Men’s Basketball Quotes – Jan. 26, 2007 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2007
On Ivan Harris
“We have been working with Ivan (Harris) on his concentration all year. We want to have him focus in as a senior and take great pride in the things he can do for this team. He has expanded things in his game this year and we need to continue to do that.”
On Ohio State
“Once again, everyday Greg (Oden) gets a little bit better. I still don’t think we’ve seen the best of Greg but he is starting to show he is more comfortable and confident. We are getting the ball to him, but a lot of times you have to go with what the defense is giving you and then make adjustments. Mike (Conley Jr.) has been consistent for us this year. I think it is because he has a tremendously high basketball IQ and a great feel for the game. I don’t think our team is where we want it, but I am happy in the direction we are heading because we are gaining more confidence on offense and defense. Now guys take great pride in what they are doing on each possession because they are getting a better feel of what we are trying to do.”
On the “White Out”
“I think it is a great thing for our program. With the “White Out” and ESPN here for College GameDay, we can look and say this is a good step for our program. It’s an exciting time when are fans come out and support the program and I anticipate tomorrow night being one of those times.”
On the hype for tomorrow’s game
“It hasn’t affected us badly. I haven’t noticed with the guys. Honestly, they are not involved. Tomorrow will be a regular day. We will come in four or five hours before the game and shoot and then eat. It will be a regular game day.”
On the Northwestern game
“We weren’t mentally as ready as we needed to be in the game. We learned that we can make plays down the stretch. We had a couple of guys that were able to do that.”
On MSU’s Drew Neitzel
“Number one we know he can score and will take a lot of shots. We just have to make it difficult, block as many as we can and just hope that it doesn’t go in.”
Greg Oden, freshman center
On excitement for tomorrow’s game
“It will be a hard game and a tough game to win. We just need to go out there and play really hard. There will be a lot of people watching. We just need to play hard every possession.”
On expected atmosphere in Value City Arena
“It is going to be crazy. We just have to be us as a team and play hard.”
On lesson’s learned at Northwestern
“We just have to be ready to play even if we have played them before. They will still come out and play hard. Every team is capable of winning.”
Ivan Harris, senior forward
On shooting a game winning shot
“I’m comfortable taking shots and I will take one for the team to win. I’m a shooter and if the shot is there I’ll take it.”
On the Northwestern game
“We started off sluggish. Coach told us we weren’t ready when we came out of the huddle. He did get on us in practice today though.”
On Michigan State
“They will put big guys low and have nice guards. We will just need to keep up with them and rebound.”
Ron Lewis, senior guard
On rivalry with Michigan State
“Yeah, it is a rivalry because these two teams always battle, here or there. A lot of it deals with pride and we will have to defend our home court.”
On Ivan Harris
“Ivan has worked on his game a lot and is focused before the games. He wants to get better and work on his game.”
On playing at home
“Everybody will play their best game when they come here. Everybody wants a big win on someone else’s home court. They will come in with a chip on their shoulder and we just need to work to defend our home court.”
