Post game notes - Pitino was going with Buggs today regardless of Oto's injury

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Mo Walker
On Buggs - I was surprised, but I knew what he was capable of going against him everyday
To clarify why he was surprised - I was excited, happy and excited.*
I'm just going out there and playing, coach has been pressuring me to play harder.
One of the things we said in the huddle, was we needed to bring our own energy tonight, we didn't know how packed the crowd would be.

DeAndre Matthieu
On the up tempo pace - That really helps my style a lot, get in the lane a bunch and give guys good looks.
Buggs had been working hard, he told coach he wanted the opportunity and he showed up.
On Buggs: They were leaving him open like they didn't expect him to make it, so I kept finding him.
On Buggs: He was a huge spark, he was making big shots. Guys weren't expecting Buggs to come off the bench and go off.
On Buggs: The last few practices, he's been knocking it down with guys in his face. He just needed to get down to the right weight.
On being an expecting Father: I'm really really excited. I'm ready for it to get here (he's expecting a boy on June 28th).
I'm going to teach him how to play*basketball at a young age.
He received a gift from a friend for the baby that says "I only shoot 3's" - I disagree, he's going to be a slasher.

Dre Hollins
On Rachel Banham - She watches all my games, I watch all of hers and we give each other suggestions. We both give each other good advice.*

Austin Hollins
I take it one game at a time, there's so many other things you can do that don't involve scoring, when my shot's not falling, I try to do other things.
On Buggs- he's pretty laid back. he doesn't force any shots, he just works hard.*
On if he expected Buggs to go off - You can never expect anyone to do that, I know they're capable of it.*

Oto Osenieks
My cartilage is ripping away, I'll get a shot tomorrow. It's limiting my practice time lately.*
I had surgery 7 years ago, there was no incident that happened that caused this.

Richard Pitino
Sid: Can I get a couple of minutes with you after this? Pitino: Why not right now (during the press conference)? Ok. Anything for you, Sid.
• I cannot focus on the negative the 1st question - when asked about D on Marble (by Sid). He's one of the best players in our conference. They are as good of an offensive team as it gets. They're really tough to guard, goodness.
• Wiatin, waiting, waiting. You know - I talked about with Buggs, some of the things you'll see him do you'll go "wow." I did not know he would do that, it was a guess. Oto is hurt, btw, he's been hobbling. I'll give Buggs credit, he has come to practice everyday and is chipping away. We were going to go with him, regardless of Oto's injury. Him and Mav, you've got to give them credit, they haven't played and you wouldn't know it. Buggs is just young, he's a young player, he's a freshman. It's going to take time, but he showed a lot and he's got a lot to still learn.
• Buggs - he comes to work every single day, and he's just growing, he's getting better. Charles is moving along and Oto is going the other way because he's hurting a little bit. I've said from day 1, Charles has the most potential of anyone on the team. We were going to go with Buggs today. Maybe Oto is not playing as well because he's hurt. (he said he didn't want to say anything bad).
• Austin Hollins - he's a really unique kid, he played really bad at OSU, the next practice, his attitude was unbelievable. He always works hard, every possession, every drill. I’m happy for him because he deserves success. I will say this, that's him, not me (his attitude). He's innately a really motivated kid. He's s special, special kid. A lot of college kids would crawl into a shell when they're not playing well.
• Buggs - it's a marathon with him, we believe in his potential, and he'll continue to get better.
• We never talk about the NCAA tournament, ever, ever. Only Marcus keeps bringing it up. We were picked at the bottom of the league. Or what did you pick us to finish, Amelia? Amelia - I had you at 9th - Pitino - we're at 7th, 2 better than you. We've had some games that haven't been great, some games that have. I didn't take this job and make the NCAA tournament our goal.
• What do you call a successful season? This is a process. I love the kids that we've got. I don't have any expectations. Mine were to play great today, we did. I want to learn from the mistakes we made.
• Buggs didn't ask for an opportunity (like Mathieu said ) maybe he asked Mathieu (laughing).
• Mathieu - he controlled the game, they trapped his pick and rolls and he did a great job of handling it. He was tremendous. They did trap. They show out hard, and DeAndre is just learning, he's getting better at it.
• These guys are really really positive, they came into the OSU game eager to win, they hate losing, they're easy to coach...they're all prideful positive kids, we were due a good game.
• On if this is the pace he liked - I'd love to average 95 points a game. As long as we win by 6.
• MSU plays any style, to be a good team, you have to learn how to do that.
• Top to bottom, Iowa is one of the toughest teams to guard in the country
• Austin Hollins works harder than anyone in the world and wasn't making shots, now he made shots. Like Malik Smith. It's good for them to come back and beat a really quality game.
 


