Post-Game Quotes: Arkansas

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo

Opening statement…
That was a big-time game for the beginning of November. I'm not sure either team played great. When you shoot seven percent, my 99 year old mother's gonna call me and ask me who the shooting coach is, and of course, I'm gonna tell her it was my assistants. But you know what? We played hard.  I mean, before the game, they talked me into playing instead of going through a pregame talk, a video that we called passion. It's about our players over the years and in this day and age where it still matters. There were things that Mateen (Cleaves) said and things that Magic (Johnson) said, and things that just different guys, and it was really enlightening, and I said, 'This is their chance.'  You have games like this so that you get your chance to develop your own identity and your own legacy. And I just asked them to play as hard as they could play. To get 19 offensive boards against a team like that, who I have a lot of respect for. I mean, I think John's (Calipari) a hell of a coach, and that was their first time on the road.  It was one of the reasons I'm glad we went to UConn. I think that helped us. But we shot better from the line early, didn't turn it over too bad. 18 assists on 25 baskets, some of them early.  I thought Jeremy (Fears Jr.) – some of that was my fault. I just ran him to death because we weren't getting enough out of the other point guards, and we got to get them better, and it wasn't that Jeremy was in bad shape, I just kept playing him  and got tired a little bit, so that'll go to me. The encouraging thing for me was our two freshmen who were really, really, really good. Cam Ward was really good. And so was Jordan Scott) and Coen (Carr), even though his stats aren't off the charts.  If you looked at his defense, big-time rebounds he got, early on, a couple of the great passes. I thought that was Coen Carr's best overall game since he's been here, and his leadership, he did a great job. What a weekend for us with hockey doing what they've done, and our women's soccer team is in for something tomorrow, and our women's basketball. But it was a great weekend for Spartans. And coming from that environment over there, a lot of the people that came over here, I think we need this here, we need this, and I'm just happy I could be a part of it.  

On the two freshmen stepping up big…
Yeah, I was proud of both guys. I mean, for Cam (Ward), he's just Antonio (Smith) with a little more skills.  I mean, he's just tougher than nails. He's Andre Hutson-ish. Nothing bothers Cam. As he gets better from the free throw line, and he knows he has, he's improving some.  He made a couple nice passes, but going in that environment, I thought he was great, and Jordan (Scott) did some good things too, got loose balls and it was a shame he missed those two free throws – it would have been over, but he's a good free throw shooter, he shot well before. I think the other part of the game - 46 to 28 in the paint. Give Carson (Cooper) credit on that, give Cam credit, give Coen (Carr) credit for some of those great passes.  I think a disappointing thing, we missed a ton of layups, short shots, and they got some good shot blockers, so give them some credit, but we were intimidated by that. And we did a poor job on a couple of those turnovers early.  I mean, I think they had seven layups in the first half, which they're good at, but we can't do that and win games normally. So yeah, our freshmen played good. We got to get some more basketball out of Trey (Fort).  We got to get some more to Kur (Teng), we got to get some more to Divine (Ugochukwu) and right now that'll be this week's challenge.

On being surprised by the team responding to be able to finish a close game…
Well, I hope they do that.  I think that's what Jeremy (Fears Jr.), in the huddles was fired up about. Coen (Carr) really did a good job leading my team. And I'll be honest with you, you know, getting our fans, I mean, they've been good, but some of it is we haven't given them enough, and you get games like this, I think it helps everybody, gives confidence to our guys that they can win, not even shooting it well. It makes you realize how important our fans were.  I thought they were phenomenal all night. When you came out early and they were like they were, it just makes a difference. I mean, that home court advantage in basketball is bigger than football.  And I thought our fans did a good job, and I thought our guys hung in there, but our fans hung in there with us too, they didn't drop off. They hung right in there, and I'm appreciative of that.

On the play from redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr…
Jeremy missed a couple of those layups, had a wide open three, been shooting the daylights out of it. He's really shot well from the free throw line.  Did he miss one or two? Two, but i think more of that was fatigue, and it's not because he's not in shape, it's because his coach just played him to death. And I got to do a better job.  I got to do a better job for him, because Jeremy's always gonna have his moments like Mateen (Cleaves) did, like Draymond (Green) did. There's always, there's always going to be a back and forth because it's competitive, and for the most part, you know, me, I enjoy a little bit of that myself, but he's getting better. Really, it's only his second year when you think of everything he went through. I was pleased with Jeremy.  I was pleased with him, how he responded lately – threw some great lobs. He had a couple of those turnovers that went right off his knee, that was critical late, but it was just a fatigue turnover, and so there should be a player, turnovers, for players, then there should be one for the coach. And I had a couple in that game because of maybe how I played guys.  

