Men’s Basketball Quotes and Notes vs. UMBC – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach
On UMBC’s shooting
“They were incredible from behind the arc. I give our guys credit for making our own shots and taking care of the ball.”
On the OSU defense
“I don’t think we played to the level we needed to. They kept making shots and we kept thinking that they weren’t going to go in.”
On the progress made in the last three weeks
“We’re making strides but I reminded them going into the new year that we must keep getting better going into the Big Ten season.”
On the start of the Big Ten season
“It’s a shift of the mind. I’ve reminded them that we’re only worried about one team and that’s Illinois.”
Jamar Butler, senior guard
On the tempo of the game
“It is a fun game when you get to go up and down the court and put a lot of shots up. They played great and never gave up. You have to take your hat off to them.”
On being in a shooting rhythm
“I’m getting better; I’m not there yet. I’ll take tomorrow off and come back in Monday and get to work. I want to continue getting better.”
On Jon Diebler
“Jon stepped up. I think he knocked down five 3s tonight. We’re working on his shot and it’s paying off.”
Kosta Koufos, freshman center
On having success rebounding
“We came in with a mindset that every shot we put up could be missed, so Othello and I and the rest of the big men worked on rebounding and it paid off.”
On the Big Ten season
“We have great senior leadership. We have to play harder and practice and play with a tougher mindset. Hopefully we have a great Big Ten season.”
Othello Hunter, senior forward
On getting the ball in the post against the Big Ten Conference
“They have tougher guys and bigger guys. It’s important to establish a post game to get an inside out presence.”
Randy Monroe, UMBC Head Coach
On the performance of UMBC
“First off, I’m extremely proud of our guys. We played terrific, especially in the second half. Our guys didn’t quit and although we fell short we came out of here with a lot of valuable game experience.”
On breaking the Ohio State zone
“I thought the key was ball movement and player movement. It’s hard for zones to shift and when you extend them you open up penetration into the lane. We were able to come up with some good looks by doing that tonight.”
On their game plan
“Their scheme relies heavily on dumping the ball to the post and using their strength inside. Our guys did a good job of getting down and making some good stops in the post, but when you play an Ohio State, you have to give up something. We decided to give up the outside shot, and they exploited that.”
Ray Barbosa, UMBC guard
On his shooting
“I found my stroke tonight. The last couple of games it’s been off. Coach had confidence in me and told me to put the ball up tonight. I had some good looks and I made my shots.”
On coming back to within six points late in the game
“They have had some tough matchups recently, and went to the national title game last year, but I think we put some fear into their hearts after we cut the lead to six. At the end, I was in a flow and tried to create some opportunities. It didn’t happen and we fell short.”
Postgame Notes
With the win, Ohio State is now 2-0 all-time against University of Maryland Baltimore Country and improves its record against the America East Conference to 3-1.
Senior Jamar Butler, senior Othello Hunter and freshman Kosta Koufos all recorded double-doubles Saturday. Butler tallied 22 points and 12 assists for his second double-double of the season. Hunter recorded his double-double with 13 points and 10 points. Koufos recorded his on 12 rebounds and 12 points. Koufos now has three double doubles on the season and has recorded double-doubles in back-to-back games. This is just the 15th time in Ohio State history three players have recorded double-doubles in the same game. Ohio State is 14-1 in those games. The last time Ohio State had three players record a double-double in one game was 30 years ago to the day on Dec. 29 1977, when Herb Williams (16 pts./13 rebs.), Jim Ellinghausen (11/12) and Ken Page (24/11) all notched double-doubles against LaSalle in an 86-83 win.
The 92 points for the Buckeyes is a season high, the most in a regular-season game since the season opener a year ago when the Scarlet and Gary defeated VMI 107-69 Nov. 10.
Butler improved his career free throw percentage going 9-9 from the free throw line. Butler now has a career free throw percentage of 84.5 (174-206). Butler is No. 3 all-time in career free throw percentage and is behind Jody Finney (.862/165-197) for second.
The win is the 90th career victory of seniors Jamar Butler and Matt Terwilliger’s careers. The two seniors are only eight wins behind Richard Reasbeck and Douglas McDonald for the most career wins by a single class in Ohio State history.
Freshman Evan Turner has connected on 15 of his last 17 free throw attempts. Turner connected on 10-12 free throw attempts against UMBC en route to a career high in points with 17.
Ohio State connected on 10 3-point baskets for the fourth time this season. The Buckeyes are now 28-6 under Matta when hitting 10 or more 3-point baskets. The Scarlet and Gray have made at least 10 3-point field goals in three of its last four games.
During the last four games freshman Jon Diebler has been on a 3-point tear. Diebler has connected on 14-23 3-point shots. Diebler has recorded two double-figure games since coming off the bench.
Since becoming the Buckeye sixth man, Diebler has seen his scoring average improve from 6.6 ppg. as a starter to 10.6 ppg. as a reserve.
With the win Ohio State is now 26-0 when senior forward Matt Terwilliger scores at least four points.
At the helm of the Buckeyes, Matta is 40-6 in regular-season non-conference games.
Butler continues to establish himself as one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in Ohio State history. Butler had another solid game on Saturday going 3-8 from behind the arc. Butler already is the all-time leader in made 3-point field goals and is seventh in career 3-point field goal percentage. Butler is behind Chris Jent (.382, 172-293, 1989-92) for sixth-place all-time.
Ohio State led 49-37 at halftime Saturday. The Buckeyes have won 39 of their last 42 games when leading at halftime and is 77-9 when leading at the halfway mark under Matta.
Butler dished out a career high12 assists in the contest for a career total of 428, good for No. 3 on the all-time career list. The senior surpassed Ohio State radio personality Ron Stokes (1982-85/419) for No. 5, Troy Taylor (1982-85/421) for No. 4, and Mark Baker (1990-92/424) for No. 3 on the career assist chart. Butler is now 47 assists behind Curtis Wilson (1984, 1986-87/475) for No. 2 all-time. During his tenure at Ohio State, the Buckeyes are 46-8 when Butler has four or more assists.
Butler has scored in double figures in 10 of 12 games this season and has been in double digits in all eight of the Buckeyes’ home game this season.
