Holy Cross Head Coach Bill Carmody
Opening statement:
"I told our team: we need to take time on offense before we shot the ball, and we had to make them take time on offense before they shot the ball. I think we did the former, but not the latter. We weren't able to slow them down; they race down the court so much. We knew it was going to happen. I told the team not to go near an offensive rebound. (When) The shot goes up, just run back. They still beat us down the court a lot. They had 90 points; at least 40 were in transition, on the break, throwing it down to the corners for shots. So it was disappointing that we weren't able to get back defensively."
Then the second half, we got a little closer. The first five or six possessions, they took time running their offense. They got one shot and missed it, and we got a couple of scores. We got it down to eight (points) – six, maybe. Then they started upping the heat, I think. The pressure got to us, forcing turnovers, and then we sort of lost control of things. It was 54-48 – something like that – around six points, and they probably outscored us 40-15 to end the game after that. They're a very good team, a good passing team. There doesn't seem to be any greedy guys out there. Coach Self knows what he's doing; his teams have always executed very well."
On which aspect of Kansas is most impressive:
"Well, coming into tonight, they were shooting 45 percent from three, which is outstanding. Then I just think they're deep – that's another thing. And they pass the ball well. They pass really nicely, and that always helps. It seems like they make the extra pass and they're in control. They just seem like a veteran team. They knew what they wanted to do, and when they had to do it, they did it."
On what the game plan was defending Kansas:
"We knew who the shooters were. Then the very first play, we're three feet away from number one (Wayne Selden, Jr.) who turns around and bangs it. What's that Mike Tyson quote? 'Everyone has a plan until I punch them in the mouth?' So yes, we had a plan, but it wasn't that successful."
Holy Cross Freshman Forward Karl Charles
On his performance:
"I feel like I played alright, I got to the line a lot. They had a tough time staying in front of me, especially when they put a bigger guy on me. So I just attacked the basket, looked to make a lay-up and if not get to the line and knock down a couple of foul shots."
On his team's performance:
"I think we did alright handling the pressure. The pressure wasn't that much but we just need to eliminate the careless turnovers. We turned the ball over a lot unforced because of careless passes and just not being crisp on offense. Our offense is predicated on timing and good cuts so if the timing is off it throws off the whole offense."
On the toughest part playing Kansas:
"I would say their length and speed. They were always swarming to the ball. If you're under the basket and you're not shooting they'll just take it from you. They were a lot bigger and stronger. You have big guys like Greene and Ellis who are moving like guards and it's something we aren't used to but will help us once we get into Patriot League play."
On playing in an environment like Allen Fieldhouse:
"It's the first time for me. It was an eye-opening experience. I kind of down played it the last couple of days but once I got out there with all those fans screaming it made a memory that I'll have for the rest of my life."
Kansas Head Coach Bill Self
On the first half offense:
"We were fine. We made shots and when you make shots everything looks good. But there was a stretch in there where I don't think we guarded them at all. Starting the second half, that was horrendous. I think they scored 17 points the first four minutes of the second half. Then after that, we were good. We shot the ball well, got the ball where we wanted. We have good three-point shooters and they stepped up and knocked them down. We did some good things and certainly we could improve our defense tremendously."
On second half defense:
"I didn't see any improvement until the first TV timeout because if I'm not mistaken, I think they outscored us 17-6 in the first four minutes of the second half. We're up 20 and had a chance to sub and didn't finish the half very well and then didn't start the second half well at all. Then we played pretty well after that; we did a lot of nice things. We shared it and not everybody had to play a lot of minutes and we had to make sure that everybody understands the only reason Jamari (Traylor) and Landon (Lucas) didn't was because they're nicked up. They were gimping around in practice so we wanted to give them another day to rest."
On Brannen Greene:
"Brannen made shots and did some good things. Of course, he's been practicing really well and his attitude has been really good so I thought that was enough. He definitely earned his way back on the court."
On individual performances:
"I think we were just okay. Wayne (Selden Jr.) had four unforced errors but he made shots. Cheick (Diallo) did some good things but he's not playing above the rim and that's what he should do: play above the rim. We, as a group, looked pretty good collectively. Hunter (Mickelson) didn't score and really didn't get a lot of rebounds, but I thought he did some good things too. It was a nice effort but it wasn't anything special by any means."
On the upcoming game at the Sprint Center against Oregon State:
"If I'm not mistaken, they just have one loss. They're 6-1 and Valpo of all teams beat them in a great game, but they could easily be 7-0. They're picked in the upper half of the Pac-12 and they have a famous dad from their roster. Gary Payton's son is really a nice player that does a lot of things like his dad did. They're good. They've got a good team. Seems to me like we always play Mountain West and Pac-12 teams in the Sprint Center and certainly most of the games are ultra-competitive and I certainly think this one will be."
Kansas Junior Guard Wayne Selden, Jr.
On knowing where the shooters are:
"On the court and off the court it is different. It is really just finding the open spots and shooting the ball when I am open."
On Coach Self's feeling towards the offense in the first half and defense in the second half:
"I feel like he wasn't too happy. The first few minutes were unacceptable. We ended up picking it up and had a good defensive stretch but the first 3-4 minutes were just awful."
On getting fired up at half time:
"He said a little motivating things that got us going but at the end of the day it is us. It is what he says, but he can only say so much. He isn't out there with us."
On focusing on the boards after the Harvard game:
"Yeah, we have to be a better rebounding team. I have got to get in there and rebound the ball more to help the bigs out."
On the things they did well in the second half:
"We just didn't give them easy buckets and didn't allow anymore back cuts. We still went under on some of the screens for the threes, but for the most part we were just a little more active than we were and sped the game up a little bit."
On the consistent shooting:
"Everybody is shooting the ball with confidence. Before you even shoot it you should think and know that it is going in. We are shooting the ball pretty well because we are all confident."
Kansas Junior Guard Brannen Greene
On the difficulty of sitting out the last five games:
"It was definitely difficult watching my team play while I couldn't be out there with them. I have to look at this incident as a positive and keep working hard. I knew I would be back out there with them."
On his punishment serving as motivation for him:
"Yeah, for sure. Nobody wants to be suspended for five games during their junior year. I made a mistake and I have to look at it as a positive now and keep moving forward. Hopefully it will be in the past."
On if anyone has kept his head in the right place during his suspension:
"Honestly, it's been Coach Self. He's my guy. I know we had an argument on the court but that is not related to how we act off the court. I'm a competitor and I made a mistake, but Coach and I are fine. I look to Coach Self. His message was to stay positive and he told me that I am an important piece to winning a National Championship with this team. I knew I was going to face a punishment when the incident occurred but I just have to look at it as a positive and move forward."
On anything he noticed from his teammates while sitting out:
"Devonte' (Graham) and Frank (Mason III) are playing great together right now. They are creating open shots for our shooters and as long as we (shooters) are running the floor, they will find us."
Kansas Freshman Forward Cheick Diallo
On how Carlton Bragg played tonight:
"He played pretty good. He had a lot of rebounds. He played really, really nice tonight."
On if he is starting to feel more comfortable on the court:
"I am. I just need to be a little more confident, but I'm getting there. I just try to play hard every day."
On if he feels sped up at times:
"The first game I played was a little fast. Now, I feel like I'm getting it. It's becoming a little slower to me."
On his jump shot:
"I've been working on my jump shot for a long time now. I don't really want to do it, but sometimes you just have to shoot it. I prefer to drive the ball, but sometimes that option isn't available."
On if he is having fun after sitting out the first five games of the season:
"Now that I am playing, I have to show everyone that I can play."
