Feb. 17, 2002
Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey
“It was a great college game and I take my hat off to Syracuse. We certainly had our hands full throughout the basketball game. We got it to five or six sometimes but couldn’t get that key defensive stop. They did a great job executing and I thought Williams was fabulous. He really played well and made some tough shots. But we had our chances, no question about it. I like our team, we are playing well. We haven’t gotten the results the last two games but we really won’t change a lot as we get ready for West Virginia.”
“They really did hurt us on the offensive boards, and getting second shots. We were so good (defensively) on ‘one-and-done’ situations the last couple weeks but they hurt us there. And they played fearlessly when they had to get it done.”
“I think we almost expect (the close games) now. We’ve been in so many key situations, some where we have executed very well. We didn’t do as well tonight. I though their zone bothered us for the last six minutes and we didn’t get into the gaps as much as we did in the first half and I think that definitely hurt us.”
“What I just told our guys, and my tone was a little bit like it was at Rutgers, was that we’re pretty good and we still have a lot to play for and we’re still in good position, so I don’t want anyone panicking. We have to get back to work tomorrow and try to get back on track against West Virginia.”
Notre Dame Player Quotes
Senior forward David Graves
On the last shot of the game . . . “They (Syracuse) just extended the zone. We needed a three pointer and they played completely out on the perimeter. They were staying high on the screens and it was a tough shot, but it was really all that we could get. Unfortunately, we came up a little short. Today, they just hit more shots than we did, and that is what forced us to have to make that shot.”
On the significance of the game… “This is a frustrating situation because now we have fallen to the next tier in our division. This was absolutely a huge game for us. Unfortunately, it comes down to the fact they hit one more three than we did.”
On assessing the rest of the season . . . “We just need to keep playing and not think about anything else. I believe we have proven ourselves against elite competition. We have to play as hard as we can right now and just let the chips fall where they may.”
On the upcoming game versus West Virginia . . . “West Virginia really scares me, especially with the coach dismissing himself this week. We can’t know how those kids are going to respond to that. They have had a tough season, but I know those guys don’t quit. They are a very athletic team that will play us real hard. One thing is for sure, we cannot afford many more losses.”
Boeheim On the game . . . . “We kept making good defensive stops and steals, which is hard to do against Notre Dame. Unfortunately, we were not able to convert anything off their turnovers. We finally went with DeShaun (Williams). We felt that we could get him open, coming off the pick and roll. He made two big three-pointers and that was the real difference in the game. In both road losses and home losses, we had not made those shots. Although we did not shoot well today, we finally made those shots when we had to. I think our defense in the second half was as good as it has been all year. The team gave us a nice lift in the first half. We battled pretty well on the boards. We did a good job playing (Matt) Carroll and (Chris) Thomas for the most part. We made a couple good plays at the end, but it really came down to making those three-pointers. We haven’t battled quite this hard with other teams on the road and we haven’t made key shots at the end. We are happy to come away with a win today.”
On rebounding. . . “(Ryan) Humphrey comes to get the ball, but if you can get the ball to the rim, he is going to block it. When this happens, it gives you a better chance to rebound it. We tried to keep getting some spacing. I think that there were several other times we could have gotten more offensive rebounds and other times when we got them and couldn’t convert.”
Playing in the Big East… “College basketball is crazy right now. If we can get beat by thirty, anything can happen. We have teams in our league that are tough and there is no easy win. We do not have just one number-one team. We have several teams that are very good and it makes coming off with a win at anytime more difficult.”
Syracuse Player Quotes
Junior guard/forward Kueth Duany
On difference in game… “Our defensive effort was the difference. We didn’t make any shots, we just buckle-downed on defense and made the stop whenever we needed to. Everybody made plays. Everybody got into the game today and made a contribution, from the eight or ninth man down to the first guy.”
On effective zone defense… “We’ve been going away from the zone and the coaches told us the zone got us where we were. It was just the effort we had to put in to help each other and be there for each other every play.”
On forcing 17 turnovers… “That’s just buckling down and having defensive intensity every play. Against Notre Dame, if you let them leave it open, they will kill you.”
Junior guard DeShaun Williams
On second-half surge… “In the second half today we played better defense. Usually in the second half, we run out of gas. These last few practices we have been trying to get in better shape.”
On defending Notre Dame guards… “We were just solid in the zone. We made them take tough shots and we did not go for pump fakes. They like to take stand-still shots and play really creative off the dribble. We got in the lanes and made them take tougher shots.”
On game’s implications for conference standings… “Right now we are in second in the West Division. We just have to keep playing, getting wins and that’s all we can do.”