• We never talk about the NCAA tournament, ever, ever. Only Marcus keeps bringing it up. We were picked at the bottom of the league. Or what did you pick us to finish, Amelia? Amelia - I had you at 9th - Pitino - we're at 7th, 2 better than you.

That's great stuff! Thanks a ton Nadine!
 

Here are more quotes from the U:

Richard Pitino:
On defending Iowa's Roy Devyn Marble in the second half...
"He is a really good player, one of the best in our conference. They are a very good offensive team. We talked about at halftime doing things together as a team. He's really tough to guard, they're really tough to guard."

On Charles Buggs and his breakout performance...
"We've been waiting. He can do some things that make you go `wow' and he showed that tonight. He hasn't played all year and then he comes in and hits three 3's - that's him."

On the choice to play Buggs...
"Oto's knee is hurt; we were going to go with Buggs either way. But I'll give Buggs some credit, he has not played but he has come to practice every single day and is chipping away and we were gonna go with him regardless of Oto's injury and he showed up. He's really unique because he could have been so down. Him and Mav [Ahanmisi] haven't played and you wouldn't know it and we're lucky to have that."

On the team's strong shooting performance...
"Finally - yeah. Look at Austin Hollins. To his credit, he hasn't hit a lot of shots and he came out tonight with 27 [points]. He's a unique kid. He played really bad at Ohio State and comes back the next practice with an unbelievable positive and leading attitude. It's hard to do that when you're not playing well. So it's a testament to him as a kid; he always works hard, every possession, every drill. He deserves success."

On encouraging Austin and his response...
"We encourage all the guys. I will say that's him not me. He is innately a very motivated kid with everything that he does. He's a special, special kid. A lot of young college kids crawl into a shell when they aren't playing well. He believes in hard work - he believes that he's going to come around."

Minnesota Player Quotes

Senior Guard Austin Hollins

On Iowa's key players...
"You know, it wasn't just Marble. In the first half, he really hurt us. We made a few adjustments and tried to keep him off the three point line and keep him out of the lane, and that helped. Later on, Oglesby got hot, and we had to adjust to that as well."

On personal performance...
"I hit a couple shots early on, and I was just really feeling it. I had a few open looks, and I was taken over with confidence. When you hit a few shots and they're going in, you feel like it's going to go in from anywhere, but you have to pick and choose your spots."

On personal satisfaction on result of game...
"All the wins in general rank pretty high. It's a team sport, and we have to go out there and play together. When we get a win like this, it really helps us out. We've had a couple losses, and to get a win against a team like this was huge for us and really helps our confidence."

Junior Guard Andre Hollins

On offense...
"I think it was just our mentality. We came out against Ohio State in the first half, and at the end, we just blew it. Tonight, we came out flat at first, but came back more aggressive."

On Austin Hollins...
"He had an awesome performance. Austin deserves it because of how hard he works. He's the hardest worker on the entire team. He was kind of in a slump, but we stayed on believing in him."

On team's performance and Iowa as opponent...
"They're a very dangerous team. When everybody can score on the floor and they're athletic and big, it's very tough to guard them when they get the ball off so fast. I think we did a great job."

Junior Guard DeAndre Mathieu

On Austin Hollins...
"Against Ohio State, in the second half, we kind of just collapsed. Today, we made shots throughout the game. Guys like Austin were finally making some shots because he's been working so hard. He got hot and that's what we expected of him."

