Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey
On playing hard, yet coming up short …
“They (Syracuse) were tough at key times and they are a very good basketball team. When you try to get it to one possession you have to get two stops in-a-row and we didn’t have much of an answer in zone or man. They shot really well. Gerry (McNamara) is a veteran guy and made big plays when they needed them.”
On having five guys scoring in double-figures …
“We were flowing offensively. We shot 43-percent from the floor, but you have to get key stops at key times. They were tougher than us in that area.”
On his team’s rebounding …
“We didn’t get a couple of those long rebounds early when they stretched us out. I didn’t think our nose for the ball was great. I know we are not the quickest crew, but we have to chase those down.”
On his team’s defense …
“Syracuse is very good. Their veterans made big plays. I thought (Eric) Devendorf was fabulous. He made some big shots. You have to give him credit.
On Rob Kurz …
“I though Rob was great. He had a couple around the bucket that he didn’t get, but he really battled. I thought Luke (Zeller) did too. I liked how those freshmen and sophomores played at the end of the game.”
Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes
Opening Statement …
“We knew coming in that Notre Dame had lost an incredibly difficult game at Pittsburgh. And they played well at DePaul so we knew that their backs were against the wall. We had not been playing well and were making a lot of turnovers. We took care of the ball and I thought Eric (Devendorf) stepped up big.
“Demetris (Nichols) stepped up big in the first half but the key guy was ‘Mookie’ (Darryl Watkins). He really got on the boards and did a good job making their big guys miss some tough shots inside. We extended our defense so much because of Falls and Quinn that there were some openings going to be there inside and ‘Mookie’ did a tremendous job of battling in there and made them take tough shots over him.
“At the end of the game, Gerry is going to make shots like that. Gerry probably averaged 45 per game for four years because that’s what he gets when he comes here. He’s played great every game he’s been in here.
“We played very well offensively tonight , our defense was not what it needs to be. Notre Dame is very tough offensively for us to play because they do shoot it so well from the three. We tried a little man-to-man but then they were getting too mush easy stuff, penetrating and getting layups. We did just enough on defense to get a win. That’s the way it’s going to be in this league, it’s incredibly difficult. There’s no easy games.”
On Eric Devendorf…
“He was very confident, he took the ball to the basket. He’s a very good offensive player and takes some pressure off Gerry. He can makes plays. They made us a finish a lot and you got to go in there and finish those plays.”
On getting the road win…
“When you play as many road games as we are going to be playing now, it’s important to get any win. It’s going to be like that every night.”
On Louie McCroskey…
“Louie did a great gob, six rebounds in 16 minutes, made a couple good buckets, made his free throws. He was very key. Our bench didn’t help us a lot tonight. It was a starters’ game for both teams, the starters did the damage.”
Notre Dame Junior SF Colin Falls
On starting 0-3 in the Big East…
“You can’t doubt yourself. We gave it a run at the end. We just couldn’t make the necessary plays. We’ve got to stop putting ourselves in a tough position where we’re down 10 in the second half and to come back you have to make every single play to win the game.”
On streaks in the offense and defense…
“When we have our best offensive possessions we’re active on the other end of the floor. We make things happen. We get rebounds to get out and run. When we’re running is when we’re at our best.”
Notre Dame Senior PF Torin Francis
On starting 0-3 in the Big East…
“We have to win these close games. It’s those few critical possessions, where our defense gets on their boards or them getting a loose ball that distinguish the winner and the loser. In all of our losses, we didn’t come up with those possessions and tonight is just another example of it.”
On playing in a close game…
“We were down 11 and we could have gone to one, that’s where that mentality comes in that we decide we have to win this game. We can’t hope that they miss a shot, or hope that they don’t get the rebound or hope that they get a turnover. Those are the things we have to cause.”
Syracuse Freshman Guard Eric Devendorf
On how he handled playing his first BIG EAST Conference road game…
“Really, I just took it as another game. I know it’s a crucial game on the road, but I just went out there and played my game. I know I can get to the basket whenever I want and that’s just how confident I’ve got to be. It’s not cockiness – it’s just being confident.”
On how life on the road in the BIG EAST will be this season…
“It was fun (tonight), but it’s going to be a tough night every single night. This was just the first game and I can imagine what it’s going to be like for the rest of the season. I’m looking forward and we’ve just got to get prepared for Saturday against Cincinnati because that’s another great team.”
Syracuse Senior Guard Gerry McNamara
On his history of success playing at Notre Dame…
“I don’t know what it is. I like the rims here, I like the gym and I’m just ready to play. When BIG EAST starts, it’s a different level of basketball. Even the other night (vs. South Florida), I didn’t have a great game but my level of play was higher. Maybe that’s just the BIG EAST starting. Now that we’re in conference play, I get that little added boost of energy.”
On what playing against Notre Dame means to him…
“I always say this very easily could have been one of the places I ended up. I love this university, I love the tradition, I love the football team. I was just ready to play. I don’t know what it is that I play pretty well here, but it just happened that way.”