Post-Game Quotes: Oregon

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo

Opening Statement…
Well, part of me feels ill for Dana (Altman). They played so well in the first half, pretty unbelievable, they hit 9 or 10 threes in the first half and none in the second half. Points off turnovers were 21 to 2 in the first half. You know, there was not any magical things said at halftime. I thought our players decided that they weren't guarding well enough and were getting beat on dribble drives and everything else and our crowd was unbelievable and when that happens, you get on a little run. We said we cut it down to single digits at the 16-minute mark. I think we were down to two at that time and that was a big difference. Tre (Holloman) didn't play very well in the first half and starts out with that big three in the second half and had one turnover and, I think, five assists. In the first half we had many turnovers and didn't play well but we got a lot of play out of a lot of different guys and of course Jase (Richardson) had a career night. When he got that block late, it was a hell of a block, and all the guys were sitting behind me and I turned around to Jason (Richardson) and said "Jason who?" You know, it was Jase's (Richardson) night and how exciting for him and for them and his family and us too. I mean, he did some great things, him and Tre (Holloman), and we just kept mixing them up, putting in ball screens and we got something out of that because they stymied us in the first half. We scored 36 points, but it was an ugly 36 points. So, some of the key things besides Jase (Richardson) playing the way he did, was to shoot 89 percent from the free throw line in the second half, I think we went 14 for 14 after coming off that abysmal performance out against USC and the rebounding. We weren't rebounding very good early and to win that 40 to 27 says a lot. The turnovers, we had 9 at halftime and we only had 3 in the second half. It seems like the blueprint is easy, we just have to do a better job following it. If you defend, rebound and run and you take care of the ball you have a chance. So, we'll see how those turnovers affect the Super Bowl tomorrow.

On reunion of 2000 National Title team and the comeback victory…
No, you know when I sat there and looked behind the bench at those guys sitting there, it was memory-making moment to say the least. As I said about those guys, people just don't realize there's times in your life where certain things happen and THEY made Tom Izzo. If you ask me, they really did a lot to make Michigan State Basketball. I mean, we're just coming off of visiting with Magic (Johnson) and that thing was something incredible those couple of years. But, these guys winning the four Big Ten Championships and getting to three Final Fours and winning a National Championship and then not letting it die. They keep coming back and they will always come back. The comeback, it was probably just because we had some guys sick, and Jaden (Akins) not feeling well during the game. I just talked to UCLA and they have six people sick and that was our biggest fear. We got up one morning and Book (Xavier Booker) was out and the next morning Jeremy (Fears Jr.) was out and I woke up this morning and I called my trainer and I said "you say one word to me, I'm firing you" and so he didn't until later on when he told me that Jaden (Akins) wasn't really doing real well. So, you talk about an ultimate team effort. The team was players on the floor, players on the bench, the players behind the bench and the fans in the stands. That was a team, it was about an 18 or 16,000 team victory tonight and for me it just doesn't get any better than that. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, except that first half made it a little tough but we found a way to fight through it, which says a lot about the character of our guys with some people down.

On making Jase Richardson the primary ball handler in the second half…
Well, some of it was the way they were playing and they were playing zone in the beginning of it and then they went man and we decided at halftime we were going to put ourselves in more ball screens. So, if it was Tre (Holloman), we were putting him in and if it was Jase (Richardson), we were putting him in. To be very honest with you, Tre (Holloman) struggled the first half and Jase (Richardson) played pretty well. So, I said we were going to put it in Jase's hands there for a while and then we put it back in Tre's hands and then I said if we pass it to the wing, we were going to get a ball screen there for Tre (Holloman). So, I mean, Jase (Richardson) did an incredible job. To take 13 shots and get 29 points is very, very, very efficient. He told me he took one bad shot and I probably would agree with him but he has a knack of making his free throws and early on, to his admission, he was struggling a little bit defensively and he just figured it out. The kid is so smart and he just figured it out that he had to press up a little bit on those ball screens, which is what he did. So, I'm really happy for him and he's fought the fight and he just keeps battling and it's going to help us. It's going to help us because we need more movement in our offense and it was hard because we had to play two bigs a lot and then without really knowing if we could go to Jaden (Akins) with not enough bodies left, this is the one time that we were kind of hurting in that and then we had a bit of foul trouble. So, maybe the Strength In Numbers helped us in the long run.

