Jan. 30, 2010

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Columbia, Mo. -

Missouri Head Coach Quotes

January 30, 2010

Mizzou vs. Oklahoma State

 

On Missouri's victory today:

“I thought rhythm and tempo were the keys.  We came out in the second half and played well.  You cant say enough about our team and how they played today. They were great.”

 

On sophomore Steve Moore's game changing offensive rebound:

“That play really stands out in the run.  Zaire came down and made a big shot during that stretch.  That was big because it turns into 10, 12, 14, 16 point leads and that really helped us win the game.”

 

On sophomore Marcus Denmon's shooting today:

“Man, Denmon was in the zone, his shooting was great.  After he made a few of them he looked at me and I said keep heating it up. Marcus shot very well today.”

 

On Oklahoma State's 24 turnovers:

“We turned them over 24 times and I really felt that we cashed in on those turnovers by scoring 38 points.  That was real big for us today and of course the crowd was big today.  The turnovers were huge and we were able to turn their turnovers into a lot of points.”

 

 

Missouri Player Post-Game Quotes

 

Senior Guard Zaire Taylor

On Missouri's contagious shot-making against Oklahoma State…

“It was a good feeling. I knew that it was bound to happen, it was just a matter of time. It's weird that everybody goes in a slump like that at the same time. Once you see one guy make a shot, you see the ball go through the hole, it makes it feel that much easier.”

 

On whether Missouri's run in the second half to pull away from OSU has been it's best of the season…

“I think we've had some good moments throughout this year, but I think when you compare it to the competition we played, you've got to respect them, they're a good team, Coach (Travis) Ford is a good coach. You could say that, but we had some good moments against Georgia, a SEC team, Oregon, and plenty of other teams.”

 

On the large amount of turnovers Missouri forced…

“It wasn't a particular focus. That's what we do, that's what we try to do. We try to disrupt you and make you feel uncomfortable. We try to make you do things you don't want to do. When we're playing our game and we're doing that, it's rough. We got after them and that's what happens when you get after teams.”

 

Sophomore Guard Marcus Denmon

On whether this win eases the loss to Kansas earlier this week…

“Getting a win always gets the bad taste out of your mouth. We didn't feel like we played the way we wanted to play last week (against Kansas). This week we wanted to try and come out and do things we know we can do and play well.”

 

Sophomore Guard Kim English

On whether this win eases the loss to Kansas earlier this week…

“Definitely. Anytime we can win, it definitely makes you, not forget about the loss, but it makes it a little more easier. When it comes to conference time you can't dwell on losses or get too happy about any wins because any given night any given team can beat you. You have to get up for every single game in this league. It's the best league in the nation.”

 

On not starting against Kansas earlier this week…

“We have no starters. I don't care. Coach (Anderson) writes who he's going to start on the board before the game and that's who we go with. We don't have a practice squad, we have just a team. We came out well. I was the happiest one on the bench.”

 

 

Head Coach  Travis Ford Quotes

 

Opening Statement…

“Not much to say but it was Missouri's day. Give them credit. It's amazing we lost by 15. When you turn the ball over 24 times and they make 17 threes it was just their day. They played really well. “

 

On things done defensively…

“They were making shots. We wanted to try to take away some of their penetration. They scored 28 points off turnovers. And they scored 50 something points off of threes.” 

 

On turnovers…

“We played without a point guard. We've played without him for 3 games. It was bound to catch up with us sometime and today it hit us .Our point guard didn't play too well today, he sure didn't. We had to have our forwards bring the ball up the court. You know it caught up with us a little bit today. The Missouri players, that's what they do.”

 

On slowing down Missouri's pace…

“We don't mind getting it up and down. I didn't mind the pace.”

 

On playing Missouri after loss to Kansas helping his team…

“Most teams respond when they get beat. I told my team just the opposite. I know they wanted to play better that game and Mike Anderson is a great coach. When a team gets beat they use it as fire, especially in a rivalry game. They played how we would expect.”

 

On Pilgrim…

“His athleticism could keep up with Missouri really well. They played like a team that just got beat by Kansas.  It was their day. We just need to move on. We have a big game on Monday. Just forget about it. When you get the ball turned over that many times and they get that many three pointers there isn't speeches after the game. That sums it up pretty quick.”