On the defense from senior center Carson Cooper…
We talk all the time that Coop's a guy that can almost cover guards. He's a very good athlete for his size. He made some great plays and we turned it over, some balls went through his hands and we need Coop to be really good because he's one of the smartest players I got.  He's a guy that can cover a lot of different positions. He is a good rebounder. So we need more and more and more out of them, but I'm telling you, for the atmosphere, the way it was, for the game, the way it was, to shoot as poorly as we did from the three.  And we didn't shoot great for the two, although at the end of the day, I mean, both teams I thought played well defensively. You watched John's team, they are going to win a lot of games. I'm telling you, that is a talented team, and they've got to learn to play together, too, just like we're trying to do.  These are big games for this early and this is why it's hard to go on the road and play these kinds of games because the advantage goes to the home team early until everybody gets their feet on the ground. I was proud of the way we handled it, as you said, I was proud of the way – even though we made some mistakes, we kept fighting back.  I can't believe they shot 37 percent and had all those layups, because if we would have not given up all those layups, but they played good defense too. I know this, they're gonna be a really good team.

On the shot selection today.,,
Cam's three was … I think we are going to retire that for a while just because it's not there yet. That's okay. Jud (Heathcote) used to say when a guy takes a three and he says, but I was wide open, And Jud used to always say, 'They have a scouting report too, you know?' And there's a little bit of truth to that. But if Cam does all the other things, and he wants to take a bad three, amen. I'm cool with that. But I thought both freshmen rushed a couple of them. You know, Jordan, that three he took was good. Those layups and those short shots, I thought were great, you know. So I don't know, I have to watch the film. But listen, I'm going to be anti-me for as big as that game was, and I think big for our fans, big for our team, big for our staff. We did enough things to find a way to win. And at the end of the day, unfortunately, in college basketball right now, I don't think winning's at the top of many people's lists. Tonight proved it was at the top of Michigan State's list. And I think they approached the game that way. I think they felt that way in the huddles. And I thank all the former players who were in on this little video. I mean, it wasn't recent, it was from the past. But it just kind of proves that together we can get a lot of things done. I thought that was a good team win tonight, because we had some guys that didn't play good, some guys that did play good. But Jeremy did, like John said, nine assists, three turnovers, and two of the turnovers were ridiculous. But I think they were fatigue turnovers. So he gets one, I get two. That's the way I look at it.

On the starting lineup going forward…
Oh, no, I like to keep you guys especially in controversy. I'm going to try to get as many quarterback controversies as I can have. But no, no, I don't know. I'll watch the film. I'll make some decisions. Some of it will be dependent on the other team. But we're going to rotate. There's going to be some rotations there until we get straightened out, just like there was last year. I mean, you know, I made no bones about it. We need one of our two guards to step up. And, you know, Trey did some things. He played better defense sometimes. And we're trying to get Divine to learn how to play harder all the time. And we're going to do that. And he's listening. And, of course, the freshmen, I mean, he's just going to get better because he is really smart and it really matters to him. He is here because he wants to win. And so he'll end up a favorite.

On a game like this leading to more home-and-home series…
Yeah, it's a privilege and an honor to go there (Bud Walton Arena in Arkansas). You know, me, I'd rather play in everybody's home. You know, I've tried to play every game I can play on the planet in somebody else's home. I think those are the great things. But I think our fans deserve to have this. It's such an exciting day. Even the media here deserves to have good home games so you don't have to travel. So, I'm a home-and-home guy personally. I would love to do it. His team will be better because of coming here, just like we were better because of going to UConn. Danny helped me. I told some of you watching them on film was scary. I really meant it, too. I still think before the year's over that is going to be a really, really good team. But first time on the road, some of those freshmen, it's going to take a little while for him, too. But he's got a nice team. He really does."

On the team's rebounding…
It was physical. We said that was number one key was, believe it or not, transition defense, which we didn't do too well. But we didn't do it too well because we turned the ball over and it was jail breaks. You know, it wasn't a matter of getting back. We had all jail breaks. That means they just ran home. But there were some wars in there. You know, they had that one early where they got three in a row and tipped it in. But after that, I thought we cut out pretty good. I thought we were physical. We thought that was our advantage. But that's a good rebounding team, too. So that'll help us take a step forward. just got to do some things better offensively and get our running game going.
But that was hard, too, because they put a little pressure on us, even on the outlet passes. I'm telling you, that's a well-coached team.