On the depth of the bench…
I wouldn't say we are going to roll them in like Hockey shifts. I told you that things will start changing. I'll play a lot of guys but the minutes might change some and just as we said, there's been such bizarre games. I saw Michigan was just up 16 at half and it was tied with three minutes left. You know, the swings that we are all going through, I don't know what the reasons are, but we're going to need all of our people before it is done. They brought in some people too, I mean, UCLA brought in 11 people, so I think it proved that we had some tired hombres at the end of this thing. But now we turn around and play Tuesday. So, we'll see but I am just happy that guys sucked it up and guys did their jobs and it wasn't a race-horse game. We didn't get the break, they pressed us so that too, but we didn't wear them down either and I don't like that either. There's nothing we can do about it, they did a good job, he did a hell of a job with his team. I mean, they have been on a wicked streak and they came in here and punched us right in the mouth and made shot after shot and we aided it by those stupid turnovers. I mean, 'Here, throw it to them and go make a layup.' We should have just given them the two points and then we wouldn't have had to run up and down, it would have been easier. That really bothered me if you want the truth.

On if Coach Izzo considers the win a "Program Win" …
You know, Mateen (Cleaves) was in the locker room after, the whole team was, and I asked them because some of them have been here from the start and they've been here all during it because they all come. I don't know, you tell me those of you who follow us. I would say that was one of the great comebacks, the great wins and the crowd was electric. It was one of the best wins at home, it's a top fiver and what he told the team after in the locker room is you'll have memories of this that will last a whole lifetime. You won't remember every game, but you'll never forget this game and I think he was right and again, I can't tell you how much I appreciated our fans. Some of you asked me a great question the other day. You asked if our fans were bailing on us because we lost two games, well, I didn't see them. I didn't see anybody bailing, I didn't see a coach bail and I didn't see a player bail and I definitely didn't see the fans bail. That's why this place is special and it'll remain special until I'm done and then hopefully it'll move on to remain special till the next guy's done. That's what great programs do.
You play good. You play more. You play real good. You start, you don't play good. Your work your way back in the American way. Except America has gone soft. But that is the American way. That's the way it works. And so I apologize to nobody for that.

On Coach Bob Knight's record and potential starting lineup changes…
No, there is no "quarterback controversy", you know there's things we might do differently but no, there is no "quarterback controversy". You know what it is? It is what it's supposed to be. You play good? You play more. You play real good, you start. You don't play as good, you work your way back in. It's the American way, except America has gotten soft, but there is the American way, that's the way it works. So, I apologize to nobody for that. In regard to the record, of all the things I woke up to this morning, no humility, no anything. That wasn't even on the radar. It really wasn't and I'll tell you why it wasn't. Number one, I said it before, I got an extra year than Bob does. I'm dumb enough to stay around, he left earlier. Number two, I played more games than Bob did. Number three, records are made to be broken. Memory making moments will never be broken but records will be broken. I mean, it's an honor and I mean this as an honor, Bob was controversial. I loved him, you know, he was good to me, and he was a great coach and he did many things that I haven't done and so if he wants to trade the record I'll give him a buzz tonight up there. If he wants to trade the record for the four other national championships, I'm all in because it's about winning championships, not records. I am proud of the record in two ways. I'm proud of it because I get to be talked about with a guy that I really thought highly of as a coach. Number two, I get to appreciate how many players won games for me in different ways because I didn't win one damn game. It's amazing. It's amazing. You know, the championship team was back but there's a couple hundred other former players back. I mean, I'm going upstairs. I might have a hell of a time. I'm taking George Perles out of what he taught me, the 24-hour rule. Mine's 18. So, I got from now to about 8:30 in the morning and then it's back to Indiana. But, there'll be no Indiana and no controversy about quarterbacks. There'll be no anything else. I'm going to enjoy the players, the fans and my team because I've been told that I do not enjoy the process enough. They are right. I don't. Today will not be one of those days. So I'm going to enjoy the process.