On big leads and their impact...
"I try not to think about that. I don't know about everybody else, but it wasn't on my mind. I knew that if we just kept our lead, we would keep following. We are a really good free throw shooting team. This game showed us that we can finish those kind of games. We just have to do what we've got to do early and keep defending."

Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery

On the current state of the defense
"We need some work. We will keep working on it." I think we played against a team that was inspired. They were sharing the basketball. (Minnesota) has good shooters. They have not been shooting well. It does not mean they are not good shooters. Austin Hollins has always been a good shooter. He has been off. (Malik) Smith has been off. They have a lot of guys who have been off and tonight they were making shots."

On what specific aspect of defense needs to improve
"I think we need to stay in are stances, stay engaged, and stay after them on ball screens, drive and kicks, or transition defense. It came easy to us early. We were up nine (points) and it did not happen for us then. All of a sudden, you look and they were up 10 and the crowd got into it. However, you have to adjust when (Charles) Buggs is hitting or (Austin) Hollins is hitting. They were on fire in the first half. I do not know how many times I have coached against a team that has made nine (three pointers) in a half. (Minnesota) is a good three-point shooting team. The numbers have not told the story recently.

On giving Minnesota's three-point shooters credit
"There is a lot of that. A lot of times you lose and you say, `we should have done this or we should have done that.' Minnesota put up 95. We can blame our defense if we want to, but at some point you have to respect your opponent. (Coach Richard Pitino) had a good game plan and the kids executed it. They got open and they made the shots. More power to them."
 

Thank you!

Appreciate the post game info! Thank you!
 


Thank you!

Also, I love how he constantly gives Amelia ****. Hilarious.
 

Are freshmen not allowed to talk to reporters? Would have loved to hear some Buggs comments.
 

Well done, Nadine. Thanks for bringing this to us as usual.
 

You're welcome, guys, thanks for your kind words!

A side note, I already auto corrected it, but Sid's 1st question about Marble...he actually called him Mable. #Sidbit
 



Are freshmen not allowed to talk to reporters? Would have loved to hear some Buggs comments.

McNeil does interviews. I'm not sure why Buggs wasn't available.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 


"On Buggs: The last few practices, he's been knocking it down with guys in his face. He just needed to get down to the right weight."

Is this why he hasn't been playing!?
 

"On Buggs: The last few practices, he's been knocking it down with guys in his face. He just needed to get down to the right weight."

Is this why he hasn't been playing!?

Yeah I think it was because the players are probably assigned a specific diet and workout regimen. I remember after the FSU game there was a report that Buggs wasn't following the diet assigned to him, so now there have been two references to that. Maybe there was other stuff too, but the diet/weight thing definitely seems to be a main reason why he was in Pitino's dog house.
 



"On Buggs: The last few practices, he's been knocking it down with guys in his face. He just needed to get down to the right weight."

Is this why he hasn't been playing!?

I hope he meant to say "up to the right weight." He needs some meat on them bones.
 


Always look forward to getting home and and getting the post game notes, GL. It is a lot more fun after a victory though. What a wild and crazy game. I think we were 82% from behind the arc at halftime. The ball ping ponging around at times. Walker hits 4 free throws after the guards miss. Really impressed with the tone Pitino sets. Pretty honest but positive with it. Can ream them out on the court but, from the outside, it sure looks like he's got a rapport with them.

I really wish someone had asked Mo about leading the fast break. I was screaming, "No! Not Mo!" as the ball was leaving DeAndre's hand.
 

Mathieu is going to be a father? Wow... Anyways, I'm really happy for Buggs and I hope Pitino keeps giving him opportunities to show himself and get into a groove.
 

I hope he meant to say "up to the right weight." He needs some meat on them bones.

I think he just meant the right weight.

McNeil does interviews. I'm not sure why Buggs wasn't available.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Buggs was no where to be found! I think he did some TV stuff, and we never saw him in the locker room. The SID was trying to find him, Little Dre even checked the showers, lol. Trust me, everyone was very disappointed that he wasn't there.