On only making one 3-pointer and what it says about the team's defense…
Yeah, well, I think we did that on purpose so we could prove we could win without scoring. You know, it's a shame we made one three. If we had made those two free throws and won by two and didn't make a three, that would have been a hell of a deal.
But I do think one of the game plans was to try to go inside. And then they changed their game plan and they started doubling in. I thought they did a good job, and that created some problems. But, driving the ball early, Coen made a couple of beautiful plays. We're just not shooting the ball great. It's no secret. And some of our best shooters, the problem is shooters got to be able to guard too. Some of our best shooters aren't good enough defensively yet. So that's my challenge. That falls on me. I got to do a better job of that. And I will. We will. This will be a good learning game because guys realize how hard you have to play, how physical the game is. Most of my guys don't come from the upper level, they come from the lower level. And the transfers and that, and those freshmen. But thank God for Cam being built like Adonis because he just, he celebrates in those kind of deals.

On the culture of MSU Athletics…
Well, our women play here tomorrow. Hopefully, you know, they won by 100 the other day, so they got to be pretty good too in basketball. But, you know me, I've always been about the program, the athletic program, not just the basketball program. And I've always said, I was sitting in my office before I went down and the hockey game was coming to an end and I'm watching a little bit of that on TV, and it was just exciting for me. I went over there last night, saw our first goal, and I had to leave for my meetings and everything that I had to do here. But it's never going to change for me. The better Michigan State, other teams and other programs do, the better for me. I think we need and deserve, no let me say this, our fans need and deserve that. They need big games here. There was no bigger game, man. I went to the start of that hockey game. It reminded me when Mariucci and I went to college, you know. The Green Bay Bobcats or something they were called. It was an IAL or what the hell they got. I got to call my man Adam. They got so many different names for so many of those smaller programs. But it was one of those, the guy that was on it was in Slapshot. You know, the three brothers were playing on the team. First game I ever went to in a Quonset hut up there. It was freezing cold. They dropped the puck, they dropped the gloves, and everybody fought, you know. It was a hell of a deal, you know. But I went to the first quarter last night. There was some cheap shotting. I know that was a little bit of a grudge game. And that just kind of fired me up. I came back and told my guys, man, they're fighting over there. We're going to be fighting tomorrow, you know. It's exciting for me to see all those other people doing well. And I'm really proud of all of them, hopefully we can keep going. We have a long season. What are we, 2-0? Game two. Oh, jeez. 29 more of these. That was a hell of a game for November 8th, you know. Maybe this has been a good month.

I know we have Major League Baseball in the back. That was one of the greatest games there. And we've had a good game, that hockey game last night and the night before was great. So, hey, listen, we've got a lot of work to do. Don't canonize us. I don't like your comment, but I liked your comment because you're right. We didn't shoot it well enough. And we're not going to win games shooting it like that. You can't rely on your defense all day long, you know. But I thought we had enough good shots. It'll be interesting. Maybe a lot of those shots look worse from the stands, you know. I was too busy trying to exchange Christmas cards with the referees, so I didn't see all of them. So maybe it was different. I don't know. But I wasn't disappointed in a lot, there's going to be shots, how many went out? 61. That's not bad. That's not bad considering you've got 26 free throws. So, you know, we weren't holding the ball. We were getting up and down. And you're going to take a couple bad shots. But I'll check that out, I'll let you know next time."

Arkansas Head Coach John Calipari

On preparing for the game…
They got 19 offensive rebounds and five or six of them were like one and two. Where we have a chance to bust away a little bit, and we couldn't. The guys didn't lose themselves in as a team. Whatever the team needs me to do for us and when we didn't play that way, and it's good for me to see, and it's good for them to see. Individually, when you do that and you're playing for yourself, it's hard. You're out there by yourself, you make a mistake, you trip over. When you lose yourself and the team, you're just doing what the team needs you to do and what you're capable of doing. So, we didn't have that today but give them credit. Tommy [Izzo] had them ready, great place to play. We had our chances, as bad as it was. We had a chance to win the game.

On Cam Ward's performance, along with other Michigan State freshmen…
And he really played well. And my two didn't play as well. They had been playing well, but they didn't today. Again, there were plays that they could have made for their teammates and they tried to make it for themselves and didn't work out so good. Even the last couple plays, guys were open and they took the shot themselves. So, they didn't play as well, but they have been playing well, and I like my two guys, and Cam's [Ward] good. Played good.

On Jordan Scott's impact on the game…
He did. He did. And I think they were thinking about us and they wanted more length on my guards. And that's why he probably did it, Tommy, but you'll have to ask him.

