What has been the issue the last couple of games in the second half, the teams seems to hit almost a stagnant period?
“They were the same defensive team in both halves, we just moved a lot better in the first half. We didn’t shoot great, we were moving better, getting to the rim and making some plays. The second half we really didn’t move the ball like we have to. It was really bad offense compared to the first. If you score 34 points against Virginia in a half you’re doing a lot of good things. We didn’t get any good shots in the second half.”
Was having Ty Jerome on Oshae difficult?
“Well Oshae hasn’t played great offensively all year so I don’t think it really mattered. Tyus (Battle) had his chances and got to the spots that he likes. When he doesn’t score for us it is an issue. Oshae has struggled shooting the ball so teams are playing him to drive and that’s just how it has been. I thought Paschal (Chukwu) did a good job, he was active. Frank (Howard) struggled on both ends of the court and Marek (Dolezaj) isn’t ready to make that shot. When you’re playing the #2 team in the country you have to be better.”
How do you feel moving forward into the last game of the year?
“When play the #1, #2, and #5 teams in the country in 10 days it is tough. We aren’t as good as they are. We played good against Duke and had a good first half against North Carolina, but we are not better than them. That doesn’t mean you can’t be a good team though. I have a lot of respect for Virginia, it’s probably their best team that I have seen by a lot. They’re really good.”
“We moved the ball the best we’ve moved all year in the first half. We didn’t really shoot it that well, but we moved the ball and got good shots. Second half, we were too stationary. Part of that is because Virginia picked up their defense a little bit. We went into the game wanting to make them drive, get them off the three point line. We didn’t do that. When you let [Kyle] Guy and [Ty] Jerome shoot those shots they’re going to make them. We just did a very poor job of getting them off the line and they took advantage of it. I think they’re a great team. They have a great chance to be a national championship type team. The first half we did everything as well as we could do, and our defense was good. The second half, our defense broke down and we allowed them to shoot, and they’re going to make shots.”
When’s the last time you saw a three-point performance quite like that?
“As good as I’ve seen. They shot the ball as good as I’ve ever seen it shot, put it that way.”
Where do you seem to be going wrong in the second half of these recent games?
“I’d say we played really well and they just took over and dominated the game in the second half. They shot it well and their defense picked up. We had no answers for it.”
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