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Quotes: Duke 70, Tulsa 52
2/25/2010 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“We won a hard-fought game tonight. We knew that it would be that way when we scheduled the game … Tulsa's had a great tradition of basketball for decades really. They've been one of the really good programs in the United States and a who's who of coaches – the head coaches there. They got down a little bit and Doug [Wojcik], over the time that he's been there, has really done a great job. I find it hard to say that for a Navy guy, but he's done a great job … And his kids play hard. Those kids won 25 games a season the last two years. They'll have a great shot in their conference tournament. The kid, [Ben] Uzoh is a big-time player. Anybody in our league would love to have that kid. That's why he's, I think he's the third-leading scorer in the history of their school. Anybody in our league would like to have [Jerome] Jordan, I'll tell you that. And their other kids play hard – [Justin] Hurtt – I like their team. I thought they outscrapped us in the first half, and we got to a good start. I thought we thought we were going to be able to knock them out, and they're not a team that's going to get knocked out. And then we kind of rushed everything. We looked rushed in the first half. And in the second half, we tried to play more of a half court game. And I thought we played with a lot of poise and we played great defense in the second half … Brian [Zoubek] and Lance [Thomas] were all over the boards. The second half we dominated the boards because I think they outrebounded us in the first half. In the second half, we were all over the boards, and those two kids had double-figure rebounds. Our bench helped us a lot in the second half. It was a hard, well-earned win for us.”
On Nolan Smith's defense against Ben Uzoh:
“Nolan did a good job on him. But it took more than that. I thought our bigs did well on the ball screens for him, but Nolan's a big-time guard too. I thought that was a heck of a match-up really. That's one of the things Nolan's done for us all season is being on the ball. For the most part, we either have won that match-up or we haven't been hurt by it. That's mostly on Nolan, mostly on him.”
On the benefits of facing a non-conference opponent:
“We knew when the game was scheduled that we would be playing a team of NCAA caliber – and not a team that might just eek in, but would be a top 30 team. They have that potential – and a veteran team. So we felt that, instead of an open date, we've got to keep getting better. And you don't get better by taking time off … We're going to take time off, hopefully in May and April – later April. Right now, you've got to keep working, and we knew that this game would put us in that position. They played so hard in that first half that we had to beat a better team in the second half than the team that started the game, because they had a good feel for the game and a lot of confidence playing against us. So we had to kind of change it around, which our kids were able to do.”
On how this game was scheduled:
“Every school has two open dates, and we've always chosen to fill our dates with non-conference and intersectional foes. Georgetown was one, and Tulsa. Some of it happens because of TV – they see this is open and they have their contractual obligations with other conferences. Obviously, those conferences are going to want to showcase their best teams. We're not the only school that can do that. Everyone has a choice – you can take an open date. I'm not saying one's better than the other, but over the years, we've found that this is good for us. At least we like doing it.”
On Brian Zoubek's progression this season:
“Well, he's played well all year long. His health has a lot to do with it, continuity and then the experience. Brian, off and on, has been a starter for four years. One of the main things that's interrupted him is injury, and not necessarily bad play. The injuries occurred during the season, so then you don't get the experience and you're coming back from them … I don't know if it's true what happened to [Purdue's Robbie] Hummel. I mean, that's horrible. It's horrible. That can happen to any team, and it's the worst thing that can happen. You hate to see any kid get hurt. Look at them – you don't replace a kid like that. And for Brian, we really had no replacement for him. Everyone's saying we were small – well, one of the reasons was he was hurt. Again, not that he was necessarily a starter all the time, but he would've played all the time. So thank goodness he's been a hard worker and he's doing the fundamentals well. I mean, another double-double.”
Senior Brian Zoubek
On becoming a bigger scoring option and controlling the boards:
“I know that we have taken a lot of criticism in the past, especially our bigs and that is always frustrating. It is good to finally be able to show what we can do. I know that we have been called one-dimensional with our guards, in terms of the big three that always score a lot. [I want to do] anything that I can to help them out. If they have a bad game one time, I don't want to lose. If I can prevent that from happening, whether by scoring or rebounding, then that is what I am going to do.”
