Post Game Quotes
12/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2010
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Mizzou Head Coach Mike Anderson
On his 100th win at Mizzou:
"Well how about that. I tell you what, that's a tribute to our coaching staff and our players. Those guys came in taking this coach at his word. That's a tribute to those guys and their hard work, and getting the right guys. I feel proud of those guys, and in this business here, you got to be thankful."
On coming back after Christmas break:
"You know there's going to be some rustiness, but at the same time I thought our guys came out fighting. We made some shots, but at the same time I thought our defense attacked the glass and set the tone at the start of the ball game."
"I thought Matt played the game with a sense of urgency. He was aggressive offensively to start the ball game, and that's a carry over from the last four minutes against Illinois. You take that last four minutes against Illinois into tonight's game and that's the type of basketball we've come to expect here at Missouri. Matt continues to play the game the right way, it just takes a little while to get his feel with a new team, a new group of guys. And he's comfortable now, and guys are comfortable playing with him."
On Ricardo Ratliffe continuing his strong play:
"He's really playing within himself. He really gives us a strong presence inside and plays to his strengths. He's a very good passer of the basketball and he's been shooting the ball real well. He just continues to get better everyday."
Mizzou Basketball Player Quotes
On head coach Mike Anderson's 100th win:
"For most of us, we came here on just the word of Coach Anderson. Missouri basketball wasn't too hot when we came in, but we trusted him. Just to be a part of him winning 100 games is special to me and the other guys. It's paying off for Coach Anderson, so just to be a part of that is special for all of us."
On the reason for their success tonight:
"Coach has been really getting on us that we're not playing with the toughness that we need, and that we're playing kind of soft. Although we've been winning, he's stressed that we haven't been playing with a sense of urgency. That was one of our points of emphasis, and rebounding was as well. Tonight we had guards even getting five rebounds, and Justin [Safford] and Ricardo [Ratliffe] were both close to ten. I couldn't even get any myself because they were in there getting all of them. That was one of the things we stressed and it worked out well for us, so we ended up beating the team by a pretty decent margin."
On Matt Pressey's career game:
"He's adjusting well. He showed what he was capable today. He's one of our more athletic guards and he showed that today. It's really not only Matt, but also Ricardo and Ricky - all of those guys are adjusting to their roles. On any given night, Matt could explode for 18 and on any night Ricky could go for double figures. Those guys are a big boost to the team, and I think our bench is a big strength to our team again this year."
On the team's momentum during the game:
"Justin [Safford] started it easily, with his 8 points in just a few seconds. We just jumped on his back... he's our senior captain. Once he did that I think he began that sense of urgency for us, and it just took off from there and we didn't look back. We didn't celebrate like the Georgetown game. We played the beginning of this game the way we played the end of the Illinois game. It was a good carry over, and I'm glad it was, because it could have been a carry over from Christmas dinner and having two days off."
On his goals for the game:
"I talked to Coach before the game and he just emphasized to me to be a little more aggressive and assertive. Coming into this game, I wanted to be assertive on the defensive and offensive end, so that was my mindset coming into the game."
On his increased role on the team today:
"My brother going down hurt us in a way, but it meant that I had to step up. Coach put me in the role of a point guard a lot more. After talking to Coach, I just tried to run the team and really be aggressive on both ends."
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On shutting down Xavier Silas:
"He's the head of their team and the coaches told us that. A lot of guys took to heart that he's the head of their team, and that we just needed to cut him off and make other people try to make plays and score. I think our guards did a really good job on him tonight."
