Post-Game Quotes: USC
3/17/2023 3:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Michigan State:
HEAD COACH TOM IZZO: We got our mojo back. We talked about it for two or three weeks. But no secret that I haven't been pleased with our defense. And I'd say 32 or 33 minutes I thought it was exceptional.
We had a little stretch there when we were 10 up. They came back. And part of that was scouting. Big guy, (Joshua) Morgan, hit a shot that we didn't think he could hit. They hurt us on some ball screen slips. And I think we got a little tired with our bigs there for a stretch.
But these guys, especially these two guards, the job they did was incredible. And A.J. was right in there with them.
We haven't played against as many guards as good as (Boogie) Ellis. I love him. He's great job. Keeps his mouth shut, does his job.
And (Drew) Peterson too is a very good player. I thought that's where the game was won.
We gave up a few other things, and -- so our guards did the job there. Joey rebounded pretty well. What did you end up with, Joey -- eight. He had some big rebounds. They found him for some big shots. He hit big shots.
But Malik Hall played a lot better defensively and offensively. And other than A.J. getting in foul trouble I thought he did a good job defensively and running our team.
So everybody helped, whether it be Jaxon getting a -- Kohler getting a bucket. We got a lot out of Tre. Hits a big shot and hurt his knee a little bit, but it's not twisted, just banged.
And I thought that Carson Cooper did a good job. He's big and sometimes size matters.
Other than that, I'm just happy we're moving on. And I'm happy we're moving on the right way.
Now, free-throw shooting -- go ahead, you comment on it.
TYSON WALKER: It was a bad day.
COACH IZZO: Well said.
Q. Talk about focus on (Boogie) Ellis and Tyson steals and you and A.J.
TYSON WALKER: Just we knew coming into the game he can really score the ball. Makes tough shots. Just tried to make every shot he took tough. Keep your hand up, no fouling, no reaching because he's really crafty with the ball. He plays with it. Just trying to lock in and just play solid defense. And we did a good job. Every shot he took was contested.
Q. The anticipation?
TYSON WALKER: That was just making people pick up their dribble and being in the pass lane. We didn't get too far in the gap. We were up high enough that we could get it.
JADEN AKINS: Coming in we knew he was the engine that made the team go. And we felt if we kind of limited his play we had a good chance to win. And I feel like that's what we did.
Q. Coach had said that lack of energy was what really pulled you guys back on the defensive end. Do you think it was that energy today that allowed you to propel yourselves forward against USC?
TYSON WALKER: Yes, especially in the second half, just getting stops and the crowd getting into it. That helped us get more energy. And our bench was really good today. They kept talking. Coach kept talking. And we know we had to finish the game out and we just kept guarding.
JADEN AKINS: I mean, we know defense wins games. We had a couple of losses late in the season. We just knew we didn't want to go home today. We know that's a big staple for us -- if we get stops we have a good chance to win. We just made that our focus, and I feel like we carried that out well.
COACH IZZO: You know, like I said, we all gotta look in the mirror and say, are we doing the things that we need to do to really compete at this level and compete during this time of year. And it was rewarding to hear the guys at halftime talking about we've got to get back our defense.
We were really good for a lot of the first. It was rewarding in the huddles at the end to hear them talking about the defense. I think they understand that in this tournament hard to make a bunch of 3s and win on a consistent basis. So if you're looking to win some games instead of a game, you better bring your defense.
Q. Obviously the conversation leading up to this game was partially how tall and long USC is and how good they are at defending 2s. Wondering how you got 32 points in the paint and why you were so successful in that area.
COACH IZZO: Some of it was off turnovers. They turned the ball over, not a ton, but we only turned it over seven times, which is seriously for one of my teams a North American record if maybe not a world record.
And I thought that that made some difference. We got some points off turnovers.
I thought we got some points off fast breaks. And if you defend better and rebound better you get more fast breaks. Jaden had the big dunk, but we had a couple other ones. Joey had a nice 3. A.J. took the ball to the hoop. Tyson took the ball to the hoop.
I thought we spread them out a little bit on our ball-screen stuff. And we changed up a few things at halftime to slip those things. And I think it helped put them on skates like we were on skates the first, in that stretch in the first half.
