Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
2/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2006
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Northwestern Head Coach Bill Carmody
Opening Statement:
"It's a very good win for us because we have not beat anyone in our conference that is in that upper echelon. I am just really happy for our guys to be able to come back. (Iowa) is a tough team, a very experienced team and a physical team. I am very, very happy. We have been fighting back-Indiana, Michigan State-where we dug ourselves a hole. Michigan State was just too deep and away at Indiana we played decently but not well enough to win. This was a big, big win for us because we have not had any big wins in the conference against those top tier teams."
On Northwestern's offensive success in the last ten minutes of the game ...
"I thought our guys were more focused. We were trying to get the ball to Vedran a lot and let Mike Jenkins and Mohamed penetrate. If you don't make those shots, and we made a bunch of three's there, then it does not look like your offense is so good. Shooting is an important factor in this game and we made some tonight. It seems like that was the difference."
On Northwestern never being out of the game ...
"Both teams turned the ball over a lot. It seemed like we scored then turned it over. I thought they did the same thing. They had a nine-point lead and they are playing pretty decently being away from home and up nine. Things just went right for us after that."
On Evan Seacat's three pointer late in the second half ...
"Two years ago, Jan Jagla, whacked him and he got a concussion. The guy has been snake bitten. He's had a sport's hernia. Whatever you can have, that kid has had. We had to have somebody else make a shot. He did not have to make that shot. It was not like we were up ten or down ten. That brought us within one. That was a major shot."
On Michael Jenkins' play ...
"He was good. He made a big play there on the missed shot and then he threw it off Haluska's leg (at the end of the game). It was about a 12-foot shot that I thought was going in. It bounced around and the smallest guy on the floor got it and threw it off Haluska's leg. It was a big play for us."
Iowa Head Coach Steve Alford
Opening Statement...
"Again we were in the same scenario. In the last five minutes they were the tougher basketball team. They got the stops they needed in the last five minutes and we did not. They made free throws down the stretch and we did not, and that enabled them to win the game."
On his team's chance to tie the game at the end of regulation...
"They did a lot of switching, so we tried to make a read on that. He (Adam Haluska) made a pretty good read, got a decent shot off, and it just did not go."
On his team's ball-handling...
"We did not handle the ball well in either half. We had 17 turnovers, which is not an abundance of turnovers, but it is about five more than we average. They were ill-timed and we had too many stretches of empty possessions."
On his team's difficulties in Welsh-Ryan Arena...
"It must have something to do with it, because we have not had very much success here. Obviously that has a lot to do with the players in Northwestern's locker room. They did not lead until the last minute of the game, but they hung around. You have to give them credit for doing the things they needed to win."
On the officiating...
"It was just a loosely called game. We came on the road and got 27 free throw attempts. We missed some key ones, especially in the second half when we could have taken seven-to-eight point leads and that would have made the game different."
On Vedran Vukusic...
"He is a tough kid. He can really shoot the basketball and he had his way with us tonight. We knew coming in that games where they had won and played well Vukusic and (Mohamed) Hachad have scored. We controlled his shot well, but we just do not have an answer for him. We do not have a guy on our team that can guard him and that makes him a really tough matchup for us."
