MU-KSU quotes
1/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2004
Missouri Head Coach Quin Snyder On the defensive effort: "When we defend like that we give ourselves a chance, we also rebound the ball a lot better when we're solid defensively. We didn't give up that many easy baskets and gave the offensive end a chance to happen. We took the same amount of three point shots in the second half as in the first but they were better shots because the ball was moving inside out we weren't just settling for jump shots."
On Thomas Gardner: "He made a couple of jump shots but more important than that is his competiveness. The emotion that he shows, he's a catalyst in that respect, it makes you feel good to see you're teammate out there doing that. I think everyone's level gets raised. He's an emotional player and that helps us. We need that, we play better when we're emotional."
On Kevin Young's importance in the Kansas game: "Well he's always been important. Their interior guys are awfully good. Graves is a senior and he's played well against us and Simien is playing as good as anyone in the country and Padgett is a good young player, so we need everyone to show up."
Missouri sophomore guard Jimmy McKinney On Kansas point guard Aaron Miles: "It's always a great match up, he always challenges me. Last year I did a poor job on him and he attacked me. It was about being aggressive on the defensive end. I can tell you right now it's going to be a lot different, because I'm more comfortable now and I'm more confident, so it's going to be different. It's going to be fun to watch."
On the defensive effort against Kansas State: "When they started making a run we just stayed aggressive on the defensive end, that's what we needed to do. We needed to keep our focus, all the guys just played together and helped each other out when other guys were getting beaten, and we had confidence in the other guys that they were going to be right there. Our defense picked up a lot tonight."
Missouri senior center Arthur Johnson: On the Kansas game: "I'd be glad to get a win period. It would be good to go over there and get a win. We just need to come together as a group and get a win. We know it's going to be a hostile environment and you've got to be together down there and you can't splinter because they'll take advantage of that."
Missouri senior guard Rickey Paulding: On the second half: "We were taking better shots and getting the ball inside to A.J. and Travon. We were moving around to get more open looks. When you play defense it makes the game a lot easier as far as your shots. I was being aggressive we saw a zone and got the ball inside."
On the Kansas game: "We need a win, this will be a good win for us on the road against a very very good team, it's a tough place to play at. I know it's my last game there and I really want the win very bad. It's going to test us a little."
On the physical play of the game: "It was a really physical game, a lot of fouls called, guy got banged up a little bit. We gritted it out and did it on the defensive end."
Kansas State head coach Jim Wooldridge On the game: "The difference in the game is at halftime it's a two point game, and then Gardner makes some timely three-point shots in the second half that propelled them to a little larger lead coupled with out inability to score the ball during that segment of the game. I thought a lot of the game was played well by our team."
"I thought we did a good job in some areas, but we weren't able to score the ball. Because of that, Gardner in this game was the player that hurt us. We just didn't have enough offense to get caught up or go ahead."
On the start of the second half: "We called time out because you're on the road, you're in a two-point ballgame against Missouri on the road, and their first two shots are lay-ups. We're literally teaching from the ground up with our team, and this experience-that part of the game-was an opportunity to teach them again. If we're going to win on the road, you can't start the second half in a two-point game giving two lay-ups away."
On Missouri's ability/ dangerousness: "Obviously they are [dangerous]. They've got enough weapons, they are physical, and they're big. They've got an inside game with Arthur Johnson and a perimeter game to go along with it. Yes, they're a team that can beat anybody on any given night."
Kansas State senior guard Jarrett Hart On shots: "We got a lot more looks. We moved the ball around. We played together more as a team today, and those little things right there get people open. I happen to be the guy who got open at times, Frank got open a couple times. But I mean, we're still going to have to get more guys scoring the ball. We played good defense tonight, but it just wasn't enough.
On game: "The way we started the second half, there's no excuse. Those are things we can control. They came out and got two easy lay-ups in the second half, and that can't happen in the Big XII. We play in one of the top conferences in the country, and to let a team get easy points like that's what decides the game."
