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Men's Basketball
vs Kansas
Quotes: Duke 105, Elon 66
12/28/2015 11:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“I thought our guys played like they practiced the last two days. We came back the morning after Christmas and practiced really well, the day after Christmas a good, long, hard practice and started putting some things in to try to personalize for this group without Amile [Jefferson]. Yesterday we had another really good practice and last night, a good shoot. We had a shoot. Our guys did a really nice job with coming back. Grayson [Allen] is still not 100 percent. He's lost about eight, nine pounds. He was so sick against Utah. First three or four days at home he just had a fever and the flu and lost a lot of weight. He's going to get better. But he's knocking back. He played well. At the start of the second half, we went to him, could have had 12, 14 points and we didn't get any. But that's what we've got to do. That's what I tried to do in this game when we had the big lead. Our guys really did a great job of sharing the ball. [Elon is] better than they looked tonight. They came in 9-3 and half their shots are threes – a scary team. Matt [Matheny]'s done a really nice job personalizing it for his team. Our guys, we played real well in the first half, and in the second half we just want to make sure anything doesn't get out of hand.”
On Duke's run following the first media timeout:
“I thought we just shared the ball really well. If you want to fast dance, your partner's got to fast dance with you. They fast dance faster than we do, that's what they do. They push it up every time. We played pretty good defense so we got runs, numerically-advantaged runs. And then we shared the ball. And then 'boom, boom, boom.' And then all of a sudden, you've got a lot of points. In the second half, I didn't want to do that. I told them not to fast break unless you got something off a turnover or whatever, and just settle down. The first half, it was a lot of really neat exchanges where you didn't know who scored but we scored. So that's always good basketball.”
On whether he was surprised Elon was able to maintain a high tempo:
“No, no. They do that – that's what they do. That's why they're 9-3 coming in. Matt's done his own thing from all his years at Davidson. Not the same, but similar, and really outstanding offensive teams and good defensive teams, but always outstanding offensive teams. That's what he's done at Elon. They're a really good offensive team and they came in averaging about upper 80s. Half their shots for the year have been threes, so it's a scary team to play against because they can put four shooters out on the court.”
On how the team is handling non-contact practices:
“We did the last two days, just to get them back in shape. But then we turn this around in 36 hours here and play a very athletic Long Beach State team. So tomorrow won't be any contact. What we've tried to do, since we don't have a second big, is – I don't know if you can tell – but our spacing is even better. We're going to use that lane to keep our big a little bit lower and just try to play a little bit different style of basketball. It'll be good for this team and we'll see if we can play good enough defense to hold our own.”
Duke Junior Matt Jones
“I feel like we had a lot of competitors out there. The last couple of days we're really been update as a team, and just bringing that to the floor tonight, I felt like we gelled better and we played a lot better. We played as a team tonight and that was fun.”
“Just coming back [after the holiday break] for the first two practices, we came back and guys were upbeat, guys were ready to play, so I just feel like tonight guys were ready to play. They wanted to compete again. Those nine days being off, that's a long time, especially when you have games back-to-back-to-back. I felt like guys were ready to play and they were just having fun again. Sharing the ball, moving the ball, and things like that can be fun.”
On how the break was helpful to the team:
“For the younger guys, they haven't been through this before, so to be able to go home and see a familiar face and hear familiar voices and kind of regroup, it can definitely do wonders and it did. The last couple of practices we've been really upbeat, and you can just see differences in facial expressions. That kind of just helps us a lot.”
Duke Sophomore Grayson Allen
“It was nice to have a couple practices before the game. I was definitely feeling a little winded at the beginning there from being sick the past week and not being able to do a lot of running. It's nice to be healthy again.”
On how Duke pushed to such a huge lead in the first half after leading 13-12 at the first media timeout:
“Our offense starting clicking and that's how we've been trying to play the whole year. I think tonight in the first half you kind of saw what exactly we're trying to do with spacing the floor and driving and kicking. I thought everyone on the perimeter did a great job of driving with their head up, taking the shots that they had, and kicking when it was open. I think when we click like that and we move the ball around like that, it's very dangerous offensively.”
When asked what specifically lead to Duke clicking so well on offense:
“I think we just settled into the game. We have a lot of weapons and we have a lot of guys that can just go off at any time, and for that span of the game, all of us were hitting. I think that's one of things that's dangerous about us – the shooters and the offensive weapons we have out on the perimeter.”
On the play of Luke Kennard:
“It's huge. It gives us another weapon. He's a great shooter and he's capable of doing that. He's capable of filling it up like he did tonight. I think one of the great things that he's starting to do is he's driving with his head up and starting to kick more. He's really feeling our offense and he's doing it early [in his career] – when I was in his spot last year, I was looking at the rim only, but he's doing a great job of kicking it now too. Him really coming on is big for us and he's doing a great job.”
