{"id":5047,"date":"2013-02-16T22:07:28","date_gmt":"2013-02-17T03:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/?p=5047"},"modified":"2014-02-10T22:32:34","modified_gmt":"2014-02-11T03:32:34","slug":"maryland-83-duke-81-what-the-coaches-and-players-are-saying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/?p=5047","title":{"rendered":"Maryland 83, Duke 81: what the coaches and players are saying…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Head Coach Mark Turgeon<\/p>\n

Opening Statement:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOur fans were great from beginning to end, passionate. I told our players before the game there is a lot of pride in Maryland basketball. We didn\u2019t perform well last week. For them to show up in droves, I know it was Duke but the students lined up and came early. There was a lot of pride. There was also a lot of passion about Maryland basketball. We talked about pride and passion, and playing with those two things tonight, for us and for our fans. Our fans were just tremendous. We never quit, we never had a doubt we were going to win the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really proud of my kids. I worked them really hard this week and challenged them in a lot of different areas. I told them before the game you don\u2019t have to do anything extraordinary you just have to play to our level. We weren\u2019t extraordinary all the time but we played to our level, we continued to compete. For our young guys, our young team, it\u2019s one thing to play Duke close, it\u2019s another thing to beat them. We figured out how to beat them by two, it\u2019s a great win for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

On if it\u2019s a break through win:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great win. I challenged Alex [Len] about being Mason Plumlee\u2019s little brother. He treats you like a little brother. He said I am tired of being a little brother since I have been here. It\u2019s time for us to step up and act like one of the big guys on the block. Obviously we aren\u2019t we are only 6-6 in the league. We beat a really good team tonight. Is it a break through win? We will see how we react from it. I am going to keep a foot on them. We have a lot of basketball ahead of us. A lot of big game and a lot of road games ahead of us down the stretch. I hope it is though, a confidence builder and a break through win for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Seth Allen:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe made a lot of plays late, and he is hard to keep in front of you. We were running a play for Alex [Len], but our action distracted the defense and allowed him to get to all the way in deep. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to make them. [Tyler] Thornton was getting into him a little bit and I think it made Seth relax a little bit. I don\u2019t know what 14 times 500 is but we shot that many free throws this week. The key was that we got to the foul line. We haven\u2019t shot 34 free throws in a long time. We drove the ball and were aggressive and got to the line and made a lot. We shot 7,000 free throws this week. We still weren\u2019t great but it was a better percentage.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the last play:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe set a double screen for Logan [Aronhalt] on the baseline. Told him they were going to switch, which they did. Jake [Layman] went right into a cross screen for Alex [Len]. I told Seth [Allen] if the switch you throw it right to Alex. There was a lot of holding and grabbing going on, which happens late in the game. Seth just went by him and got all the way to the rim. We drove the ball, we have lost a couple of games where we shot jump shots but we drove it and got to the line. The kid grew up tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Alex Len:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was tremendous all night. He was great on ball screen defense, and on protecting the rim. He picked up fouls three and four really quick, but he was dominating the game. He fouled, and I should have taken him out the one before the fourth foul. He was great, and I have been hard on Alex. For us to have a chance to make a run down the stretch we need Alex to continue to play at this high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

On defensive play and defending Seth Curry:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was phenomenal to start and he did it off the drive. Our entire game plan was that Duke had to beat us from two. They were one for six at halftime [from three], and being who we are we broke down a little bit in the second half. They missed some open ones for us also, but we did a nice job. Seth Curry is a winner and he makes big shots. Curry played really well tonight. I thought we did a great job defending him in the second half. Dez Wells and Nick Faust played really well. We went hard on our players this week\u2014our guys were really sore on Thursday, so we dialed them back Friday to save some energy for tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

On this game as a personal win:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a hard week. I take a lot of pride in my coaching. I don\u2019t do a lot of things well, but I like to think that I can coach fairly well. It has been a hard week on my family, hard on my son last week. He had to leave the stands because the fans were so hard on his dad. This win was for my family and the fans. I know what this win means for our fan base, and I really wanted to beat Duke. This means a lot to me. Over the summer I said if we beat Duke I am going to be in the stands with our fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Forward James Padgett<\/strong><\/p>\n

On containing Mason Plumlee:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just trying to execute defensively and force them to take tough shots. We played big bodies on him like Shaq [Cleare] to make him go through us and not just around us; so I think that\u2019s what helped us out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the feeling in the locker room:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe team is excited. It\u2019s a big win for us that hopefully we can use as a momentum builder going into the last couple games in the ACC. Everyone is excited, but we\u2019re not content. We\u2019re going to continue to work and continue to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

On when Seth Allen took the final free throws:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c[I was thinking] hopefully he makes these so we don\u2019t have to go into overtime, and we come out with a big win. It was a great opportunity for Seth to step up and show he\u2019s maturing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophomore Guard Nick Faust<\/strong><\/p>\n

On what the win means:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big win for us, for the school.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the win:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great push. We got this win and we\u2019re just trying to strive to get this next one, so you know hopefully we use this in the right way, and beat Boston College on Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the crowd:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were big. The crowd was into it almost every play. We got them into it and they just gave us a push at the end. You know, they\u2019re a great team and the crowd really helped us a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freshman Guard Seth Allen<\/strong><\/p>\n