On what he hears from former players about Jase…
Can you imagine Jason sitting there with Mateen, Andre (Hutson) and Morris (Peterson). Can you imagine being his dad in that situation and looking up at banners he hung and watching his son and as you said, he didn't do it in a crazy way. He did it in a very methodical way. He had that one little stretch, but it was to take care of the ball, it was make good passes, it was play good defense, it was get fouled and then make a couple of great shots. I think they all have known. Just like Mateen's got a son coming up now and (Kelvin) Torbert got a son coming up and Andre Hutson's got a son coming up. Wait long enough and there will be more guys coming up. Jase, if you know anything about him, he's way more than a basketball player. If you look at the classes he takes, the grades he gets, the way he handles himself, what he does. I feel very fortunate to have him here. I got no problem saying that. Why did it take this long should be the question. There's always things that you go through as a coach and as a player. I'm not ready to say that the rest of the year he's gonna score 30 a game. What I loved is how efficient he was. He was getting 7 or 8 shots a game and he gets 13 tonight but he was so efficient. So good and I think he was excited that the crowd was excited for him. That's pretty cool.

On how and why Strength in Numbers is working out…
I think I'll just ride it out, but I said it to you guys a week or two ago, I think the minutes will change as we go. We are figuring out that guys are ready for this and some guys are ready for that. I think you would be surprised there are a lot more teams playing more people. I think it's because of all the things going on. Like I said, UCLA playing 11 of them I think. Things work because people get along. Things work because of how you sell it. Things work because you are honest with people. And that's un-American now. And yet, to the controversies that always come up, it's difficult. We have been waiting. I was hoping Jaden Akins would raise up or Jase or Tre or Jeremy or whoever. And as they do it starts a little separation, it doesn't mean you change everything you've been doing, but I've made no bums about it, there will be differences in minutes as we go. The best players that are playing the best and that can be different too. One thing Jase has been, is he's been pretty consistent. The word that I would use for him instead of consistent would be efficient. And for the most part he's been very efficient. He's just getting better in all areas. The block and a big rebound he had. Defense, he's putting himself exactly where you hope a freshman would put himself. He's almost a sophomore. And that's the way it is, 'cause second half of the year you're not a freshman anymore. He's playing like he's not a freshman. We got a lot of work to do, you can't start out like we did. Very tough to find out that two days ago, after that trip that Book was out and then get out yesterday and find out Jeremy is out. And then get here today just as the game started that Jaden's not feeling too well. And yet, it's time for someone to rise up. Jace rose up the first half and the second half, Tre rose up a little more the second half. We are kinda forgetting Jaxon Kohler has a double-double, 14 and 12 and hits a big three, did a good job. Coop (Carson Cooper) made some incredible free throws, 7 of 8 from the line. That was a guy shooting 50 percent a year ago. There are a lot of guys that have gotten better and part of the reason you get better if you are playing them. There's gonna be some maneuvering a little bit but I think we will.

Oregon head coach Dana Altman

On preparing for Coach Izzo and the playing at the Breslin Center…

Well it was a great environment, we got our butts kicked in the second half. We were up one on the boards in the first half, and we ended up getting beat 14 in the second half on the boards. Our activity defensively I felt was pretty good in the first half. We gave them four open three's to start the second half and the game kind of changed on that. Our ball movement in the second half was awful, we took some really bad shots. I'm not sure who was coaching that team in the second half but he did an awful job I know that.

On second-half expectations…
We told them they'd come out and throw a punch and be really aggressive. We didn't handle them very well. We gave up some really easy baskets and closed that gap pretty quick with smoking threes. I know the first four they hit were all wide open. I thought that really changed the momentum of the game and then their aggressiveness took us out of what we wanted to do. I thought we took some really bad shots, two or three sides we just attacked on and with their size and their athleticism that just was not a good way to attack them.