On if he has ever been in the Breslin Center before…
I really haven't been in this area, so I hate to tell you, I kind of knew it was the capital, but I didn't know it was the capital. And, you know, so it's neat, I can see why Tommy stayed here. And this building, this is a great building. Then I found out, how old is it? Was it built in 1989? Think about that. This building's like, what? Now they must have gone through and done things to it, the concourse and trophy cases and all that stuff, and the fans having the students all around the lower area, you know, it makes it a good place to play. I told them, this is what we're doing, and you know, I was stunned we were up three at half, guys, the way we played. And then, you know, there was just two or three stretches that we could not get a basket, make a play, and so it happened that way. But again, to finish, yeah, this was enjoyable. I'm glad we came up here and you want to win every game at this time of the year, you win or you learn. We learned. You know, we learned. We learned about each other. Guys got to take responsibility, hold themselves accountable, that's hard.

On Tom Izzo's 31^st year coaching…
Is he 70? Yeah, He's not 70…His wife's 40. How could he be 70? No, I knew he was 70, but he and I have been friends for so long. You know, it's funny. My wife met his wife for the first time today, but when he and I get on the phone, she's listening and my wife's listening, and we're going back and forth and we're laughing and you know, I get off and my wife says, you need to talk to him more so you can laugh. I hate to play friends. I'm happy for him, but, you know, and then if we won, I would have been happy, but I would have been disappointed for him. I don't like playing friends. But this was a good game for both teams. I think he saw some things that they got to do better, and we certainly saw some things we better get better at.

On how much scouting they did on Cam Ward prior to game…
Well, we knew who he was. I mean, obviously, but he killed us. At halftime, like, hey, dudes, tonight, he's just going on and getting every ball. Guys, you got to. We did three days of blocking out. How'd that help? Should have done something different because we'd had about the same results.

On Darius Acuff Jr.'s performance tonight…
It wasn't great tonight. Critical time stuff, you know, took some shots. You know, I appreciate he and Maleek [Thomas] are not afraid to take game kind of winning shots, both of them. But when you fought to get back into the game, you can't take a quick one, and he did it. A couple layups they missed, but he's a really good player. Really good. Did not play great today, but look, the best players I've coached have had to get hit in the mouth. They had to get hit in the mouth. And then you either know, you're not delusional, you accept, and you say, all right. That ain't gonna work. I gotta get better. He's talented that way. And both of those, the kids I have are very smart.

On the game having a later-season feel to it…
It did. Look, if what happens at the end, you got a little more grind and they grinded it more than we did. I was trying to space the court and do some things, and then I said, grind with them. It's the only way they're going to grind us for 30 seconds. We're going to shoot in seven. You're going to get buried. And so, we started, but we haven't done that as much, but as the season goes on, there are points in the game. You just grind it. Let's go. We did some half decent stuff. It's just that some decisions in possessions, like you'd go and have a great possession and follow it up with a bad one. Quick shot, no screen, something. But again, I'll have to watch the tape. I'm not looking forward to it, but I will.

On teaching his freshmen shot selection…
Well, I told I told Maleek at one point. I appreciate the fact that you had the courage to shoot that again, but I also told him, you got it back and D.J. Wagner was wide open, throw him the ball. Now, he may say, well, I'm a better shooter than him, but you got to trust your teammates, too. We had a couple of those, but look, I've done this a long time, and you won't believe this, I've done it with young kids. Part of it is, you've got to hold them accountable. You can't be afraid to coach them. You got to tell them the truth. And you know what my best friend is: the bench. So, I told him after the game, some things you did, you're not playing that way. Not for me. The guys that know me know there's a certain way to play that you, these kids play three games so well, on the road at Memphis, which was a hard game for these kids. And now they come here and the game got so physical, cutting and screening and getting screened and it wears you out. And now all of a sudden, your shooting goes. So that I love them both. They're going to be fine.

On the fan base at Michigan State…
I'm not paying attention most of cases, but what makes this different is that it's a big building, but you have the students right on top of you. You know, in the lower area, and they're standing and getting into it. And for them, this is supposed to be an experience for those students. And this is a heck of an experience. You get in and you're four rows up on national television, you know you go back and watch the tape to see if you're on there at all. Oh, man, look, stop the tape, I'm on there, look. But it's a great experience for the students when you have it like that. And they're not many that are able to do that. There are just not.

On Jeremy Fears Jr.'s performance tonight…
You did what you had to do to win. That's what he did. And we went over pick and rolls, we probably should have been going under, and then we started going under. But that's what a player should be doing. I didn't make any shots, but I rebounded, I dove on the floor. I came up with balls, I created shots, and I missed every shot. But we won. I am happy. That's what a good player does. Thanks, folks.

