Jan. 28, 2015

Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery

Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey

Opening Statement…
“That one absolutely lived up to the hype. Two really good teams going at it. I told my team after the game, `Down 10, you’ve got them right where you want them, don’t you fellas? Thanks a lot. Thanks for doing that to me again.’ We make a habit of it, but you can’t say enough about our two seniors tonight for making us believe and helping us win. So, again, proud of our group. I think we continue to get better. It’s February and we’re still getting better.”

On Steve Vasturia’s shot at the end of the game after not making a FG…
“I think his percentage when they’re crunch time shots, big shots, it’s well over 50 percent. He didn’t get any clean looks. They kind of smothered him. One of the things that bothered us was their ball pressure. We turned it over in the first half. They athletically switched stuff. But Jerian [Grant] did such a great job. That’s such a pro move what he did there, backing down and then finding a shooter in the corner. But I think we have a lot of confidence in Steve rising up to take it.”

On Pat Connaughton’s return sparking a run…
“I was yelling in a timeout, `Where’s Pat?’ They said, `He’s in the tunnel. He’ll need two more minutes.’ I’m thinking, `Well then I should call two more timeouts until I can put him back in.’ But we did get him back in there. He took a heck of a spill. But what a warrior. Again, Grant and Connaughton. I always felt in the offseason after a tough season last year, with those two guys we’ve got a shot. Those two guys are rocks, they’re really talented guys, they’ve won together a lot. We’ve got a chance with those guys setting the tone.”

On Bonzie Colson providing a spark…
“Bonzie’s been that guy for us. One thing about Bonzie, he is not afraid. He is unafraid. He loves the moment. I think he defended the heck undersized with [Jahlil] Okafor. But he bothered him with his length and he was flying around and his quickness. He was able to stay with Okafor a bunch. We discovered something the week Zach [Auguste] was out in Bonzie Colson and it is a key, key piece to our team right now.”

On getting victories against Coach Krzyzewski…
“It’s funny, I don’t really look at it like that. I’ve been a coach 20 years, and again I owe a lot to Mike. We talked a little bit before and I congratulated him and told him I was honored to be a part of some of that run. But it’s about our team now, and when our program can beat the programs like Duke and North Carolina, especially now that we’re in this league, it’s a great endorsement of who we are in this league and becoming a factor again like we did in the Big East. We had to do it in the Big East with Syracuse, Georgetown, and UConn. And you had to get those guys to be taken seriously in the league. And certainly you’ve got North Carolina and Duke already this year. OK, these guys do belong in the SEC.”

On the team’s defense at the end of the game…
“It’s funny, this group, they’ve been down. But the last seven, eight minutes of games, we’ve guarded the heck out of people. And we switch a lot of stuff, and we just kind of lock in there. I know we’re thoroughly exhausted, but we kind of fight through it. And we really have defended to win, to come back. Yeah, we make big shots and Grant gets going, but it’s locking in defensively when it’s really on the line. I don’t know why we have to do that when we’re down 10. Maybe we can do it down three at Pittsburgh. I’ll talk about that tomorrow.”

On Bonzie Colson’s physicality with Jahlil Okafor…
“I told Bonz this yesterday in practice. I said, `Bonz, at Georgia Tech, you got one bloody nose. You may need to get two or three on Wednesday. Can I count on you?’ He goes, `No problem, Coach!’ So he knows he can be physical, but his length and his quickness, I think. He was always around him. And Okafor’s a special talent. But our feeling was, if you start helping too much, he’s a really good passer and you can’t let them scorch you from the arc. I felt if we were giving up twos, we would hopefully score enough to escape, even though at times when he’s burying us and jump hooking us over and over again, I’m thinking, `You still want to give up twos, right, Mike? You still want to give up twos?’ I’m talking myself into it. We did go zone one possession in the second half in the midst of the comeback. [Quinn] Cook missed a three. That change of gears helped us a little bit, but you just didn’t want them knocking down 10 threes.”

On Jerian Grant’s deep three-point jumper…
“Whatever Jerian wants to do. When he’s feeling it like that. I’ll give you a great one the other night at NC State. I’ve got (Pat) Connaughton on the bench, he’s got two fouls and we’re getting thumped pretty good in the first half, but I’m thinking, `Maybe we just get to halftime, we’ve got to get a little bit of a run.’ It’s at 14-12, I’m thinking, `OK, right where we want them. We’re all right, we’ll get Pat in the second half.’ Jerian looks at him, and he goes, `We need him.’ Pat, get in the game. Jerian has a lot of say on this. He’s got a big basketball IQ. He knows our sets, he knows our system. God, he loves the moment. He is such a bright lights, big stage guy. He’s really clutch.”

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Pat Connaughton – Senior – Guard

On what it takes to come back after a ten point deficit…
“It’s the winning mentality. There’s just something about us that when we’re down, we never think we are out. We are able to rally around each other: someone sets a spark and then we’re able to make plays. I think we’d like to improve so that we don’t get ourselves in those kinds of situations, but I couldn’t be prouder of my team to come back.”