Mathieu is going to be a father? Wow... Anyways, I'm really happy for Buggs and I hope Pitino keeps giving him opportunities to show himself and get into a groove.

Yes, he tweeted it a few days ago, so I thought I'd ask him about it. Loved his comment on being a slasher like his Dad, lol!
 

Forgot to put this in my post on the game thread, but it fits just as well here: Oto was off the bench with one of the biggest smiles you will ever see when Buggs came back to the huddle following one of his first half buckets. That was really impressive to me considering Buggs could be taking his minutes.

I'd love to be able to see Pitino's reactions to some of the questions he gets post game. With the responses he gives transcribed by GopherLady, I picture a lot of "exasperated Coach Pitino" faces.
 

Looks more and more likely that Oto's playing career may be over after this season.
 

Richard was getting ripped on the radio this morning for claiming that his team was picked to finish last or near last in the conference. But I think there was at least one last-place prediction somewhere - was it the BTN writer? Help me out here.
 

Richard was getting ripped on the radio this morning for claiming that his team was picked to finish last or near last in the conference. But I think there was at least one last-place prediction somewhere - was it the BTN writer? Help me out here.

I believe it was one of the guys at BTN before we added any spring players. Not sure if any had us last in fall predictions. I don't recall many if any making the call for us to be in the tourney or even close, so even if his details are not accurate, his sense of the predictions is correct.
 

John Rothstein (CBS/CBSSN) picked the Gophers last.

Richard should have better things to do than keeping track of where the local writers picked his team in the standings. No problem that he's ticked off (read: competitive) about where the local writers picked his team, but airing it in public seems rather petty. In the future if Amelia and Fuller pick the Gophers to finish in the top 3 of the Big Ten & they end up finishing in the bottom half, is he going to call them to the carpet then, too?
 

Most magazines had the gophers picked 9th or lower. Athlon's was 9th.
 

On another note, looking at Bugg's athletic body type (Durant, Garnett) come to mind, they can gain weight but they don't do it at the same rate as a normal type. Let's say buggs is 6'9" and maybe 195 right now. I doubt he gets to 225 by his senior year and I doubt we really want him anywhere that big. He is not a banging pf, he is a faceup stretch 4 which is what almost all big ten 4's are nowadays.
 

Richard was getting ripped on the radio this morning for claiming that his team was picked to finish last or near last in the conference. But I think there was at least one last-place prediction somewhere - was it the BTN writer? Help me out here.

I think it was Brent Yarina.
 

I'm pretty sure, Richard just likes to give them some grief. He likes to joke around and poke fun. And i don't see y that's a problem?
 

John Rothstein (CBS/CBSSN) picked the Gophers last.

Richard should have better things to do than keeping track of where the local writers picked his team in the standings. No problem that he's ticked off (read: competitive) about where the local writers picked his team, but airing it in public seems rather petty. In the future if Amelia and Fuller pick the Gophers to finish in the top 3 of the Big Ten & they end up finishing in the bottom half, is he going to call them to the carpet then, too?

I'm pretty sure Richard was just joking around. He likes to poke fun and give people some grief, and i don't see y thats a problem being it's all in good fun?
 

I believe it was one of the guys at BTN before we added any spring players. Not sure if any had us last in fall predictions. I don't recall many if any making the call for us to be in the tourney or even close, so even if his details are not accurate, his sense of the predictions is correct.

After checking the BTN site, one writer had the Gophers at 11th, but the aggregate prediction among the six writers was 9th place. That was October, once the pieces were in place, so to speak.

If the Gophs hold off the Boilers and finish 7th, that would be a considerable accomplishment. Same place as last year with a lesser and severely unbalanced roster. A little weaker league, but not by much and not as much as some would claim. Sagarin had last year's B1G with a 84.98 rating and this year's at 83.71. (Last year's number includes Michigan's run to the national final, of course.)
 





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