Texas A&M 84, Mizzou 69 - Postgame Quotes

Mizzou Head Coach Kim Anderson

Opening statement…
"I thought Texas A&M played great, especially in the middle to late part of the first half. We didn't have an answer. We are certainly disappointed in our production on both ends of the floor. Obviously, we wanted to do a better job. Their three-point shooters really shot the ball well and that is something that didn't happen down in College Station. You have to give them credit. They have so many veteran players at different positions that I think they are a team who could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

On starting Tramaine Isabell…
"Cullen (VanLeer) didn't practice much the two days before the game. Tramaine played well today. It is better having somebody to bring off the bench who can score, but I thought he played well tonight. He played a little more under control than he has been. He has the ability to make plays. We always talk to him about the balance of when to pass and when to shoot, but he has played well two games in a row."

On Texas A&M's Tyler Davis…
"I could tell a lot of difference. He just takes up a lot of space. Texas A&M is a team that has so many weapons. Last time against them in College State, we zoned them quite a bit and they missed some shots. Tonight, we went to the zone a little late but I thought we were doing okay in man-to-man coverage. Just physically, Davis is such a big guy. He takes up a lot of space. He is one of those guys you really need to pay attention to when he is in the post."

On Namon Wright…
"I think Namon shot the ball well in previous games and they did a great job of not letting the ball get reversed from side to side. We did not do a good job of adjusting to that, so we had to go to more dribble stuff and high picks instead of executing a set or something to get the ball from side to side. I'm sure they realized who the outside shooting threat was and it was Namon and they did a good job of guarding him."

On LSU…
"They are a good team that has a lot of talent. It starts with Ben Simmons and the guys form last year. It will be a tough game. They have a 6-10 guard and our guard is 5-10. I am looking forward to going down and playing in Baton Rouge. We haven't played there in the last couple years. I know it will be a tough game since they have their backs against the wall in making the NCAA Tournament, so I know they will come out to play. 

Mizzou sophomore guard Tramaine Isabell

On playing well in his first start of the season….
"I feel like it comes from my teammates. I feel like my teammates have been telling me they have confidence in me and that allows me to go out there and not think too much. Coach Anderson and the coaching staff gave me the opportunity to start today and told me to focus on making the right plays and don't try to do too much. So I've just been trying to build on that."

On taking the floor against Ben Simmons on Tuesday….
"I'm looking to step on the floor against anyone. I mean obviously he's a projected No. 1 pick, but I think we're just focused on going there and coming out with a win. I don't think we're really too focused on going there and playing Ben Simmons."

Mizzou senior forward Ryan Rosburg

On if there was any difference in playing against Jalen Jones in this game…
"Just from past years playing against him, you know he's a stud, he can go off at any time. I don't exactly remember how much he scored or whatever at the game over there, but he's a great player and made some tough shots and did really well for them today."

On what makes Jalen Jones so tough….
"Just all around. He has so many weapons in his game. Face-ups, shooting jumpers, and driving by you, he's just so solid. Whenever he gets shots, he makes them. He's just an all-around great player."

On taking the floor against Ben Simmons on Tuesday….
"Yeah, I think he's a great player. Someday I think it'll be cool to tell my kids I played against him and hopefully beat him.  But we'll see, I mean I've played a lot of great players and don't really take him too differently. We are just going to try to win."

On how Ben Simmons is a unique challenge …
"He's like Jalen Jones tonight, he can attack you from all areas of the floor. Obviously, we'll have a couple days to prepare and hopefully do our best to contain him."

On what Tramaine Isabell added to the starting lineup….
"He gave us a good spark. A lot of good passes, made some shots for us. We are going to need that for the last couple games."

Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Kennedy

Opening Statement…
"I'm really proud of our team. It starts with our seniors and these two guys (Caruso & House). They did a tremendous job this week of preparing, staying focused, and respecting Missouri. When they came in here, we felt positive about the game before it started. Just because of these guys and the job they have done."

On his concerns about Missouri coming in…
"They play hard. They are a young team, who has been through a lot of adversity. It was 22-20, early in the first half, they were moving the ball, and they made shots. I just thought our guys, the maturity of our team, and just the relentlessness of our bench wore them down."

On what an SEC Championship would mean for the program….
"It would be tremendous for us. We have not won a team SEC Championship in men's sports yet, but just to be the first since we have been in the league would be impressive. I don't think A&M has won a conference championship since 1986, just a tournament championship. We talked about this at the beginning of the year. We have had things in front of us that these guys have bought in to and it starts with these seniors. Alex, and Jalen, who have been in the program a while, and Anthony Collins… it's all about the team. So, we have got to give them credit for that."

Texas A&M senior guard Danuel House

On the bench players "back-ups" going in…
"I wouldn't call them back-ups, just because we have a team full of starters. So to see Admon (Gilder), the freshman, and the sophomores come in and just pick up where we left off at, and give more energy, is very impressive.

On if they recovered from their brief losing streak…
"A little bit. We have recovered a little bit, but we are not at full strength yet. We are making strides to come back."

Texas A&M senior guard Alex Caruso

On where this team compares/ranks among the other Texas A&M teams he has been a part of….
"The most enjoyable team by far, and that is nothing against the teams in the past. But this team just seems to have a certain bond, and a certain chemistry both on and off the court, that is really special, and you can tell by the way we played tonight. I don't know how many total assists we had but we were sharing the ball, it was really unselfish and whoever was open took the shot. Nineteen assists, that's a really good number. It's just credit to our team being really close and I have a lot of fun playing with them."

On if they recovered from their brief losing streak…
"I think each game we have improved a little bit. I think whatever it has be we are just having fun with each other, and getting better each game."