Feb. 5, 2010

Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery

Notre Dame Men’s Basketball
Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati
February 4, 2010
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center | Notre Dame, Ind.

Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey

On how the team was able to bounce back so strongly from the loss to Rutgers…
“I thought it was a great response, because I think we have very good leadership. Luke, Jon, Tory and I wanted to see if we could get back to the top of this league and get to 5-5 and we achieved that. We try to push along in this league. I thought we really defended well in the first half to set the tone because (Cincinnati) can really hurt you in the backcourt. Any time you can go and get 25 assists on the board and only nine turnovers, that is pretty darn efficient offensively.”

On the play of Luke Harangody tonight and his mindset following the loss to Rutgers…
“One of the things we talked about with him was getting him back inside around the basket and I think that also makes him a better rebounder; he had 10 rebounds at halftime. It was a little tough to post him up against the big kid from Rutgers, and we thought we could post him a little bit more tonight. When he catches it in the low post, that is really good for us because he can score and if he cannot score, everyone on defense still turns their head to look where he is, and he passes so well. I think we must continue to play that way when we play on Sunday and the rest of the way.”

On how Notre Dame can use this game as a “building block” for the rest of the BIG EAST season…
“I think for us, we just wanted to get one tonight. Now we just want to get one game. I think you cannot look too far ahead in this, ask anybody in this league. So, could we scratch out and get to 6-5 in this league? There is no question that a sweep of South Florida would be a really positive thing for us because of how well they are playing. That could be two very good wins, because South Florida is a top-50 RPI team right now.”

On the play of Tory Jackson tonight and how he set the tone for Notre Dame team…
“There were a couple of loose balls tonight, jump ball kind of plays against 6-8 guys where Tory just took the ball from them. He sets the tone for our offense, and he is the voice in our locker room. He was the voice before the game, and he was the voice in the locker room after the Rutgers game, which was an important voice. He is one of the best captains and leaders I have been associated with in 25 years of coaching.”

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Luke Harangody | Senior | Forward

On turning the tables so dramatically… “I think it is getting on the backboard. We won the backboard battle tonight, and that is huge for us. They pushed us around down in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago, and they thought they could come in here and do it again, and we said no.”

On the team’s feelings…
“We feel a little bit poor; we are a poor group right now, and we come out here and get a good win against the Cincinnati team, but it is just starting now. We still need to come in tomorrow and get some work done.”

Ben Hansbrough | Senior | Guard

On the level of play…
“They were very tough. Cincinnati is one of the most physical teams in the country, and they are the big guys, but we got in there. We rebounded, and I think that is a great indicator.”

On Sunday’s game, against what may be the hottest team in the BIG EAST…
“Every team in the BIG EAST is hot; every player in the Big East is a solid player. Every guard out there is probably the best player from their high school. You just have to be ready to play.”

Tim Abromaitis | Junior | Forward

On the team’s strengths and weaknesses…
“The things we need to work on in practice are passing and posting. I think a couple of times they clamped down on Harangody, and he was either able to make a move out of it, or find an open man who was on the outside of them. I think we just know each other well and are able to move the ball.”

On whether this game was as physical as the previous…
“They are always going to be physical. They are a physical team. I think we just came out ready to battle, more than we did last time, emphasizing the defensive rebounds, and getting loose balls was key for us, limiting their opportunities on offense.

Tory Jackson | Senior | Guard

On why he called this a ‘statement game’…
“They killed us last game; they did whatever they wanted to do. I think it was a double digit difference on rebounds last game, but we stopped them today. We can’t back down, we have to practice they way we have been, and we have to do all the little things, and we have to be men about it. No more complaining about anything. We have to be men.

Tyrone Nash | Junior | Forward

On using the board…
“We knew that coming in there that we would have to use the backboard today, and we used that. We outrebounded them by nine, which is great, and I think that was key to us winning tonight.”

Cincinnati Head Coach Mick Cronin

On his team’s poor rebounding tonight…
“The tough thing about it is that when we did stop [Notre Dame] we didn’t rebound. Tonight they had 32 [missed shots] and 14 offensive rebounds. Almost 50 percent of their misses they rebounded, and that’s the game. You get confused about Notre Dame’s offense, and trust me, if they didn’t get those offensive rebounds we’re right there. I have four big guys that played for a total of 69 minutes and they collectively got three offensive rebounds off of 34 misses.”

On Notre Dame’s strong offense…
“They are a very good offensive team. They play four guys that shoot well. So an offensive rebound for them is basically about double the amount than a regular team, because they are so potent offensively. With their ability to pass the ball, shoot the ball and spread you out, combined with the player of the year in the league, Harangody, having to guard them two times in a possession is just bad.”

Cincinnati Player Quotes

Lance Stephenson | Freshman | Guard

On the mood in the locker room…
“We could have played a little harder. We were disappointed by the way we rebounded tonight. We could have played better overall.”

On rebounding differences from the first meeting to tonight’s game…
“They had more numbers on the glass tonight, and we were not playing as aggressive as a team.”

On playing against Luke Harangody…
“He was at home, you know this is his gym. We expect that from him. He’ll make his shots in a zone and then when you put more defense on him, he will find another way. We turned over the ball more this game than we did at home.”

Cashmere Wright | RS Freshman | Guard

On his performance…
“I couldn’t find my shot, and made mistakes that I can improve on-things that can be remedied. This was not an up-and-down game like before, so was there a difference in confidence? I still have to make open shots that I missed in this game and not turn the ball over and lose possession.”

“I don’t think it’s contagious, but you kind of get hesitant on your shots and work harder on the next game.”