Andy (Enfield) is a hell of a coach. I'm telling you, those players, you know, and it's more -- I mean, I can see why -- I really liked (Reese) Dixon-Waters. I can see why he's the sixth man of the year (in the Pac-12).
Morgan surprised me. He surprised me. And yet we did do a good job. And when you defend well, you rebound well, you usually run well. And when we were running it -- and we ran better with A.J., but then Tyson started picking it up, and that helped, too.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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USC
COACH ENFIELD: Our players had a very successful season, tied for second in the Pac-12, 22 wins. Unfortunately this game did not go as planned in the second half. A lot of timely shot-making by Michigan State and some timely misses on our part, I thought was the difference in the game, in the second half. We also had eight turnovers, only three at halftime.
A few of those turnovers were self-inflicted, meaning we just turned the ball over ourselves, about three or four of them. But our guys competed and played very hard the whole game. Michigan State made some timely shots. Give them credit. They're a very good team.
Q. Boogie, you've been on such a tear over these last two months or so. What was the issue today and what was the issue on offense just in general at the start?
BOOGIE ELLIS: They did a good job. I let my teammates down today. I didn't make shots. And they made things tough for me.
Q. What was it they did that made things tough for you?
BOOGIE ELLIS: Just team defense, jumping to the ball. Being on all the gaps, pretty much.
Q. Boogie, Drew, when they missed those first three front ends of the one-on-ones how tough was it to balance looking for a good shot versus trying to get something up quickly and try to score quickly given the time situation?
DREW PETERSON: Obviously they missed those, and when you're trailing and you're trying to figure it out and gauge trying to get 3s vs. easier 2s, it's just something that's part of the game.
We happened to be trailing late and we tried to find the best shot possible. Like he said, we missed some timely shots. They hit their timely shots. Hauser hit a few big 3s. I think sometimes it's just the way the ball rolls in March.
I trust Boogie to take all those shots and sometimes it's just the way the ball rolls. No blame to go around. And I think that we kind of held them to only five 3s, but they were timely. It's just how the ball rolls sometimes in March.
Q. Andy, you guys spent so much time defending the 3 this week. What were they able to do on the interior that, I don't know if you guys weren't expecting, or that they just did effectively?
COACH ENFIELD: Well, they have good players. And so twice early in the second half Josh was usually outstanding in ball-screen coverage, and they split our big. And the guard was able to get to the rim and lay it in. They, around transition a few times, got some layups.
But the fast-break points didn't decide the game. It was points in the paint were significant.
I thought we missed about four or five at the rim. I think Kobe missed that layup early in the second half, that layup uncontested. And it was a big call. Boogie got that offensive foul at the rim.
They did get some paint scoring opportunities, which is a little unusual for our defense because we're so good against the 2. But as Drew said, sometimes things don't go always as planned in March. And give them credit, they were able to get to the rim and finish.
Q. Boogie, you mentioned the team defense that Michigan State played and how they were able to make things difficult for you. I'm curious about the on-ball defense from Akins and Walker, was there anything they did that you weren't expecting, or were they more physical than you thought, or was it just a difficult day?
BOOGIE ELLIS: I played too fast today. I didn't change my pace all year. I play with a great pace. But today I played a little bit too fast. So that's on me.
Q. Boogie, when the game is being allowed to be physical, what kind of adjustments do you have to make to be able to continue to score at the rate you are used to scoring?
BOOGIE ELLIS: Just continue to embrace contact, move without the ball, stuff like that.
Q. I know Vince has been banged up a while, but how much did you miss him, a scoring big who could have helped you a little bit tonight? I know Josh had a great game but could you have used Vince do you think tonight?
COACH ENFIELD: They played two bigs. If we would have played Vince, we would have played big at times today with him and also his 7'1" athleticism, 7'1" with a 7'4" wing span certainly helps our rim protection and our length.
So without him this year, half the year, it's been challenging. He missed the first half of the season. Came back. Started to play really well. Got caught up in some of our defensive/offensive schemes and was out again here at the end of the year.
And injuries have affected our season. That's why I'm so proud of this team to go tie for second, 22-9 in the regular season because we only had our full roster for like 10 games and we went 8-2 in those games, both lost to Arizona. And in fact the second game Drew was hurt but he still played.
Vince being out certainly affects our team, our rotation. But that's not an excuse why we lost. But you asked the question about Vince. He's a big part of our program and we hope the best for him to get healthy.