On his play:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c[Coach] said to play through [the turnovers]. That\u2019s a big test of your maturity, to go through the next play. I just tried to have amnesia, and tried to play every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the team\u2019s improved free-throw percentage:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026Coach told us we had to make 500 free throws as individuals before this game, so I just got comfortable in my routine and tried to knock them down.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Alex Len:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our big keys was to play inside-out and let Alex [Len] go at [Mason] Plumlee. He was picking up fouls, and Alex kept attacking him. Alex played a great game.” <\/p>\n

Sophomore Center Alex Len<\/strong><\/p>\n

On his play:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI watched a lot of film this past week. I just took it as a challenge. I didn\u2019t play well at their place, so it was a huge challenge for me to play against them.” <\/p>\n

On the win:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about the team. I really don\u2019t care about how many points I score or how many rebounds I have. It\u2019s a big win for our team and our program. I know our fans have waited for this win for four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the team\u2019s play:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were getting stops [early] and that gave us confidence. We were really good on the defensive end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski <\/strong><\/p>\n

Opening Statement:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a terrific game. Congratulations to Maryland. I thought the week of preparation they had for this game\u2026 they were fresh, they were determined ,and it was a tough team for us to play. In saying that, I thought our kids played like crazy. We had five guards out there a lot of the time. I actually thought Quinn [Cook]\u2019s shot was in. For Rasheed [Sulaimon] to make those three free throws with that amount of pressure, and at different junctures when they got a 10 point lead\u2026 This has been an exhausting schedule for our team since NC State. We\u2019re playing on fumes and I think you could tell that. Mason [Plumlee] looked exhausted the whole game. He\u2019s been great. We\u2019ll keep him, we believe in him, but that\u2019s what happens. His teammates really did a great job. They showed so much heart to come back. They had to win the game, we didn\u2019t lose it. Our kids fought like crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what adjustments they could have made:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTonight\u2019s not about rotations or X\u2019s and O\u2019s. We don\u2019t have any bigs. If Mason\u2019s not playing, we\u2019re just trying to survive. We\u2019ve been trying to survive since Ryan [Murphy] went out and Mason\u2019s carried us. Tonight, he wasn\u2019t playing that well. Then you\u2019re just trying to do whatever you can. Our team believes we can win. Our program believes it can win. I\u2019ve got a bunch of winners in there, they don\u2019t have positions. They\u2019re just going to play their butts off and try to win a basketball game.\u201d<\/p>\n

On surviving adversity:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to single anyone out. There\u2019s not strategy really in this. You\u2019re trying to survive. You\u2019re trying to get five guys out there to fight. There\u2019s a lot of improvisation done in this game as a result of us not being able to do the normal things we\u2019ve been doing. Our kids reacted well to them\u2026 I can\u2019t ask any more from those kids and what they gave tonight. They put themselves in a position to win; they were just not able to win tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what he thinks about the end of the Maryland\/Duke rivalry:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t look at any rivalries; we look at each opponent the same. I\u2019ve said that every time I\u2019ve come here. I have a great deal of respect for Maryland. If it was such a rivalry they\u2019d still be in the ACC. Obviously they don\u2019t think it\u2019s that important, or they wouldn\u2019t be in the Big Ten. I respect their basketball program and the job their coaches have done and their players have done over the years. We\u2019ve had some great games with them, but we have great games against a lot of people. A lot of people want to beat us, and they\u2019re one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Forward Mason Plumlee<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Maryland\u2019s play:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAll their bigs played very well today. They made it difficult for us on both ends of the court. We weren\u2019t able to execute\u201d<\/p>\n

On his play tonight:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it was so much [Maryland\u2019s] defensive coverage\u2014I just have to show up. I didn\u2019t show up to play today and I let my teammates down. That\u2019s not how I\u2019ve played all season. I hope it doesn\u2019t happen again. It\u2019s all on me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Senior Guard Seth Curry<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the game\u2019s final minutes:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were sharing the ball. We had a small lineup out there so we could move the ball. We also made some free throws that helped us get back into the game. It was hard to get in a rhythm though. The refs were calling a foul on every possession.
\n
\nOn all of the late fouls:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was frustrating. You just want to be able to play. Both teams played well the whole game, but the game changed when they called a foul and stopped play every possession. It wasn\u2019t fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophomore guard Quinn Cook<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the team\u2019s toughness:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe fought hard in the last ten minutes. We had a lot of players who stepped up big with all our foul trouble. Tyler [Thornton], Rasheed [Sulaimon], and Seth [Curry] all stepped up and played well. When Mason [Plumlee] gets all of the defense\u2019s attention, other guys have to step up. Coach got us back in the game, so we just have to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the missed three-point shot at the buzzer:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was in when I got it off. But, it went off the glass and bounced out. Coach drew up a great play, and we got a good look at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Head Coach Mark Turgeon Opening Statement: \u201cOur fans were great from beginning to end, passionate. I told our players before the game there is a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-duke-blue-devils","category-featured-stories","wpcat-82-id","wpcat-79-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5047"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5050,"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions\/5050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalsportsnc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}