Duke Freshman Brandon Ingram
On how Duke pushed to such a huge lead in the first half after leading 13-12 at the first media timeout:
“It just kind of happened. Everything that we did in practice, it translated to the game. We're playing differently now that Amile [Jefferson] is out, and we have more flexibility on the perimeter.”
When asked if tonight was a statement game coming off the Utah loss:
“It was more focused on us, how we could play and different ways we can play without Amile [Jefferson].”
“Of course we don't like to lose, and after that [Utah loss], I think we had to show that we can still play. We had to come out there today and we knew we lost one, so we had to gain our energy back.”
Elon Head Coach Matt Matheny
Opening Statement:
“I thought Duke was good tonight and we were not. The reason we were not, is because they played well and took advantage of some of our weaknesses. Two things that stood out for us were we did not guard the ball very well and they drove it right by us. Furthermore, when they missed a shot, they got the rebound. We boxed them out some but [Brandon] Ingram and [Marshall] Plumlee are long and would tap stuff out.:
On the positives of the play of Elon:
“Not a lot of positives for you tonight, however I think we competed until the end. You know coming into this environment, on this stage, against this program, and against a very talented team that a night like this could happen and unfortunately, it did for us. I wish we would have played better. We have been playing better and I wish we would have played better tonight.”
On the first four minutes:
“We started well, and it was a one-point game because we did some of the little things well. Whether it was being in good position defensively and getting the loose ball rebound, which is why it was a one-point game. We could have taking the lead a couple times in the first four or five minutes. You love to think that could have changed the feeling but I thought Duke was ready to play tonight.”
On Duke's Play:
“You know, it's one thing for them to drive us, but they also knocked down shots. They've got a lot of good shooters and they made them. In an environment like this, it can get out of hand and I wish I would have used all of my timeouts now, because we did not stop them and maybe using them earlier would have slowed them down. However, the crowd goes crazy and they feed off that, they always have and you just try to stop it. What we had hoped for is when we called a timeout that we would come back and settle down a little bit and I do not think we did that very well.”
On Elon's second half play:
“We played better. I do not think Duke had the same fire because they did not attack us as much. We guarded a little bit better. I am going to go back and watch the film, but I think we played just a little bit better in the second half.“
Opening Statement:
“I thought our guys played like they practiced the last two days. We came back the morning after Christmas and practiced really well, the day after Christmas a good, long, hard practice and started putting some things in to try to personalize for this group without Amile [Jefferson]. Yesterday we had another really good practice and last night, a good shoot. We had a shoot. Our guys did a really nice job with coming back. Grayson [Allen] is still not 100 percent. He's lost about eight, nine pounds. He was so sick against Utah. First three or four days at home he just had a fever and the flu and lost a lot of weight. He's going to get better. But he's knocking back. He played well. At the start of the second half, we went to him, could have had 12, 14 points and we didn't get any. But that's what we've got to do. That's what I tried to do in this game when we had the big lead. Our guys really did a great job of sharing the ball. [Elon is] better than they looked tonight. They came in 9-3 and half their shots are threes – a scary team. Matt [Matheny]'s done a really nice job personalizing it for his team. Our guys, we played real well in the first half, and in the second half we just want to make sure anything doesn't get out of hand.”
On Duke's run following the first media timeout:
“I thought we just shared the ball really well. If you want to fast dance, your partner's got to fast dance with you. They fast dance faster than we do, that's what they do. They push it up every time. We played pretty good defense so we got runs, numerically-advantaged runs. And then we shared the ball. And then 'boom, boom, boom.' And then all of a sudden, you've got a lot of points. In the second half, I didn't want to do that. I told them not to fast break unless you got something off a turnover or whatever, and just settle down. The first half, it was a lot of really neat exchanges where you didn't know who scored but we scored. So that's always good basketball.”
On whether he was surprised Elon was able to maintain a high tempo:
“No, no. They do that – that's what they do. That's why they're 9-3 coming in. Matt's done his own thing from all his years at Davidson. Not the same, but similar, and really outstanding offensive teams and good defensive teams, but always outstanding offensive teams. That's what he's done at Elon. They're a really good offensive team and they came in averaging about upper 80s. Half their shots for the year have been threes, so it's a scary team to play against because they can put four shooters out on the court.”
On how the team is handling non-contact practices:
“We did the last two days, just to get them back in shape. But then we turn this around in 36 hours here and play a very athletic Long Beach State team. So tomorrow won't be any contact. What we've tried to do, since we don't have a second big, is – I don't know if you can tell – but our spacing is even better. We're going to use that lane to keep our big a little bit lower and just try to play a little bit different style of basketball. It'll be good for this team and we'll see if we can play good enough defense to hold our own.”