Q. Scoring droughts were a common theme throughout a lot of the losses this year. Do you feel like that's something you and your staff need to kind of examine philosophically on offense entering this offseason?
COACH ENFIELD: I think it comes down to two things. At halftime we had 10 assists and three turnovers and shot it 50 percent from the field. We played really well offensively in the first half. Boogie had four assists, no turnovers. Kobe had four assists.
I thought in the second half, a couple possessions we went one-on-one too much and instead of playing basketball the way we were capable of. And then missed some wide-open, timely shots. To win a game like this -- they hit a couple of big 3s on the perimeter and we missed some.
And so we also had eight turnovers in the second half. Now, like Drew said, he saved a ball out of bounds that was off of them. And they stole it. Kobe dribbled a ball off his foot late. Boogie, it was a nine-point game and we had six possessions where we didn't score. And Boogie lost a ball. Kobe lost it out of bounds, and then we missed two wide-open 3s.
It's hard to not make timely shots and turn the ball over. Some of the turnovers as I said were self-inflicted. It was our guys losing the ball.
The scoring droughts are usually either you miss open shots or guys try to do too much on their own, one-on-one, instead of just moving the ball and spacing and cutting.
I know there's a lot of pressure on these guys. The second half we got down. It is frustrating at times throughout the season. But for the most part our guys played the right way.
And Boogie had a tremendous assist-to-turnover ratio. Halfway through the season to the end of the season he was playing great basketball from a scoring perspective, but also decision-making. That's why his assist-to-turnover ratio was probably two-and-a-half, 3-to-1 the last 10, 12 games. Unfortunately today it caught up to us in the second half where it just wasn't the case.
Q. Early in the second half, A.J. Hoggard picks up a third foul for them and they were able to move Tyson Walker to the point to make the run there. Wondering the luxury you think that is for them to have a guy like that in that situation, that you are not in trouble necessarily with your point guard being out for a key stretch?
COACH ENFIELD: They have interchangeable parts, like our team does. That's why it was a good matchup. But I think all their guards played pretty well today, played solid basketball. And off the ball screens I thought both those guys did a good job.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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HEAD COACH TOM IZZO: We got our mojo back. We talked about it for two or three weeks. But no secret that I haven't been pleased with our defense. And I'd say 32 or 33 minutes I thought it was exceptional.
We had a little stretch there when we were 10 up. They came back. And part of that was scouting. Big guy, (Joshua) Morgan, hit a shot that we didn't think he could hit. They hurt us on some ball screen slips. And I think we got a little tired with our bigs there for a stretch.
But these guys, especially these two guards, the job they did was incredible. And A.J. was right in there with them.
We haven't played against as many guards as good as (Boogie) Ellis. I love him. He's great job. Keeps his mouth shut, does his job.
And (Drew) Peterson too is a very good player. I thought that's where the game was won.
We gave up a few other things, and -- so our guards did the job there. Joey rebounded pretty well. What did you end up with, Joey -- eight. He had some big rebounds. They found him for some big shots. He hit big shots.
But Malik Hall played a lot better defensively and offensively. And other than A.J. getting in foul trouble I thought he did a good job defensively and running our team.
So everybody helped, whether it be Jaxon getting a -- Kohler getting a bucket. We got a lot out of Tre. Hits a big shot and hurt his knee a little bit, but it's not twisted, just banged.
And I thought that Carson Cooper did a good job. He's big and sometimes size matters.
Other than that, I'm just happy we're moving on. And I'm happy we're moving on the right way.
Now, free-throw shooting -- go ahead, you comment on it.
TYSON WALKER: It was a bad day.
COACH IZZO: Well said.
Q. Talk about focus on (Boogie) Ellis and Tyson steals and you and A.J.
TYSON WALKER: Just we knew coming into the game he can really score the ball. Makes tough shots. Just tried to make every shot he took tough. Keep your hand up, no fouling, no reaching because he's really crafty with the ball. He plays with it. Just trying to lock in and just play solid defense. And we did a good job. Every shot he took was contested.
Q. The anticipation?
TYSON WALKER: That was just making people pick up their dribble and being in the pass lane. We didn't get too far in the gap. We were up high enough that we could get it.
