Feb. 25, 2006
Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey Quotes
On Marquette…
“They are a very good team. (Steve) Novak is a tremendous player when he gets the ball.”
On the team in general…
“We have got to be better, that’s all there is to it. We have to make our shots and play great defense for 40 minutes. We have to look past this game and focus on Providence.”
On Torin Francis…
“It’s a shame because when he plays as well as he did tonight, you really want to win the game. He was very active tonight and we will need that from him every game.”
On Chris Quinn and Colin Falls…
“I feel for them tonight. They played their hearts out. Quinn showed his strength when he came right back after that hard foul in the first half. Falls was outstanding at defense tonight. They really deserve a win right now.”
On Kyle McAlarney…
“After Connecticut, we told him to be more confident and he showed that tonight. We put him on James for the game and he did a very good job guarding him. We will need him in the stretch.”
On Rob Kurz…
“He was very active tonight. He did a pretty good job on guarding (Steve) Novak but it bit us too much when he got the ball. Rob is an aggressive player and his output tonight was excellent. (Steve) Novak is just a great player and Rob did his best tonight guarding him.”`
Notre Dame Player Quotes
Senior Guard Chris Quinn
On Marquette stopping the offensive rhythm…
“Everyone was helping on defense, and they were on with their shots. Marquette does a good job of helping and rotating, they are a tough team defensively.”
On controlling their own destiny…
“All we can do is get better and work on Providence coming up on Wednesday. A lot of things can still happen, as a team we can control how we play we have to work on winning in Providence.”
On tonight’s outcome…
“It hurts, a lot of them hurt. We have just got to learn from it get back in here work hard and get better.”
Junior Guard Russell Carter
On Steve Novak’s performance…
“He is such a good shooter, he does not need a lot of room to get off a shot because he is so tall.”
On the game of runs…
“It was just that, a game of runs. They would go on a run and then we would go on a run. They would go on a run and we couldn’t handle it and then they ended up hitting their free throws and winning the game.”
Freshman Guard Kyle McAlarney
On his contribution to tonight’s game…
“I just went out there tonight and had fun, I took the shots that were there. I felt like I did have to step up a bit.”
Senior Forward Torin Francis
On the importance of the game…
“This was a big loss, a real big loss, but we still have to two games left against two teams who are in the same boat as us. They are going to be some crucial games for us. Especially at Providence since it is on the road, they are going to come out ready to play us.”
On the contributing factors to tonight’s loss…
“There was a lapse in communication and that is a big part of this game, that was one of our big problems.”
Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean Quotes
On focusing on receiving a first round bye in the Big East Tournament…
“I think we just need to focus on each practice, make sure that we bring a lot of energy, and prepare for each individual game. We know it doesn’t get a whole lot easier, as we have to travel to Louisville on senior night. They are fighting for their tournament life as well. I think when it comes down to it, talking about our seed in the tournament would just turn out to be a distraction.”
On the play and character of Dominic James…
“He is a very conscious young man. With the charisma and personality he has, he was sure raised the right way and coached the right way. This was a big deal to him (returning to play in his home state); I do not think there is any doubt about that. I think his focus today was Colin Falls, and he did a great job today in defending him.”
On Steve Novak’s play in the second half…
“I think it is just a matter of time with Steve. If he were to stop shooting, you would see him come out of the game because he would have lost his aggressive mindset. He is a great player, and a great shooter. This was a big win for us.”
Marquette Player Quotes
Freshman G Dominic James
On guarding Notre Dame’s three-point shooters …
“I was trying to stay focused on Falls and not let him get his feet set. I know a lot of shooters like to get comfortable, so I was trying to throw him off every chance I got.”
On his homecoming (James is from Richmond, IN) …
“Being from Indiana, growing up watching Indiana basketball with all the great colleges in this state, I love it. The atmosphere was great. I love coming home, especially with the victory.
Senior F Steve Novak
On coming back from a second-half deficit …
“We got some good looks at the basket. Basketball is a game of momentum. Notre Dame did a good job of keeping it in their favor for a while the second half, but then it turned our way and we were able to hit some big shots to keep it in our favor.”
On closing the regular season strong …
“We weren’t playing our best basketball last year at the end of the year. I feel like this team has a completely different feel at the end of the season. We’ve grown so much as a team.”