting back. Still, it's hard to play, especially at a guard where you have to do things with the ball when you don't practice much. Considering what he's been through, Herculean effort to hang in there with a sore back and take the guff and still deliver.
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On players and coaches alike leading huddles…
Players were excited. The coach-led part was 'listen, we all know we haven't played great. But we have to win some games like this, and this is winning time.' I give the guys so many lectures on so many different people. 'If they don't score, we can't lose, no matter what we do.' I think that they went with that mentality. They made some big plays. Ohio State missed a couple shots too, but in the first half, we missed a bunch of shots. I guess that's the way it happens. You can never rely on your shooting. We try to rely on our defense. To hold a team like that to 32 percent overall and 26 percent from three, that's pretty good. We've still gotta find a way to clean up our rebounding. It blows me away, but not having Nick in there. It wasn't very fluid today, but to win a game, no matter the points, when you're not playing your best against a team that I thought played damn hard, I'm gonna take that and move forward.
Michigan State Players
Senior guard Matt McQuaid
On today's 14 points…
I felt like I was getting out in transition and Cassius (Winston) was finding me on a couple of those threes. On the other ones I was getting great screens from my bigs so my teammates were helping me get those.
On Cassius Winston...
When you got a guy like Cassius you will get rewarded when you run and rebound, so having a guy like him where he can find you whenever is special. Â
On helping out in multiple areas...
I am just trying to do my job to put us in the best situation to win and whether that is helping out Cassius, or doing my job defensively, I have just got to keep doing that and hold people accountable and try to become a better leader every day. Â Â
On the defensive praise from coach Izzo...
That means a lot especially coming from coach. They have helped me so much to become a better defender since my freshman year and I have got to give a lot of credit to them.
My teammates push me every day and we push each other and are always trying to get better. I am trying to help the young guys out and it is a good atmosphere here so that is why I came here. Â Â
On the second versus first half...
I feel like we weren't getting a lot of clean rebounds because our defense wasn't as good in the first half. We didn't get off to a good start and coach got on us at halftime which he needed to because that is unacceptable. So, in the second half we did a much better job playing with a sense of urgency and got the job done. Â
Senior forward Kenny Goins
On tonight's double double...
We have got a lot of great talent around, so it just makes it easier for me to do that. When you have talent like Cassius , Matt McQuaid, Josh early in the season and Nick, it is easy to fit in with those guys. Â
On today's crowd…
The Izzone, and all the other older people and kids have been better than probably any other year that I have been here playing. We have much love for the Izzone, band, cheerleaders, dance team and everyone who comes out for us.
On if there is more pressure when Nick Ward was out...
Not really, I didn't even know that he was down. I thought that he was coming right back so I didn't really feel any pressure so we will just have to see what is going on. Â Â
Junior guard Cassius Winston
On today's crowd…
The crowd has been amazing. I can feel the energy and I looked up today and it caught me by surprise with how many people were in the building. I was like wow this is a really great place to play and they won us this game almost. There were times where we were down and things were not going our way and they gave us energy.  Â
On how important it is to start getting some quick starts…
It is big. So, we can get more guys in the game and get a better rotation going. When you are playing better all that type of stuff is going to help in the long run and for each game too.
On Kenny Goins…
He is so consistent. You don't have to worry what Kenny (Goins) is going to give you that night. Rebounds and everything and he helps out everybody on defense and is a very big part of this team. Â Â Â Â Â
Opening Statement…Â
Okay tough, hard-fought game. Give Michigan State credit, I thought they made it very difficult for us to score throughout the game, but particularly there in the second half with their defense and their physicality. So, credit them for the win here, we got another quick turn around here for a game on Wednesday.Â
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On what he was trying to do in the second half…Â
You know we tried a variety of things, you know tried playing through the post, tried playing through Kaleb (Wesson), tried playing through Andre (Wesson) a few times. We, outside a couple actions ran out of timeouts, we didn't have a whole lot of luck.Â
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On Kenny Goins' performance…Â
I think he's terrific. I don't know if he's a difficult guy to scout, but he's a terrific player. I think he's really undervalued, maybe not by coaches, but maybe publicly I think he's really undervalued. It's incredible, he's a walk-on I guess at some point, that's a pretty special walk-on there.Â
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On holding Winston to 3-of-15 shooting and keeping Ward down…
I thought that obviously those guys were part of the game plan and a focus of our game plan. I think our guys did a really good job paying a lot of attention to him (Cassius Winston), but they've got a lot of other really good players, so I don't think we looked and said "hey", not only that, but they're a good team. I think when you look at how they play together offensively and defensively you can take away a guy or two and obviously Winston is really important for them, but they've got a lot of good players and they play really well together, and they make it difficult for you to do things as well.Â
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On not moving the ball as much and the offense being stagnant…
I think at times we could have moved it better, I think at times we looked a little bit slow out there in terms of our pace and just in terms of maybe look and see if maybe it's the fatigue, but we still look slow.Â
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On the matchup between Kaleb Wesson and Nick Ward…Â
I thought he did some really good things, obviously I think he'll tell you that five of ten, he wants to get where he is seven of eight or ten of eight, twelve, you know more of those kinds of things, but I thought he did some really good things. I thought he did some good things defending on the interior. You know coaches don't look at it like a one-on-one matchup between two guys. I just thought Kaleb had some really good moments. He did get fatigued today, more so than I remember him getting fatigued in a game, so we had to take him out on several occasions.Â
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On missing a couple of layups and if it's contagious…Â
I think if you're weak minded it's contagious, I think if you're a guy who's tough minded and just say hey it was a tough shot and I missed it and it rimmed out and I got to get another good shot next time down. So, hopefully we got a little more test and fortitude than that.Â
On Ohio State getting their shot blocked more than any team in the Big Ten…Â
You know I think I'd like our fours to be a little bit longer, but that's not going to happen. I think we're not great at finishing in transition and that's where we get some of our shots blocked, but I want us to continue to be aggressive. I think we can use our shot fake at times more than what we do. I know Kaleb maybe got one or two blocked and a couple of other guys did, but they just got to keep putting themselves in good position.Â
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On the offense struggling to score the ball…Â
I think certainly it's been a challenge, but it's not like we didn't expect that we were going to have troubles scoring this year, so there was an expectation that, that was going to be something. You know, we've just got to keep taking good shots, I think you give Michigan State credit too for how they defended, particularly in the second half, but really throughout the game, but I'm confident that we will be better offensively, and we will make those shots around the rim and on the perimeter that we missed.Â
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On what the huddles were like during the game…Â
I think it's frustrating when you're struggling to score as much as you're struggling to score, I think that's a frustrating thing for guys because you tie so much of your stuff to your offense and I think that was frustrating for them, but they were upbeat and positive. It was frustrating second half, very frustrating.Â
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On if C.J. Jackson rolled his ankle or was cramping…Â
Rolled ankle, he rolled his ankle, so we will see how he moves forward.Â
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