OU-Oral Roberts Quotes

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Head Coach Lon Kruger
Opening comment:
“What a good win for a game that had a lot of pace to it and a lot of possessions. We had just six turnovers. That's a good number. The guys were working on valuing possessions and getting good shots each time down. I thought good-shots-per-possession were very high tonight. I like that. I thought the defensive effort was pretty consistent throughout. The guys were moving the ball well. It's good progress, a good step forward, and we have, obviously, more work to do.”

On TaShawn Thomas' fast start:
“It was very important. I thought he established early that we could go to the post and make them make some adjustments as far as helping and doubling down. Again, TaShawn and Ryan are very good at passing out of the post so our perimeter guys know that they are likely to get it back when it goes in there. TaShawn establishing that early was big for the game.”

On if their biggest improvement from last year to this year is defense:
“I'm pretty sure. Clearly, we are totally different defensively. We're not giving up as many good looks, clear path drives, and our transition is much more solid. We're a year older and, more importantly, we understand with a year of additional experience how much we have to improve defensively and how important that is. They guys have handled that well in practice.”

On point guard Jordan Woodard's performance in the last two games:
“He is giving guys a lot of good opportunities and a lot of good looks. He is attacking in transition, getting in the paint, kicking it, and finishing his opportunities when they're there. He's doing a really good job of keeping the pressure on the defense and keeping his teammates involved.”

On Khadeem Lattin's performance:
“It was good to see him do that. Khadeem is just going to get more and more comfortable each week. Going against these guys every day in practice really helps him. They have worked hard on helping him to continue to improve and play with a little more physical nature. He is doing that. He was facing up and knocking down some jumpers tonight, blocking a shot or two, rebounding the ball, all things Khadeem can do. It's good to see him continue to grow.”

On if Dinjiyl Walker's shoulder is OK:
“He is. He is a little sore over there. He could have gone back if we needed him. It was better to just keep ice on it. I think he will be sore tomorrow probably, but I wouldn't expect him to miss Saturday.”

On if it is tough for a team to play three times in four days like Oral Roberts:
“No question. I appreciate that (ORU coach Scott Sutton) didn't use it as an excuse, but it's real. In the second half, I thought it really became a factor. Three games in four days is tough. I'm sure his club wasn't as fresh as they would like to be.”

Junior Guard Buddy Hield
On getting his confidence back with a good shooting performance tonight:
“Yeah, I'm a little relieved. I still need to come in and shoot more, and thanks to my teammates finding me for the open shot. TaShawn (Thomas) found me in the corner once, and I think Ryan (Spangler) or Jordan (Woodard) hit me in an open spot in the corner. It helped me find my confidence. I was able to get a couple transition buckets to get going. Hats off to my teammates for finding me in good spots.”

Junior Forward Ryan Spangler
On dominating on the interior:
“We've been practicing it every day. If it is one-on-one, take it. If it isn't then kick it out and get an open shot for a guard. I think we are just taking smart shots right now. We are taking what they are giving us, and I think that's why we're hitting shots.”

Senior Forward TaShawn Thomas
On if he hurt his wrist diving for a loose ball in the second half:
“It's a little sore. It'll be all right though. It won't affect me playing or anything.”

Head Coach Scott Sutton
Opening comment:
“Tough night. Oklahoma played really well and we played really bad. We played with no effort, we didn't compete and I thought they (OU) did a great job. The two biggest keys to the game were transition defense and not turning the ball over and we were awful in both. They got going early in the game – got some easy baskets and some dunks. Disappointed in our guys. I'm not going to use – and I told them they better not use – the excuse that it's their third game in four days because this was a great opportunity to play in. They are one of the best teams in the country, national TV, a lot of Oklahoma guys are on this team and they should have been fired up to play this game and we weren't. I don't know why. We've got to put it behind us. We played really good basketball Saturday night and Monday night and we've got a game Saturday at Memphis and we've got to get this thing straightened out. Oklahoma, again, is a great basketball team. The reason that they are, in my opinion, better than they were last year, is because their defense is much better. Their bench has continued to get better – (Khadeem) Lattin was really good tonight. Some of those guys can contribute. This is a team that could win a Big 12 championship and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.”

On if he had a sense before the game that his team was flat:
“Not really. If this were just another game, I probably would have. But looking up and down our roster, we've got a bunch of guys from Oklahoma and this is one of the state's schools. It's a ranked team – and I've taken a lot of teams into these situations and our guys have always competed. I thought that that would be enough to get through the little bit of fatigue that these guys might have felt, but obviously, for whatever reason, we didn't play very well.”

On if he thinks the local guys were trying too hard to make an impression:
“I don't know. Obi (Emegano) has been so good at times this year. He's had some huge games and then other games he has kind of played like he did tonight. I don't know if it's – he had knee surgery about a year ago, he still gets a little bit sore – but it's hard to figure it out. He has played against (former high school teammate and current Tulsa guard) James Woodard twice and he's been the best player on the floor both games. I don't think it's one of those deals where, ' I'm going against Jordan (Woodard)' nerves. He just didn't play well. Didn't have the energy. They did a good job – they switched on some screens – and obviously it was a key to the defensive game plan and we really just didn't get any good looks.”

On playing three games in four days:
“Well, our game got postponed last Sunday and believe me, I wouldn't have done this but we didn't have a choice. We had to get that game scheduled last night and our Saturday and Monday games were the most important games to us because they were home games and they were winnable games. We knew this would be tough regardless if we had a week to prepare, two weeks to prepare, or a month. They are a good basketball team, we knew we were going to have to play great and they were going to have to play flat. But it was kind of the opposite – they played great and we came out a little flat and that's the disappointing part.”

On how big of a game-changer forward TaShawn Thomas is in his opinion:
“He's good, a tough matchup. He's a guy that can put the ball on the floor, he's strong, he can shoot it. He is just another weapon. They've got really good guards and (Ryan) Spangler does what he does – but TaSawn is a guy that, in my opinion, gives them a chance. Not only to win the Big 12 but gives them a chance, if they get a few breaks in the NCAA tournament and get some favorable draws, they can get a deep run. They've got great guard play – guys that can shoot it and they rebound pretty well. It's a little bit surprising they are not a better rebounding team, especially on the offensive end. They are averaging about ten and with the athletes and their size – and they hadn't been shooting the ball particularly well coming into this game – I was surprised they didn't get more offensive rebounds throughout the season. But if you can defend and you've got multiple guys that can score, obviously that makes them a really good basketball team.”

On freshman big man Albert Owens:
“He's had some good games for us. He's had some big moments in big games; he came into the Tulsa game and got two big baskets. Big minutes against good players – that should give him some confidence. He's going to be a good player for us. He's a nice freshman that's still learning, but going against Ryan (Spangler) and TaShawn (Thomas) and even (Khadeem) Lattin, I was impressed with him. To go against them and compete and do some things, it should give him a lot of confidence.”