[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Coach Williams' postgame comments
after Kansas 80, Ohio State 67
courtesy of Jack Alden

Related pages

Box score

Season stats

Possession analysis

advertisement
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

"We talked about how it was probably going to be bragging rights for Kenny back home, and tried to put it on everybody else to make sure that he'd feel good when he was home for those three or four days. Kenny was big for us tonight. Eric played his best game, particularly in the first half. We didn't get as much out of him offensively in the second half, but rebounding he was better.

"The key to the game was we really wanted to get the basketball inside, and the stats say 'points in the paint,' and we had 40 and they had 18. I felt like they were making every shot they took, and yet they shot 30% from the three-point line. We talked as a team about how they were shooting 29% from the three-point line before the game, and there for a while I thought they were making all of them, but I guess they missed enough.

"There's no doubt in my mind the game meant more to Kenny than it did anybody else because of the hometown. I think it meant a great deal to everybody, but living there and making the decision to leave there and come to Kansas... He took a lot of junk last year because they were in the Final Four and he was sitting at home watching.

"Jeff Boschee had a good line. Four for seven, two for four from the three- point line, five for six from the foul line, six assists and no turnovers. You'll take that every night. I need him to stop making those silly reach-in fouls that keep him out of the game. He took one three, he was about six or eight feet behind the top of the key, and it went in. Drew gave us some good moments. He has some Drew Gooden plays and some Roy Williams plays. I like the Roy Williams plays better than the Drew Gooden plays.

"We shot it better the second half, we played better the second half, had a couple of really good spurts in the second half. Yet one time we had Nick wide open for a layup, and Kenny throws it over his head. Nick saves it back in, and then they lay it up and we foul them on the other end while Nick is still checking out the cheerleader to see if she's all right. I said, 'She's gonna be hurt or okay regardless of what you do. Get your butt back on defense.'

"The crowd was sensational. We need that kind of help. We've talked a lot about making the games in the fieldhouse a happening. And I think if you come and watch the game in the fieldhouse tonight, you feel good about college basketball. The kids were enthused. The students have been waiting out since last week for this game. And I think it's important to have that kind of thing. Kirk Hinrich was telling me he couldn't hear the guys calling out when there was a screen coming up, and two of the players said, 'Coach, we're yelling as loud as we can.' I'll still take that, because the louder they yell, sometimes we play better on the defensive end.

"Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd were the two we were really, really concerned about. We wanted to keep their percentages down. Knew they were gonna make some of them, knew they were gonna score.

"Luke made two big threes for us in the first half. They went zone and we were sort of struggling, and he makes two big threes for us. I was even going to play him a few more minutes the second half, but they went a lot smaller, and Luke can shoot that three, but he's not ready for the all- defensive team yet, so that kept him out of the game a little bit at that point.

"Illinois is a fantastic team having a heck of a year. Lon Kruger is a heck of a coach. But I'm still gonna accept Marty's philosophy. I'm gonna enjoy the heck out of this one until midnight, and told the kids to feel good about it. We had eight players had exams today (last day of finals), and to do those kind of things and then come in and be as focused as we were... I think last Tuesday night (loss to Michigan State) got our attention. You have to be ready to play, and I think they did step up and play better and meet the challenge tonight with our own intensity, as opposed to backing off like we did last week."

| Share


News | Daily Links | 2015-16 Jayhawks | Historical Stats | The Rock Chalk Board
Tradition | Recruiting News | Fan Zone | Links

Further information: privacy information, about this site, feedback, advertising info

Copyright ©1995-2015 Rock Chalk Zone, All Rights Reserved