On the physical play in the second half that slowed Tulsa down:
“I don't know how physical it is in their league, but every night in the ACC it is a battle. We couldn't let up playing like that, just because [Tulsa] is not in our conference. It wasn't for standings, but we have to approach it the same way.”
On which coach has helped him improve a lot over the last several games:
“It is definitely coach [Steve Wojciechowski]. He has been with me all four years. While I have had some lows or didn't exactly want to do all the work he was making me do. He was making me better, even if I might have hated the stuff he was making me do.”
On what you can attribute the improvement to:
“A couple different things. I have a lot more confidence, I am staying in the game, as you said. I am being smarter with my fouls so I can have a lot more minutes in there. I am playing a lot more aggressive, on the boards, defensively … I feel that I am in the flow of the game a lot more.”
Junior Nolan Smith
On responding after Tulsa tied the game early in the second half:
“I feel like we got a lot of good looks and we have to keep fighting out of it. We got a lot of production out of other guys [Brian] Zoubek had another big-time game with a double-double. Our bench really stepped up today. They really got us going. It was a good win for us.”
On a good game for building confidence for team besides three guards:
“Definitely. They were in early and often. That was the goal and they responded well. Going forward, back into the ACC now with Virginia on the road, we are going to need them and I think they will be ready for the test.”
On what made the difference in Duke's second-half play:
“We relaxed. We started really frantic, rushing shots, throwing shots off the rim. We calmed down, relaxed and played our defense that we have been doing. We were poised offensively and we were getting looks. We got a good run going for us.”
On playing non-conference games throughout the year and how it helps for NCAA Tournament preparation:
“It definitely helps. Tulsa is a very good team and they are the type of team that you could see in the second round. To go out of conference like this, it definitely simulates [the NCAA Tournament]. It is going to prepare us in the long run.”
Senior Jon Scheyer
On playing Tulsa being good preparation for the NCAA Tournament:
“For sure. That is how we try to look at it and especially because they have two guys that are good as anybody with [Jerome] Jordan and their point guard Ben [Uzoh]. For us, we just want to go on the fly, you learn about them in a day or two and then you play. That is how we looked at this game.”
On if it is tough to get ready for a non-conference team in the middle of ACC season:
“No, this is our second to last home game. We just want to make the most of it and we were really excited to play. It is a little bit of an adjustment, because you are just used to how intense and how much ACC games mean, but this meant a lot to us in our second to last home game, we don't want to lose at home. So, that was something for us going into this game.”
Tulsa Head Coach Doug Wojcik
Opening Statement:
“I thought that was a really hard-fought game, a very physical game, and we knew that coming in. We watched the Virginia Tech team on Sunday night and really wanted to emulate them. I think they had a bunch of tough kids and they kept attacking in transition and getting stops and didn't give up. And that's what we tried to do tonight. I'm really proud of my team. Duke is very talented. They have a lot of depth. I thought we did a great job on the big three, I really did. I thought we handled ball screens very well. They get you in the end. [Kyle] Singler is a terrific player. Jon Scheyer has become a very good player and Nolan Smith is really quick. We got beat by 10 on the glass, but we competed on the glass and got 14 offensive rebounds. Thirteen turnovers I can live with. I thought we had some shots inside that we just didn't convert, but I'm just really proud of my team. I'm glad to have played the game and have the experience. We're going to get better from this.”
On the matchup of Tulsa's Jerome Jordan and Duke's Brian Zoubek:
“It wasn't much of a battle in the first half, [Jordan] got two quick fouls. But Jerome came out okay. He has 12 points and eight boards and Brian [Zoubek] gets a double-double. It was pretty good. It wasn't the key to the game. Jerome has played in our league against Hassan Whiteside at Marshall and then Derrick Caracter who's not as big, but is thick and strong. It was a good matchup, a good fight and a good hard competition.”
On Duke's defense on Ben Uzoh:
“You knew that they would be prepared for Ben for the most part. We figured that they would put Nolan Smith on him. I'm okay with it. Ben plays a lot of minutes and does a lot of things for us. He competed, missed a couple shots on the break. In our league he probably gets a few more trips to the free throw line, but it's good for him. Good competition and good for Jerome [Jordan].”
