Postgame Quotes: Ohio State 74, Louisiana Tech 82 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2015
POSTGAME QUOTES
Ohio State 74 (2-2), Louisiana Tech 82 (4-0)
Nov 24, 2015
Value City Arena – Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 11,572
Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach
On the loss today
“I think this team has to find itself. I think that we have to look at our weaknesses, admit that we have them, and find ways to correct them. I told them after the game that we have to do a better job teaching you how to play, but more importantly how to think the game.”
On the style of play tonight
“Unfortunately it wasn’t a big man’s game tonight. We had to counter the small ball. It was one of those [games] where they were playing five guards out there and we had to counter that as well.”
On the message to the team
“Just chip away. We’re not going to score six points on one shot. It’s put the ball in the basket on one end and going down, locking down and getting steals and getting rebounds … whatever we need to do to get the stop.”
On the play of Daniel Giddens
“I thought Daniel was pretty good tonight. He’s one guy that you can look out there on the floor and you know who he’s playing for. You know how important [the game is], the passion.”
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State forward
On what went wrong for Ohio State
“We’re playing a little bit harder but we’re not thinking on offense or defense how we should. We’re not making a second or third rotation. We’re not making a second or third pass. We’re not thinking the way we should be thinking.”
On Ohio State’s difficulty to improve the team’s problem areas
“It definitely gets us down when we try to work on it. Credit to the other team. They played a good game and scouted us pretty well. We’ve got to get down on turnovers and make more free throws.”
Jae’Sean Tate, Ohio State forward
On what the Buckeyes need to do differently
“We’ve got to stop trying to make the big play and just make the right play. That’s where a lot of turnovers come from. We’ve just got to play a smarter game. Free throws are all mental. We’ve got to get up there and think we’re going to make it, and we’ll make it. We work too hard on our free throws to miss like that.”
On Ohio State’s response when the game was tied
“We showed a little bit of toughness, but we’re still not where we need to be. We can’t relax. It felt like we relaxed when we tied it up. We just have to learn for the remainder of the year to keep the foot on the pedal. We have to keep those runs going and at the defensive end dig even deeper.”
Eric Konkol, Louisiana Tech head coach
On the victory
“I was really proud of our guys effort. It was a big test for us, coming into an environment like this and having the chance to play a really talented team.”
On the overall performance
“We have a group of guys with a lot of confidence and a very aggressive mentality; they love competition and their not afraid of big moments. “
On the Ohio State Team
“I think anytime you watch a team you see strengths and weaknesses and you try to attack those weaknesses but this is a very talented team, a lot of guys with a lot of different skills and abilities. They’re young but they’re very well coached and we knew we were going to get a great effort. “