On teammate Jerian Grant’s performance…
“He has always been the kid that makes the right play. It’s never about him getting the points; it’s all about him making the winning play. I get a lot of shots off of his ability to create and his ability to see other guys on his team. It showed tonight: he made the plays that kept us in it in the first half, then he made an amazing amount of passes in the second half and made the plays that he needed to, when he needed to.”

On his fall in the second half…
“I remember wondering why a seven footer was up-faking on a 6-5 guard, then going up and getting my legs cut out from under me. I was hoping I would land on my back, but that clearly didn’t work out. I didn’t black out: I remember being down seven points at that point and when I went back to the bench we were down ten. After the next media time out, I rallied the team around and told them that if we were going to make a run, it would start right then on the defensive end. The next play was a defensive stop and we were able to get back in it.”

Steve Vasturia – Sophomore – Guard

On the team’s defensive performance…
“I think we did a better job of keeping our guys in front of us tonight. They were doing a good job at getting in the lane and causing fouls so we focused on keeping them up front, then boxing out and making them pass.”

On Jerian Grant’s contribution in the game…
“He’s a special player, he’s a difference maker. He scores points, but he also had a bunch of assists tonight. He’s got confidence in us and we’ve got confidence in him that he’s going to make the right decision.”

On the feeling after making his three pointer in the last seconds of the game…
“It was an awesome feeling seeing the ball go through the basket and then being able to go down and defend to win the game. As long as the team gets the win, that’s what makes me happy.”

Bonzie Colson – Freshman – Forward

On his mentality playing against Jahlil Okafor…
“I was just trying to hit him first and grind out possessions with him. I just had to keep working hard on him. It was a battle, but I just had to take the punches he threw at me and grind it out.”

On the team’s attitude while down by ten…
“We just didn’t get down on ourselves. We knew we had to stay focused, stay together, and gut it out. There have definitely been games where we have been down before, so we just stay focused and composed and take it possession by possession.”

On playing in such an exciting atmosphere…
“It was a great feeling. I’m just truly blessed to be here. It’s a great opportunity and I’m happy we got the win.”

Jerian Grant – Senior – Guard

On how big the win is for the program…
“It’s huge. We beat a top five program, it’s Duke, and we are 8-1 in the ACC. That’s really the most important thing, just getting another win. We’re playing with a lot of confidence. When we get down, we know that as long as we keep playing it will come.”

On Bonzie Colson’s game…
“He used energy, He’s fearless. He doesn’t care who he is playing against. He has a lot of energy and he keeps our energy level up whenever he gets out there. He was even scoring a little bit today. He had a couple of mid-range jumpers and a nice move on an and-one.”

On stopping Duke defensively…
“We didn’t help too much, we didn’t double too much. We had to stay with their shooters because they were knocking down shots. We had to dig a little bit but we had to make sure we got out to the shooters.”

On his mindset on the last two offensive possessions…
“I was thinking about what moves to do. I really wasn’t paying attention to the defender too much. I was just trying to figure out if I wanted to step back or go past him. I ended up losing the ball but I had time to gather it and get a shot off. Coach and the guys give me a lot of confidence to make whatever move I want.”

On how the Irish stack up in the ACC… “We are definitely up there. Obviously, Virginia is undefeated. They came in here and beat us but hopefully we get another shot at them. I definitely think that we are in the top tier. “

Demetrius Jackson – Sophomore – Guard

On the game’s environment…
“It was a great atmosphere. The fans were great and super loud. That’s the most fans that I’ve ever seen here. We’re just really happy to see fans come out and support us like that. It was electric and really special. These are games you watch when you are a kid and are flipping through channels and to be a part of it is a blessing.”

On the team’s mindset…
“I definitely think we have a strong confidence and swagger about this team. The best part about our team is that we can continue to get better and we haven’t reached our peak yet. Guys are just striving to get better everyday.”

On the matchup with Duke’s Tyus Jones…
“I knew that I was going to be guarding a really good guard. He’s a great player. I’m looking forward to playing him again at Cameron. He really does a great job for his team.”

Zach Auguste – Junior – Forward

On Steve Vasturia’s shot…
“We knew if he was open he had to get a good look. Jerian got him the ball and then he knocked it down. We knew it was going in from the jump.”

On playing from behind…
“We don’t put our heads down. We just say together. We know what we can do and we weren’t going to let those guys come into our gym and try to push us around. It’s just another testament to our resiliency.”

On guarding Jahlil Okafor…
“He has great footwork. He has a big body and he knows how to use it. He knows what he wants to do and can get good shots. I was kind of backing off of him. I let him come to me. In the first half, I was giving him too much body and he would either spin off of me or I would have to foul him. But in the second half, I kind of pressured him when we faced up and I really just denied him. I just wanted to make it hard for him to get the ball.”

On his offensive game…
“I knew I had to be aggressive. We had to have some type of post presence. But as a team we went in there together and focused. We did what we had to do to help the team win.”

Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Opening Statement:
“I thought it was a heck of a basketball game. I thought our guys played winning basketball and obviously they did too. Grant had a great game. He’s a terrific player, so he’s going to have a great game. They’re unbelievably well-coached; they’re together; they’re a tough team to defend. For us, we’ll look at this as some missed opportunities. We had 13 offensive rebounds and nine points off them. There were somewhere around 6-8 finishes right by the bucket where that ball wouldn’t go in. Especially in the first half, we had at least five, maybe six of them that were right there. And when you go 10-20 from the free throw line that doesn’t help; missed opportunities. When the game got right down to the end, Grant made that bucket. That was a heck of a bucket; a fortunate bucket, but a heck of a bucket. On that next play, we should not have left (Steve) Vasturia. There’s two seconds [on the shot-clock], you have to make Grant take a two-point shot, which we were, and then we left him [Vasturia] and the kid hit a huge shot. I thought they played winning basketball; I thought we played winning basketball, but we have to cash in on the opportunities that are free, and the opportunities that are close. Hopefully we’ll get that.”

On his relationship with Mike Brey…
“I want all of my assistants to be head coaches, and a lot of them have been. They’ve all become really good, obviously Mike [Brey] is a terrific head coach. He spent eight wonderful years with us and he helped us immensely. The fact that he’s done so well here is not surprising to me.”

On Bonzie Colson defending Jahlil Okafor…
“What happens with Jahlil [Okafor], it’s not just this game, is that they allow a lot of contact. The kid [Colson] played hard; he played really hard and did a really good job, and he had help too. Jahlil had a heck of a game. If he had hit those free throws we’d be talking about Jahlil having the amazing game, not Grant. Jahlil had a great game. We scored 73 points and had an opportunity to score a few more than that.”

On responding to Notre Dame’s run…
“You’re going to get a run from them. We had a run; that’s why we had a ten-point lead. When two teams like this are playing that’s the way it goes. We had the out of bounds under [the basket] with seven seconds [on the shot clock] with a ten-point lead and we should have gotten something from it. We lost the ball and we were in position to get fouled or to get a three-point play. That was a huge play right there. Then when they came down, there was a loose ball that we had an opportunity to get, but they got it and we fouled. They hit one free throw, then missed and got two points. Those two exchanges, if you do them right, you’re up by 12 or 13, or at the very least you’re up by ten with the ball. That’s what happens in games. You have to beat other people when they’re playing well. They’re good and they’re playing well. Those are critical plays that if you make then you don’t have the end of the game. When they did take the lead, I thought we responded well. We got three opportunities to score and I think we got one point from it because of missed free throws. That gives the other team life. I thought we played winning basketball. I’m not down on our team about that. We have to keep learning, we’re a young group. We just have to keep trying to get better.”

On playing in a hostile environment…
“They’re always prepared for it. Our guys were not afraid to play here. We didn’t lose because of a crowd; we lost because Notre Dame made a few more plays. We would rather play where people are interested in us playing. They’ve been really interested in us playing for about 25 years. The crowd was great; it’s good for the ACC, it’s good for Mike [Brey]. You want that.”

On officials allowing too much contact in the post…
“There’s no question about it. What you can do there [the post] and what you can’t do out on the perimeter are two totally different worlds. It’s a tough area to officiate, but there’s no question that there’s a lot [of contact].”

Duke Player Quotes

Tyus Jones – Freshman – Guard

On Jerian Grant’s shot at the end of the game…
“I was trying to make it tough on him and he just made an unbelievable play. He got a deflection and we weren’t able to come up with the loose ball and he made an unbelievable shot. He’s a good player and he got it rolling. He’s the heart and soul of their team. He stepped up for them today. If we would have gotten the loose ball, it may have turned some things around. We made some plays today and did the right thing. It’s a tough loss for us.”

On Notre Dame’s comeback …
“They just went on their run. Basketball is a game of runs and they went on theirs. It was just a few small things that we didn’t capitalize on. I think we missed a shot and there was a loose ball that we didn’t come up with. There were just some small things and if we had capitalized on them, things could have swung our way. We have to regroup and try to do the little things.”

On how this loss feels compared to others…
“We played well tonight. We played well enough to win the game and should have won the game. It hurts because at Miami and NC State we didn’t play well. Tonight we played well and had the lead most of the game.”

Quinn Cook – Senior – Guard

On Jerian Grant’s assist to Steve Vasturia…
“Tyus (Jones) did a good job that time, but Jerian just hit a tough shot. We’re not supposed to leave the corner. We had Jerian taking a fade away and he hit Vasturia for the three pointer.”

On defending a team with great shooters… “We have to make everyone work. We don’t want to help too much to give them space for shots. We have to get a hand up there. They made some tough shots in the second half and at the end of the game.”

On Jerian’s performance today… “It’s very difficult. Jerian is 6’6, 6’5 and can see over us. He did a great job. He’s one of my best friends so I’m happy for him.”