Opening Statement:
“We won a hard-fought game tonight. We knew that it would be that way when we scheduled the game … Tulsa's had a great tradition of basketball for decades really. They've been one of the really good programs in the United States and a who's who of coaches – the head coaches there. They got down a little bit and Doug [Wojcik], over the time that he's been there, has really done a great job. I find it hard to say that for a Navy guy, but he's done a great job … And his kids play hard. Those kids won 25 games a season the last two years. They'll have a great shot in their conference tournament. The kid, [Ben] Uzoh is a big-time player. Anybody in our league would love to have that kid. That's why he's, I think he's the third-leading scorer in the history of their school. Anybody in our league would like to have [Jerome] Jordan, I'll tell you that. And their other kids play hard – [Justin] Hurtt – I like their team. I thought they outscrapped us in the first half, and we got to a good start. I thought we thought we were going to be able to knock them out, and they're not a team that's going to get knocked out. And then we kind of rushed everything. We looked rushed in the first half. And in the second half, we tried to play more of a half court game. And I thought we played with a lot of poise and we played great defense in the second half … Brian [Zoubek] and Lance [Thomas] were all over the boards. The second half we dominated the boards because I think they outrebounded us in the first half. In the second half, we were all over the boards, and those two kids had double-figure rebounds. Our bench helped us a lot in the second half. It was a hard, well-earned win for us.”
On Nolan Smith's defense against Ben Uzoh:
“Nolan did a good job on him. But it took more than that. I thought our bigs did well on the ball screens for him, but Nolan's a big-time guard too. I thought that was a heck of a match-up really. That's one of the things Nolan's done for us all season is being on the ball. For the most part, we either have won that match-up or we haven't been hurt by it. That's mostly on Nolan, mostly on him.”
On the benefits of facing a non-conference opponent:
“We knew when the game was scheduled that we would be playing a team of NCAA caliber – and not a team that might just eek in, but would be a top 30 team. They have that potential – and a veteran team. So we felt that, instead of an open date, we've got to keep getting better. And you don't get better by taking time off … We're going to take time off, hopefully in May and April – later April. Right now, you've got to keep working, and we knew that this game would put us in that position. They played so hard in that first half that we had to beat a better team in the second half than the team that started the game, because they had a good feel for the game and a lot of confidence playing against us. So we had to kind of change it around, which our kids were able to do.”
On how this game was scheduled:
“Every school has two open dates, and we've always chosen to fill our dates with non-conference and intersectional foes. Georgetown was one, and Tulsa. Some of it happens because of TV – they see this is open and they have their contractual obligations with other conferences. Obviously, those conferences are going to want to showcase their best teams. We're not the only school that can do that. Everyone has a choice – you can take an open date. I'm not saying one's better than the other, but over the years, we've found that this is good for us. At least we like doing it.”
On Brian Zoubek's progression this season:
“Well, he's played well all year long. His health has a lot to do with it, continuity and then the experience. Brian, off and on, has been a starter for four years. One of the main things that's interrupted him is injury, and not necessarily bad play. The injuries occurred during the season, so then you don't get the experience and you're coming back from them … I don't know if it's true what happened to [Purdue's Robbie] Hummel. I mean, that's horrible. It's horrible. That can happen to any team, and it's the worst thing that can happen. You hate to see any kid get hurt. Look at them – you don't replace a kid like that. And for Brian, we really had no replacement for him. Everyone's saying we were small – well, one of the reasons was he was hurt. Again, not that he was necessarily a starter all the time, but he would've played all the time. So thank goodness he's been a hard worker and he's doing the fundamentals well. I mean, another double-double.”
Senior Brian Zoubek
On becoming a bigger scoring option and controlling the boards:
“I know that we have taken a lot of criticism in the past, especially our bigs and that is always frustrating. It is good to finally be able to show what we can do. I know that we have been called one-dimensional with our guards, in terms of the big three that always score a lot. [I want to do] anything that I can to help them out. If they have a bad game one time, I don't want to lose. If I can prevent that from happening, whether by scoring or rebounding, then that is what I am going to do.”
On the physical play in the second half that slowed Tulsa down:
“I don't know how physical it is in their league, but every night in the ACC it is a battle. We couldn't let up playing like that, just because [Tulsa] is not in our conference. It wasn't for standings, but we have to approach it the same way.”