JADEN AKINS: Coming in we knew he was the engine that made the team go. And we felt if we kind of limited his play we had a good chance to win. And I feel like that's what we did.
Q. Coach had said that lack of energy was what really pulled you guys back on the defensive end. Do you think it was that energy today that allowed you to propel yourselves forward against USC?
TYSON WALKER: Yes, especially in the second half, just getting stops and the crowd getting into it. That helped us get more energy. And our bench was really good today. They kept talking. Coach kept talking. And we know we had to finish the game out and we just kept guarding.
JADEN AKINS: I mean, we know defense wins games. We had a couple of losses late in the season. We just knew we didn't want to go home today. We know that's a big staple for us -- if we get stops we have a good chance to win. We just made that our focus, and I feel like we carried that out well.
COACH IZZO: You know, like I said, we all gotta look in the mirror and say, are we doing the things that we need to do to really compete at this level and compete during this time of year. And it was rewarding to hear the guys at halftime talking about we've got to get back our defense.
We were really good for a lot of the first. It was rewarding in the huddles at the end to hear them talking about the defense. I think they understand that in this tournament hard to make a bunch of 3s and win on a consistent basis. So if you're looking to win some games instead of a game, you better bring your defense.
Q. Obviously the conversation leading up to this game was partially how tall and long USC is and how good they are at defending 2s. Wondering how you got 32 points in the paint and why you were so successful in that area.
COACH IZZO: Some of it was off turnovers. They turned the ball over, not a ton, but we only turned it over seven times, which is seriously for one of my teams a North American record if maybe not a world record.
And I thought that that made some difference. We got some points off turnovers.
I thought we got some points off fast breaks. And if you defend better and rebound better you get more fast breaks. Jaden had the big dunk, but we had a couple other ones. Joey had a nice 3. A.J. took the ball to the hoop. Tyson took the ball to the hoop.
I thought we spread them out a little bit on our ball-screen stuff. And we changed up a few things at halftime to slip those things. And I think it helped put them on skates like we were on skates the first, in that stretch in the first half.
Andy (Enfield) is a hell of a coach. I'm telling you, those players, you know, and it's more -- I mean, I can see why -- I really liked (Reese) Dixon-Waters. I can see why he's the sixth man of the year (in the Pac-12).
Morgan surprised me. He surprised me. And yet we did do a good job. And when you defend well, you rebound well, you usually run well. And when we were running it -- and we ran better with A.J., but then Tyson started picking it up, and that helped, too.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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USC
COACH ENFIELD: Our players had a very successful season, tied for second in the Pac-12, 22 wins. Unfortunately this game did not go as planned in the second half. A lot of timely shot-making by Michigan State and some timely misses on our part, I thought was the difference in the game, in the second half. We also had eight turnovers, only three at halftime.
A few of those turnovers were self-inflicted, meaning we just turned the ball over ourselves, about three or four of them. But our guys competed and played very hard the whole game. Michigan State made some timely shots. Give them credit. They're a very good team.
Q. Boogie, you've been on such a tear over these last two months or so. What was the issue today and what was the issue on offense just in general at the start?
BOOGIE ELLIS: They did a good job. I let my teammates down today. I didn't make shots. And they made things tough for me.
Q. What was it they did that made things tough for you?
BOOGIE ELLIS: Just team defense, jumping to the ball. Being on all the gaps, pretty much.
Q. Boogie, Drew, when they missed those first three front ends of the one-on-ones how tough was it to balance looking for a good shot versus trying to get something up quickly and try to score quickly given the time situation?
DREW PETERSON: Obviously they missed those, and when you're trailing and you're trying to figure it out and gauge trying to get 3s vs. easier 2s, it's just something that's part of the game.
We happened to be trailing late and we tried to find the best shot possible. Like he said, we missed some timely shots. They hit their timely shots. Hauser hit a few big 3s. I think sometimes it's just the way the ball rolls in March.
I trust Boogie to take all those shots and sometimes it's just the way the ball rolls. No blame to go around. And I think that we kind of held them to only five 3s, but they were timely. It's just how the ball rolls sometimes in March.
Q. Andy, you guys spent so much time defending the 3 this week. What were they able to do on the interior that, I don't know if you guys weren't expecting, or that they just did effectively?
