Post Game Quotes Ohio State vs. Texas Tech – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2004
Recap| Box Score| Notes
Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien
On the Sunday’s game
“I thought we didn’t guard them for the whole game. We had a hard time defending them and we had no answer for Emmett. We still found ourselves in a position to win but there were key defensive possessions when we needed stops and didn’t get them.”
On Ohio State’s offense vs. Texas Tech’s interior defense
“It was easier offensively than I thought it would be. We got the ball inside and had opportunities. They are rangy, but those are plays you have to make to beat a good team.”
On Texas Tech Head Coach Bob Knight
“My affection for him has been well-documented. He’s been very good to me. I like playing his teams. They present a tremendous challenge. I personally like the guy. I think he’s done a lot of good for college basketball. I’m happy the guy considers me a friend.”
On the home crowd
“This was a great atmosphere today. The fans were terrific. We played really hard, but we didn’t play well.”
Senior Center Velimir Radinovic
On how well Ohio State maximized their rebounds and points
“I do not think we maximized as well as what we could. We got some great looks at the basket, though we shot horrible. We cannot shoot like that against a team like Texas Tech.”
On Texas Tech’s second chance shots
“The entry was not denied. I give credit to them. They are a great team and showed that they are one of the top teams in the nation.”
On the shooting performance in the game
“Coach has always told us that we need to make our shots and our free throws. We just need to continue to practice hard and get ready for our next opponents.” Freshman guard Nick Dials:
On guarding Texas Tech’s Andre Emmett
“He (Emmett) ran the baseline quickly. We had a hard time stopping him and it was tough trying to match-up with him. He got in the paint and made the shots.”
On being a walk-on and playing 34 minutes
“I have always felt welcome at Ohio State. I love these guys and I feel comfortable where I am. It feels no different than when I first came in the summer.”
Texas Tech Head Coach Bobby Knight
On returning to Ohio State
“I think people have always been good to me here. I think there were a lot of people here who maybe rooted against me when I was playing here but for me whenever we played everybody else.”
On Ohio State freshman guard Nick Dials
“He’s a tough kid. He’s going to be a really good player. He scraps and he scrambles. He looks like a defensive back.”
On returning to Ohio State
“I think people have always been good to me here. I think there were a lot of people here who maybe rooted against me when I was playing here but for me whenever we played everybody else.”
On Ohio State freshman guard Nick Dials
“He’s a tough kid. He’s going to be a really good player. He scraps and he scrambles. He looks like a defensive back.”
On the game
“Ohio State is a very good team. They played very well in the first half but in the second half we probably played some of our best basketball all season. I think the reason we were able to pull out this game was because we did play our best half all season. One of the things we really need to improve on is our offensive rebounding. We shot well but they had 26 more shots than we did.”
On Ohio State
“If they play this well this season they are going to be a tough team to beat. If they had sunk a few more shots and had made some more of their free throws they could have won. They were a tough to beat despite missing some key shots.”
Junior guard Ronald Ross
On the defensive effort
“We tried to stay in the passing lanes as much as we could. We tried to beat them to spots and I think we did a nice job defensively.”
On the play of senior Andre Emmett
“Andre will always step up. He is a great leader and he brings a lot to the team.”
On Coach Knight’s return to Ohio State
“When we came into Ohio State we could tell that coach Knight was happy to be back in Columbus, so we just wanted to come out and play hard to keep him that way.”
Senior Robert Tomaszek
On the Red Raiders hot shooting
“When we come into practice we always like to get in early to shoot around so that everybody is able to shoot the ball well.”