On preparation for Jase Richardson…
He just got to his left hand, and he's really good when he gets to that left hand. In the first half I don't think he missed a shot, in the second half he got it going even more. He's a really good athlete, got his confidence going there, and again, when you let it get to that left hand he's a handful. He really kicked us that second half.

Tom Izzo tied Bob Knight's win record at 353, does it all reflect on that…
I didn't know that. He does a tremendous job, 30 years in the league and what they've been able to accomplish year after year is something that all of us as coaches really appreciate and respect. They play hard, they play physical, he does a tremendous job. He got after the officials there in the second half. He's a heck of a coach and does a heck of a job. I think the whole coaching fraternity has a great deal of respect for him, I know our staff does.

On how different was Michigan State today without Fears…
Well I thought maybe in the first half they were a little hesitant. We got some points, a lot of them off turnovers, but then I thought the second half with their aggressiveness they got a lot more comfortable without him. He's a heck of a player with leads and assists; he's got the ball in his hands a lot. Those other three guys are pretty gifted also, so as soon as they got comfortable and our activity defensively went way down they were really successful.

On how the offense changed when the ball was in Richardson's hands…
I thought their ball movement was good, they'd swing it a couple of times and get it back to him and shut a pick, and he just hit some shots. I should've probably made some adjustments on it and just totally switched. Get some of our big guys to try to get a hand up, but we did that a time or two and we stepped back and he'd hit three's. We fouled him a lot, he was 8-for-9 at the line. I probably did a poor job of making any adjustments on it but with their energy and their ball movement they were just playing at a different pace than we were.

Freshman Guard Jase Richardson

On how his career-high game felt with everything going on today…
How everything went on, coach tying the record, national champs being here, just having that game I just had it all felt surreal for a minute, I'm really happy we got the win at the end of the day.

On if today's game felt like a full circle moment, having a career-high, and Izzo tying the record…
It definitely felt full circle today, having the national championship team here today, its a whole bunch of guys I grew up around, to see all those guys back is really amazing. Coach tying the record, I'm so proud of him, everything he has done for this program and this team, and I'm proud of the team, the way we fought, we were down 15. Second half, we knew we needed to come out with some energy, come out with a punch, and we did that.

On where this game for him ranks all-time in his career…
It's gotta be top three, number one college game for sure, I feel like, just the energy the crowd had, the moments we had as a team. We really banded together, moments I had for the team. It was an incredible experience.

Junior Forward Jaxon Kohler

What was that feeling in the locker room when those guys (former players) came in after the game…
"They came in and congratulated us, and it was really awesome to have them there. Honestly, we had to win this game for a lot of reasons and one of them was for the alumni coming back and watching us for this special event. It was for Coach (Izzo), for us, to get back into what we do and there was a lot of reasons, but it was a lot more special to go back to the locker room with all our alumni there and have them supporting us and know that we're trying to uphold their standards the way they did back when they were here. I hope we hope we did them proud."

What do you think this team drew out from the past couple games, compared to the last half…
"I said a couple days ago that those games showed us that we aren't invincible and eventually we're gonna get knocked down. The true test is how you pick yourself back up from those types of games. When we came out and we went to halftime and kind of down the same way, we're like, okay, let's not make this a new thing. Sure, going out west, let's keep that there. Let's keep those losses in LA. We are not coming home and bringing that with us. I think that that second half was kind of that realization that everyone agreed, like, hey, we aren't doing this. We aren't, we've been coming for that, but we feel like, oh, today we did with our actions."

Junior Center Carson Cooper

On the second half turnaround and mindset…
We were slacking in the first half, and we got that out of the way and just had everyone play for each other. Coach told us it was bigger than us, especially with the 2000 team here, and we just took that to heart and played some good basketball.

On having 'no choice' but to come back in the second half…
We have been priding ourselves on our defense, and we let up 50 in the first half, that's a tough shot, to us in the heart in the first half, but we also knew that we can't drop any more games especially where we are at in the standings, and how other teams are doing. So for us, it was a must-win.

Players Mentioned

Jaden Akins

Xavier Booker

Carson Cooper

Jaxon Kohler

Jase Richardson

Related Videos