Michigan State Freshman Forward Cam Ward

On having a breakout game…
I just think it was bound to happen and I'm glad it happened today

On his mindset to hustle for every ball…
Coach told me to be a dog today, and that's what I did. I just wanted to get acclimated into the game, and I kind of did that just by crashing the glass and just trying to make our presence known.

Michigan State Senior Center Jaxon Kohler

On if his basket in the winding seconds of the first half helped him and Jeremy Fears Jr get into a rhythm…
Yeah, I mean, in a big game like this, you can't get too caught up on the negatives. That's the coaches' job. That's their job to be too caught up on the negatives. Obviously, you want to learn from the negatives, but you don't want to get emotional about it. There's no point in that. Because, like I said, that's what coaches do. Coaches get emotional about the negatives that we're doing, and what we're not doing. Our job is to learn from them and make sure they don't happen again. When you have a tough shooting night and you know that you can make those baskets, you don't think 'I'm not a good shooter.' You just keep shooting and find your rhythm. Some games you find it, some games you don't. I don't feel like I found it this game, but I feel like those shots that I've practiced a million times before, and every time I step in confident and sometimes, they roll out. That's what happened tonight.

On how fun this game was…
It's so fun because when we're winning, when we're when we're playing well, when we found our groove, when we're playing defense against a good team at our place with the crowd roaring and giving us energy, and Fears (Jeremy Fears Jr.) and Coop (Carson Cooper) making a great one-two play, like, if that doesn't lift your spirits you aren't human. Like if that doesn't make you happy and ready to run through a brick wall, you aren't human. And there, like I said, there's just some plays during the game that even though you may not have been a part of it, you see it happening when you're on the court with it and it just makes you happy. It makes you excited to play the next play and to finish out the game. I feel like, although we had a couple mishaps on defense and maybe a little offense, I feel like we still finished the game up strong.

On freshman forward Cam Ward…
Dude, I couldn't be happier, but it's also so well-deserved from Cam. One thing he does is he does bring all the energy. He brings so much energy to our team and a lot of it is so positive. Whether he's on the bench, whether he's on the floor, he's always telling us to get up, to bring the energy up. I feel like for him, especially coming in as a freshman, not knowing exactly what his minutes are going to be like most freshmen do, he really stepped up and no matter how much he was playing or no matter the circumstances, he really punched through that wall and that just shows you his performance tonight. I honestly couldn't be happier.

Michigan State Redshirt Sophomore Guard Jeremy Fears Jr

On the emotions of the game…
It was great. Just the fact that we got to play a great opponent, obviously, they're top 14 and they got a lot of great guards, a lot of great wings, and that's a very skilled and athletic team. I think a great SEC team. So, just the fact that we were able to get a good game early in November, because a lot of people don't. So, being able to get that was special.

On what the emotions bring out of him…
The excitement. I love the competitive spirit. At the end of the day, the most important thing to me is trying to get that win. However, or whatever we got to do to get that win.

On junior forward Coen Carr stepping up….
That's huge. I tell Coen every time, if you run, I'm going to pass you the ball, and I trust whatever you do, whether you take the shot, you drive to the basket, make the pass, I trust your decision making. So, at the end of the day, I try to give him the ball in space sometimes and give it to him at the rim, throw the lob. So, just letting him know that I trust him and go make a play.

On if Coen Carr's approach was different…
He was a little bit more aggressive, which we needed from him in order for us to be successful and win. So, just the fact, and I know he's been talking to me, he talked to the coaches, but me, him and Coop (Carson Cooper) went out to eat. So, we ended up going out to eat, I talked to both of them and just told them like, in order for us to win, I kind of need y'all. So, I know it was a little rough early exhibition for them, but just letting them know that this team is going to be special with you guys.

Michigan State Freshman Forward Jordan Scott

On getting his number called early…
It was a big game. My team needed me and I knew there was no time to sit back and relax. I knew I needed to go out there and play my hardest and I thought that what me and cam did today.

On Izzo wanting to see the team play defense…
Definitely. We needed to pick up our defense from earlier this season and after that first game it was definitely an emphasis.

Michigan State Junior Forward Coen Carr

On getting out to a fast start…
I definitely just wanted to play hard for everybody and I feel like in my last couple of performances I didn't play as hard as I wanted to, So I just felt like I needed to come out and be aggressive and see where it goes.

On how much he brings it upon himself to bring energy…
I'm used to kind of bringing it off the bench. So just to have the mindset now to do it from the jump. And that definitely was an emphasis I put on for the game.

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Players Mentioned

Coen Carr

Carson Cooper

Jeremy Fears Jr.

Jaxon Kohler

Jordan Scott

Cam Ward

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