OU-TCU Postgame Quotes

Return to Recap

Head Coach Lon Kruger
Opening comment:
“Really a hard fought game from the start. I thought that TCU did a really good job. Trent [Johnson] has them playing at a really high level. They led there in the first half. I thought we came out in the second half and played with a little more snap to our step. We moved the ball better and made some plays down the stretch and got some stops. Again, I thought TCU played great. Really proud of our guys for hanging in there and made plays like we needed to, especially down the stretch.”

On what he tells his guys when offense isn't coming easy in games:
“That's what it is about in these games. You just have to work harder. Work harder to get open, work harder to set a good screen. You have to work harder to get the results that you want. It is all about grinding, staying in there and trusting each other and making plays for each other. We got a couple of really good extra passes in the second half that led to buckets. That was a big key in the game.”

On how he feels that his team is playing:
“I think like a lot of teams in the Big 12, every game is going to be a grind. I don't think there is an expectation of winning any of them easy. We are playing good teams that are playing well. If we were playing teams that weren't playing well then we wouldn't feel as good, probably, and have to do better. We need to do things better and sharper, but again our opponents are doing the same thing. To respond to your question though, we need to be better, but realize that it is not easy to do that in the Big 12.”

On if he thought TCU had more spring in its step to begin the game:
“I thought TCU had more spring than we did, and we never want that. TCU has been gaining momentum and gaining confidence. I think our guys realized obviously at halftime that we had to outmatch their energy. I don't think we did in the first half, and you never like that. A lot of teams are trying to play with more energy than we are, too. I feel like we win a lot of those battles. When we don't it is obviously disappointing, but that's what happens against good people. We would like that not to happen, for sure.”

On if he sees anything different now in close games compared to earlier in the season:
“The difference in close games is you make a shot here, get a stop there. There is a lot of confidence that contributes to that, too. I think that when you win a game or two that is close, you have a little more confidence for the next time you get in a close game. You can get that bucket or go get that defensive board. That difference is a fine line there. I think when we were tied today, TaShawn [Thomas] got back-to-back buckets and all of a sudden we are playing up four instead of down four. That's what the swing is.”

On if it is a challenge to have a week off at this point in the season:
“It is good to have a wee k off, but on the other side of it, you haven't played for a while so it is a bit unusual in terms of your rhythm maybe. In terms of that, you are playing every third or fourth day. That could contribute a little, but I think it was more about TCU than that. I thought TCU played well.”

On the emotions the past few weeks with the race in the Big 12 conference:
“The Big 12, if you are going to be in the race, it is going to be tough. It has been tough all of the way through. Our guys are focused, and we have been talking since January 1 that we just have to keep getting better. Regardless if we win a game or lose, we have to improve. This group has been a good group in practice and they have continued to work at it. Hopefully that is contributing to some good results here in the last month. The next one is tough, and the guys will approach it the same way they have the last few.”

Junior Guard Buddy Hield
On his level of concern during the team's recent stretch of close games:
“The Big 12 is tough so there's going to be games like that. TCU came in this time with a stronger team and hit us first. We put ourselves in that situation, but we were able to storm back in the second half.”

On how the team has been able to turn around its fortune in close games:
“It's always nice to have guys like TaShawn (Thomas) that you can throw the ball down to and get a bucket. Jordan (Woodard) is doing a great job attacking the paint and drawing fouls and Coach is doing a great job of giving us the confidence to do all that. Going into the (postseason), that's something we'll need.”

On how he was able to get out of his shooting slump and if he's ever bothered by a slump:
“Sometimes the slumps bother me, but I just stay in the gym putting up shots to get comfortable. It was good for me to get out of my slump today. I was able to shoot the ball with confidence and I got great support from my teammates and coaches.”

On his thoughts about getting a career high in rebounds:
“Oh you like that? Yeah, it was good. This week we worked a lot on box-out drills and it paid off today.”

On how he feels going into Iowa State:
“Just have to stay focused. We know what they're capable of doing and we just have to be ready for a good game come Monday. We want that game badly and we need it badly, so we expect to win.”

Senior Forward TaShawn Thomas
On his level of concern during close games:
“I feel like it's kind of a good thing to play games like this. Nobody wants to lose, but when you know that you've fought hard through a tough game it makes the feeling of getting that win even sweeter.”

On the adjustments he made in the second half:
“Just slowing down. I felt like in the first half I was going too early on screens and just not allowing my teammates to get set. When I was able to set screens and just sit down in the post was when I got my shots.”

On why the team came out stagnant:
“I'm not sure why we came out sluggish, but I feel like during halftime we came together and knew we had to fight harder. We kept saying the first four minutes of the second half were the most important, so we knew if we came out strong that we'd be able to come back.”

On his late game execution:
“The guys just kept getting me the ball. They kept telling me to go to work and I just knew there was going to come a time where I needed to step up.”

On how the team feels going down the stretch of the season:
“We've been talking about that a lot as a team. Right now I just feel like we need to focus on Monday, going up to Ames and getting that win.”

TCU Head Coach Trent Johnson
Opening comment:
“I thought we played well. I thought we played extremely hard. Until the last four minutes, I thought we were in position to win the game and then they did a good job getting to the free throw line and we didn't. So tip your hat to them. I thought our kids showed great courage. This is probably the fifth game that we played pretty well (and lost). Kansas was a tough loss. This is a tough loss.”

On what the difference was at the end of the game:
“Well, throughout the whole game – we've got a baseline series where we call 'X' – we put the ball in Kyan (Anderson)'s hands, Trey (Zeigler)'s hands and they did a good job. They did a good job getting some post touches so I thought Oklahoma made an adjustment going to the zone so we got back out of it. But still we were able to get into the lane and were where we needed to be but we just didn't finish plays. They did a good job. We put a lot of pressure to get to the free throw line and we were in position, but we didn't get to the line. If you look at the game, it was 48-48 and they went to the line more times than we did.”

Players Mentioned

Buddy Hield

TaShawn Thomas

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics