Postgame Quotes From No. 7 Ohio State vs. Northwestern – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2007
Recap | Box Score | Notes
Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach
On guard Mike Conley Jr.
“Mike played a very good game. He is one of the best players I’ve seen in analyzing and saying, `this needs to be done’. He tuned into the kind of defense they were playing. He did a great job of moving the ball around.”
On the game tonight
“It was a great team effort. Everyone did a good job with what we wanted to do going into it. It was a great move towards what we want to do defensively. It was a great team win.”
On Greg Oden
“Northwestern was sinking in – they were focused on where he was. He was great defensively.”
On the team’s progress
“We have been trying to get balance and to perform as a team. I felt like we were able to do that tonight. We want to get where we are sharing the ball. I did not like the eight turnovers in the first half, but we turned it around.”
Jamar Butler, Ohio State junior guard
On scoring more points than usual
“We knew they were going to come out with that 1-3-1 zone. Both Mike (Conley) and I broke down their defense and found each other for open shots on the perimeter.”
Mike Conley, freshman guard
On being more comfortable shooting the ball
“It was just a matter of time really. The coaches have been on me in practice to shoot the ball more so once the first few went in tonight, I stayed confident and kept shooting the ball.”
On Greg Oden not getting many shots
“We knew coming in that the way they play he might not get many shots but it doesn’t bother him at all. That’s why he is the great player that he is.”
Bill Carmody, Northwestern head coach
On Ohio State’s performance without a big game form freshman center Greg Oden
“This team won the Big Ten last year without him (Greg Oden). So I wasn’t surprised when the rest of their guys had a big game offensively.”
On Greg Oden’s presence on defense
“He has a dominating presence on defense. He affects the game in many ways even when he’s not scoring. When we would get into the lane he would affect our guys’ shots even if he didn’t block them.”
On Ohio State’s shooting on the night
“It’s not like they have one guy who can shoot. They have three starters who can shoot, then they have (Daequan) Cook who comes off the bench and can shoot it pretty well, too. They are really tough to guard.”
On his team’s offensive performance in the first half
“I didn’t think we were getting good shots. And when we did, they weren’t going in. we seemed robotic in the first half.”
