Penn State Head Coach Ed DeChellis:
- We had a chance to beat Purdue on the Road, a chance to beat Ohio State on the road, and it was a great testament to our kids to come in here and get a win. To finish tied for fourth, IÂ’m so proud of our kids
- I thought Jeff Brooks and Battle played great games, Frazier played very well
- This is the seniorsÂ’ time. This is their time to shine, and you have to take advantage of the time youÂ’ve got left. And thatÂ’s what theyÂ’re doing.
- Everyone talks about the tournament being 1-and-done. Well, weÂ’ve been playing that way for the last two weeks, so it hasnÂ’t been starting on Thursday for us, itÂ’s been the last two weeks
- (On MinnesotaÂ’s confidence) Kids are kidsÂ…I think TubbyÂ’s done a great job. IÂ’ve been following their games, and theyÂ’ve been in every game. ItÂ’s like we were last year, where we just couldnÂ’t get a break. TheyÂ’ve had a chance to win this game today, they had a chance to win in our place, theyÂ’ve been in every game. But when you start losing, you see kidsÂ’ shoulders start to shrug, and itÂ’s tough. But TubbyÂ’s done a good job, because theyÂ’ve been in every game
- There are a lot of “ifs” in the game of basketball…you’ve just got to roll with it.
Trevor Mbakwe:
- ItÂ’s just killed us in the last four minutes, we just havenÂ’t been able to close out and make shots
- We didnÂ’t do a good job of boxing out in the second half. We did a pretty good job in the first half
- I think weÂ’re still confident. WeÂ’re 6-12 in conference, but I think weÂ’ve beaten ourselves a lot over the last month
- Regardless of whether we play in the NIT or the NCAA Tournament, weÂ’re going to play hard and send Al and Blake off the way they deserve
- (On whether Al will play on Thursday) I donÂ’t knowÂ…it all depends on how he feels when he gets back out there
- Blake was out there fighting tonight, making back door cuts and wanting to go out tonight with a win. ThatÂ’s the kind of player he is.
Rodney Williams:
- I think we just have to be more calm and more patient in the last minutes of games
- I just have to stay consistent, thatÂ’s been my problem all year. Play hard, play with confidence
- If we play hard and do what we can do in the Big Ten Tournament, we can still get to the (NCAA) Tournament
- I think this year (as opposed to last year) I have developed some, and I have become more of a scoring mentality, but I havenÂ’t been consistent
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith:
- Just didnÂ’t have the ability to knock a big shot down, and they did. We havenÂ’t been a team that has made clutch shots all year.
- This is just a carry-over from some of the last games
- I thought Blake played well today, I was glad to see that
- I was hoping to see a little better play from our under-classmen today
- (On SampsonÂ’s Three) Well, there was 25 seconds left on the shot clock. I guess he was open, I guess
- YouÂ’re not going to win many games shooting 1-15 from 3-point range
- This group has been a good group to coach. WeÂ’ve been able to get through (the losing streak) because weÂ’ve got good people. I have really been impressed with our freshman, I keep saying that
- ItÂ’s a learning process for them. TheyÂ’ve got to do everything right in order to win. They come to practice, they play hard. ItÂ’s just they need experience
- TheyÂ’re going to guard Blake tight, weÂ’ve got to find other people who can make shots. WeÂ’ve got a guy in practice like Oto, but heÂ’s not available. HeÂ’s probably our best 3-point shooter in practice.
- We missed some terrible shots. Ralph took the shotÂ…it was an airball. He missed the basket by a foot. But I donÂ’t know what to tell him
- The guys who are veteran players, theyÂ’ve got to give us more
- (On Al Playing) WeÂ’ll have to see.
- Early in the season, we had some depth.
- WeÂ’re talented, but we donÂ’t have a bunch of All-Americans.
- I thought we did a good job moving the ball around, especially Blake. HeÂ’s doing what he can do.
Post-Game Notes:
-Minnesota has now lost five games in a row at Williams Arena for the first time since January-March, 2001. Minnesota hasn't lost more than five games in a row at home since the 1987 season.
-Minnesota finished the game shooting 2-15 from behind the 3-point line (13.3%)
-Minnesota will finish in 9th Place in the Big Ten Conference and will Play #8 Northwestern on Thursday, March 10 at 2:30 pm at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis. The game will be shown on ESPN2. The winner of that game will advance to play Ohio State on Friday, March 11 at 12:00pm. That game will air on ESPN.
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