Duke Junior Matt Jones
“I feel like we had a lot of competitors out there. The last couple of days we're really been update as a team, and just bringing that to the floor tonight, I felt like we gelled better and we played a lot better. We played as a team tonight and that was fun.”
“Just coming back [after the holiday break] for the first two practices, we came back and guys were upbeat, guys were ready to play, so I just feel like tonight guys were ready to play. They wanted to compete again. Those nine days being off, that's a long time, especially when you have games back-to-back-to-back. I felt like guys were ready to play and they were just having fun again. Sharing the ball, moving the ball, and things like that can be fun.”
On how the break was helpful to the team:
“For the younger guys, they haven't been through this before, so to be able to go home and see a familiar face and hear familiar voices and kind of regroup, it can definitely do wonders and it did. The last couple of practices we've been really upbeat, and you can just see differences in facial expressions. That kind of just helps us a lot.”
Duke Sophomore Grayson Allen
“It was nice to have a couple practices before the game. I was definitely feeling a little winded at the beginning there from being sick the past week and not being able to do a lot of running. It's nice to be healthy again.”
On how Duke pushed to such a huge lead in the first half after leading 13-12 at the first media timeout:
“Our offense starting clicking and that's how we've been trying to play the whole year. I think tonight in the first half you kind of saw what exactly we're trying to do with spacing the floor and driving and kicking. I thought everyone on the perimeter did a great job of driving with their head up, taking the shots that they had, and kicking when it was open. I think when we click like that and we move the ball around like that, it's very dangerous offensively.”
When asked what specifically lead to Duke clicking so well on offense:
“I think we just settled into the game. We have a lot of weapons and we have a lot of guys that can just go off at any time, and for that span of the game, all of us were hitting. I think that's one of things that's dangerous about us – the shooters and the offensive weapons we have out on the perimeter.”
On the play of Luke Kennard:
“It's huge. It gives us another weapon. He's a great shooter and he's capable of doing that. He's capable of filling it up like he did tonight. I think one of the great things that he's starting to do is he's driving with his head up and starting to kick more. He's really feeling our offense and he's doing it early [in his career] – when I was in his spot last year, I was looking at the rim only, but he's doing a great job of kicking it now too. Him really coming on is big for us and he's doing a great job.”
Duke Freshman Brandon Ingram
On how Duke pushed to such a huge lead in the first half after leading 13-12 at the first media timeout:
“It just kind of happened. Everything that we did in practice, it translated to the game. We're playing differently now that Amile [Jefferson] is out, and we have more flexibility on the perimeter.”
When asked if tonight was a statement game coming off the Utah loss:
“It was more focused on us, how we could play and different ways we can play without Amile [Jefferson].”
“Of course we don't like to lose, and after that [Utah loss], I think we had to show that we can still play. We had to come out there today and we knew we lost one, so we had to gain our energy back.”
Elon Head Coach Matt Matheny
Opening Statement:
“I thought Duke was good tonight and we were not. The reason we were not, is because they played well and took advantage of some of our weaknesses. Two things that stood out for us were we did not guard the ball very well and they drove it right by us. Furthermore, when they missed a shot, they got the rebound. We boxed them out some but [Brandon] Ingram and [Marshall] Plumlee are long and would tap stuff out.:
On the positives of the play of Elon:
“Not a lot of positives for you tonight, however I think we competed until the end. You know coming into this environment, on this stage, against this program, and against a very talented team that a night like this could happen and unfortunately, it did for us. I wish we would have played better. We have been playing better and I wish we would have played better tonight.”
On the first four minutes:
“We started well, and it was a one-point game because we did some of the little things well. Whether it was being in good position defensively and getting the loose ball rebound, which is why it was a one-point game. We could have taking the lead a couple times in the first four or five minutes. You love to think that could have changed the feeling but I thought Duke was ready to play tonight.”
On Duke's Play:
“You know, it's one thing for them to drive us, but they also knocked down shots. They've got a lot of good shooters and they made them. In an environment like this, it can get out of hand and I wish I would have used all of my timeouts now, because we did not stop them and maybe using them earlier would have slowed them down. However, the crowd goes crazy and they feed off that, they always have and you just try to stop it. What we had hoped for is when we called a timeout that we would come back and settle down a little bit and I do not think we did that very well.”
On Elon's second half play:
“We played better. I do not think Duke had the same fire because they did not attack us as much. We guarded a little bit better. I am going to go back and watch the film, but I think we played just a little bit better in the second half.“
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