Gopher Basketball
– We had a chance to beat Purdue on the Road, a chance to beat Ohio State on the road, and it was a great testament to our kids to come in here and get a win. To finish tied for fourth, I’m so proud of our kids
– I thought Jeff Brooks and Battle played great games, Frazier played very well
– This is the seniors’ time. This is their time to shine, and you have to take advantage of the time you’ve got left. And that’s what they’re doing.
– Everyone talks about the tournament being 1-and-done. Well, we’ve been playing that way for the last two weeks, so it hasn’t been starting on Thursday for us, it’s been the last two weeks
– (On Minnesota’s confidence) Kids are kids”¦I think Tubby’s done a great job. I’ve been following their games, and they’ve been in every game. It’s like we were last year, where we just couldn’t get a break. They’ve had a chance to win this game today, they had a chance to win in our place, they’ve been in every game. But when you start losing, you see kids’ shoulders start to shrug, and it’s tough. But Tubby’s done a good job, because they’ve been in every game
– There are a lot of “œifs” in the game of basketball”¦you’ve just got to roll with it.
Trevor Mbakwe:
– It’s just killed us in the last four minutes, we just haven’t been able to close out and make shots
– We didn’t do a good job of boxing out in the second half. We did a pretty good job in the first half
– I think we’re still confident. We’re 6-12 in conference, but I think we’ve beaten ourselves a lot over the last month
– Regardless of whether we play in the NIT or the NCAA Tournament, we’re going to play hard and send Al and Blake off the way they deserve
– (On whether Al will play on Thursday) I don’t know”¦it all depends on how he feels when he gets back out there
– Blake was out there fighting tonight, making back door cuts and wanting to go out tonight with a win. That’s the kind of player he is.
Rodney Williams:
– I think we just have to be more calm and more patient in the last minutes of games
– I just have to stay consistent, that’s been my problem all year. Play hard, play with confidence
– If we play hard and do what we can do in the Big Ten Tournament, we can still get to the (NCAA) Tournament
– I think this year (as opposed to last year) I have developed some, and I have become more of a scoring mentality, but I haven’t been consistent
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith:
– Just didn’t have the ability to knock a big shot down, and they did. We haven’t been a team that has made clutch shots all year.
– This is just a carry-over from some of the last games
– I thought Blake played well today, I was glad to see that
– I was hoping to see a little better play from our under-classmen today
– (On Sampson’s Three) Well, there was 25 seconds left on the shot clock. I guess he was open, I guess
– You’re not going to win many games shooting 1-15 from 3-point range
– This group has been a good group to coach. We’ve been able to get through (the losing streak) because we’ve got good people. I have really been impressed with our freshman, I keep saying that
– It’s a learning process for them. They’ve got to do everything right in order to win. They come to practice, they play hard. It’s just they need experience
– They’re going to guard Blake tight, we’ve got to find other people who can make shots. We’ve got a guy in practice like Oto, but he’s not available. He’s probably our best 3-point shooter in practice.
– We missed some terrible shots. Ralph took the shot”¦it was an airball. He missed the basket by a foot. But I don’t know what to tell him
– The guys who are veteran players, they’ve got to give us more
– (On Al Playing) We’ll have to see.
– Early in the season, we had some depth.
– We’re talented, but we don’t have a bunch of All-Americans.
– I thought we did a good job moving the ball around, especially Blake. He’s doing what he can do.
Post-Game Notes:
-Minnesota is now 17-13 (6-12, Big Ten)
-Penn State is now 16-13 (9-9, Big Ten)
-Minnesota has now lost five games in a row at Williams Arena for the first time since January-March, 2001. Minnesota hasn’t lost more than five games in a row at home since the 1987 season.
-Minnesota finished the game shooting 2-15 from behind the 3-point line (13.3%)
-Penn State won six more Big Ten games this season, going from 3-15 in 2009-10 to 9-9 in 2010-11
-Minnesota won three fewer Big Ten games in 2010-11 than 2009-10 (9-9 to 6-12)
-Minnesota’s 6-12 Big Ten record in 2010-2011 is the worst BT record for the team since the 2006-2007 season (3-13)
-Minnesota will finish in 9th Place in the Big Ten Conference and will Play #8 Northwestern on Thursday, March 10 at 2:30 pm at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis. The game will be shown on ESPN2. The winner of that game will advance to play Ohio State on Friday, March 11 at 12:00pm. That game will air on ESPN.