Basketball Quotes – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2001
“It was a good week for us with another road win at Purdue,” O’Brien said. “We did not play our best game and Purdue deserves some credit for that. Then we played at Alabama against a very athletic team. We were happy to play that game against a very good team on the road.”
On crack down on physical play
“They (officials) have followed through with it,” O’Brien said. “Everyone has had to adjust. One of the things everyone has had to adjust to is the play on the perimeter with regards to hand checking. We have all had to make adjustments game-to-game and official-to-official. Some guys call hand-checking to the letter of the law and others not so much.”
On Ken Johnson’s adjustment to physical post play
“It has not just been Ken but all low post defenders across the board,” O’Brien said. “There is a fine line in what (officials) are going to call and not call. Playing in the low post is very difficult. It is almost impossible to guard in the low post.”
Johnson foul trouble last two games
“We are not doing anything differently,” O’Brien said. “I just think it is the way the last two games have played out. He does not play the last six minutes of the first half (vs. Alabama) and that is where we lost ground. He has been very careful all year long but he has had two very difficult games where he has found himself in foul trouble.”
Playing two Big Ten teams from Illinois this week
“Illinois presents a major challenge at any time during the season with regards to how good they are. They deserve their Top 5 ranking. They are every bit as tough a team we have played all year. They are very good inside. They rebound and guard well. They have a ton of depth. That is one team that can sub at three or four positions and not have a drop off.”
“Northwestern always is a tough team to play against. I know they struggled shooting in their last game vs. Wisconsin, like a lot of teams tend to do. (Northwestern) is tough at home. It is a tough team to play against at home. They beat Iowa already and are certainly capable of beating us.”