COACH ENFIELD: Well, they have good players. And so twice early in the second half Josh was usually outstanding in ball-screen coverage, and they split our big. And the guard was able to get to the rim and lay it in. They, around transition a few times, got some layups.
But the fast-break points didn't decide the game. It was points in the paint were significant.
I thought we missed about four or five at the rim. I think Kobe missed that layup early in the second half, that layup uncontested. And it was a big call. Boogie got that offensive foul at the rim.
They did get some paint scoring opportunities, which is a little unusual for our defense because we're so good against the 2. But as Drew said, sometimes things don't go always as planned in March. And give them credit, they were able to get to the rim and finish.
Q. Boogie, you mentioned the team defense that Michigan State played and how they were able to make things difficult for you. I'm curious about the on-ball defense from Akins and Walker, was there anything they did that you weren't expecting, or were they more physical than you thought, or was it just a difficult day?
BOOGIE ELLIS: I played too fast today. I didn't change my pace all year. I play with a great pace. But today I played a little bit too fast. So that's on me.
Q. Boogie, when the game is being allowed to be physical, what kind of adjustments do you have to make to be able to continue to score at the rate you are used to scoring?
BOOGIE ELLIS: Just continue to embrace contact, move without the ball, stuff like that.
Q. I know Vince has been banged up a while, but how much did you miss him, a scoring big who could have helped you a little bit tonight? I know Josh had a great game but could you have used Vince do you think tonight?
COACH ENFIELD: They played two bigs. If we would have played Vince, we would have played big at times today with him and also his 7'1" athleticism, 7'1" with a 7'4" wing span certainly helps our rim protection and our length.
So without him this year, half the year, it's been challenging. He missed the first half of the season. Came back. Started to play really well. Got caught up in some of our defensive/offensive schemes and was out again here at the end of the year.
And injuries have affected our season. That's why I'm so proud of this team to go tie for second, 22-9 in the regular season because we only had our full roster for like 10 games and we went 8-2 in those games, both lost to Arizona. And in fact the second game Drew was hurt but he still played.
Vince being out certainly affects our team, our rotation. But that's not an excuse why we lost. But you asked the question about Vince. He's a big part of our program and we hope the best for him to get healthy.
Q. Scoring droughts were a common theme throughout a lot of the losses this year. Do you feel like that's something you and your staff need to kind of examine philosophically on offense entering this offseason?
COACH ENFIELD: I think it comes down to two things. At halftime we had 10 assists and three turnovers and shot it 50 percent from the field. We played really well offensively in the first half. Boogie had four assists, no turnovers. Kobe had four assists.
I thought in the second half, a couple possessions we went one-on-one too much and instead of playing basketball the way we were capable of. And then missed some wide-open, timely shots. To win a game like this -- they hit a couple of big 3s on the perimeter and we missed some.
And so we also had eight turnovers in the second half. Now, like Drew said, he saved a ball out of bounds that was off of them. And they stole it. Kobe dribbled a ball off his foot late. Boogie, it was a nine-point game and we had six possessions where we didn't score. And Boogie lost a ball. Kobe lost it out of bounds, and then we missed two wide-open 3s.
It's hard to not make timely shots and turn the ball over. Some of the turnovers as I said were self-inflicted. It was our guys losing the ball.
The scoring droughts are usually either you miss open shots or guys try to do too much on their own, one-on-one, instead of just moving the ball and spacing and cutting.
I know there's a lot of pressure on these guys. The second half we got down. It is frustrating at times throughout the season. But for the most part our guys played the right way.
And Boogie had a tremendous assist-to-turnover ratio. Halfway through the season to the end of the season he was playing great basketball from a scoring perspective, but also decision-making. That's why his assist-to-turnover ratio was probably two-and-a-half, 3-to-1 the last 10, 12 games. Unfortunately today it caught up to us in the second half where it just wasn't the case.
Q. Early in the second half, A.J. Hoggard picks up a third foul for them and they were able to move Tyson Walker to the point to make the run there. Wondering the luxury you think that is for them to have a guy like that in that situation, that you are not in trouble necessarily with your point guard being out for a key stretch?
COACH ENFIELD: They have interchangeable parts, like our team does. That's why it was a good matchup. But I think all their guards played pretty well today, played solid basketball. And off the ball screens I thought both those guys did a good job.
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