On which coach has helped him improve a lot over the last several games:
“It is definitely coach [Steve Wojciechowski]. He has been with me all four years. While I have had some lows or didn't exactly want to do all the work he was making me do. He was making me better, even if I might have hated the stuff he was making me do.”
On what you can attribute the improvement to:
“A couple different things. I have a lot more confidence, I am staying in the game, as you said. I am being smarter with my fouls so I can have a lot more minutes in there. I am playing a lot more aggressive, on the boards, defensively … I feel that I am in the flow of the game a lot more.”
Junior Nolan Smith
On responding after Tulsa tied the game early in the second half:
“I feel like we got a lot of good looks and we have to keep fighting out of it. We got a lot of production out of other guys [Brian] Zoubek had another big-time game with a double-double. Our bench really stepped up today. They really got us going. It was a good win for us.”
On a good game for building confidence for team besides three guards:
“Definitely. They were in early and often. That was the goal and they responded well. Going forward, back into the ACC now with Virginia on the road, we are going to need them and I think they will be ready for the test.”
On what made the difference in Duke's second-half play:
“We relaxed. We started really frantic, rushing shots, throwing shots off the rim. We calmed down, relaxed and played our defense that we have been doing. We were poised offensively and we were getting looks. We got a good run going for us.”
On playing non-conference games throughout the year and how it helps for NCAA Tournament preparation:
“It definitely helps. Tulsa is a very good team and they are the type of team that you could see in the second round. To go out of conference like this, it definitely simulates [the NCAA Tournament]. It is going to prepare us in the long run.”
Senior Jon Scheyer
On playing Tulsa being good preparation for the NCAA Tournament:
“For sure. That is how we try to look at it and especially because they have two guys that are good as anybody with [Jerome] Jordan and their point guard Ben [Uzoh]. For us, we just want to go on the fly, you learn about them in a day or two and then you play. That is how we looked at this game.”
On if it is tough to get ready for a non-conference team in the middle of ACC season:
“No, this is our second to last home game. We just want to make the most of it and we were really excited to play. It is a little bit of an adjustment, because you are just used to how intense and how much ACC games mean, but this meant a lot to us in our second to last home game, we don't want to lose at home. So, that was something for us going into this game.”
Tulsa Head Coach Doug Wojcik
Opening Statement:
“I thought that was a really hard-fought game, a very physical game, and we knew that coming in. We watched the Virginia Tech team on Sunday night and really wanted to emulate them. I think they had a bunch of tough kids and they kept attacking in transition and getting stops and didn't give up. And that's what we tried to do tonight. I'm really proud of my team. Duke is very talented. They have a lot of depth. I thought we did a great job on the big three, I really did. I thought we handled ball screens very well. They get you in the end. [Kyle] Singler is a terrific player. Jon Scheyer has become a very good player and Nolan Smith is really quick. We got beat by 10 on the glass, but we competed on the glass and got 14 offensive rebounds. Thirteen turnovers I can live with. I thought we had some shots inside that we just didn't convert, but I'm just really proud of my team. I'm glad to have played the game and have the experience. We're going to get better from this.”
On the matchup of Tulsa's Jerome Jordan and Duke's Brian Zoubek:
“It wasn't much of a battle in the first half, [Jordan] got two quick fouls. But Jerome came out okay. He has 12 points and eight boards and Brian [Zoubek] gets a double-double. It was pretty good. It wasn't the key to the game. Jerome has played in our league against Hassan Whiteside at Marshall and then Derrick Caracter who's not as big, but is thick and strong. It was a good matchup, a good fight and a good hard competition.”
On Duke's defense on Ben Uzoh:
“You knew that they would be prepared for Ben for the most part. We figured that they would put Nolan Smith on him. I'm okay with it. Ben plays a lot of minutes and does a lot of things for us. He competed, missed a couple shots on the break. In our league he probably gets a few more trips to the free throw line, but it's good for him. Good competition and good for Jerome [Jordan].”
Players Mentioned
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Tuesday, July 08
Duke vs Houston: Press Conference
Sunday, April 06
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Wednesday, April 02
