Postgame Quotes - Wake Forest 70, Duke 75
1/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2013
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Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
Wake Forest vs. Duke
January 30, 2013
Postgame
Opening Statement...
"Once again I want to thank our student body and our fans for a great atmosphere. They're really getting behind this basketball team and we appreciate it very much. It means so much to us, and we really appreciate that. That was a very hard-fought basketball game. I'm very proud of my players. With the guts of the game, Duke simply made some timely stops and made some timely shots. We got some good looks, the kind of looks we wanted. We got the ball to the rim. We got a wide open shot, and it just didn't go down and next time it will."
On Duke utilizing Marshall Plumlee...
"The adjustment that Duke has made without Ryan Kelly is simply trying to give Plumlee the basketball down low and play off of him. As we studied in their films, they're getting the ball to him and then the defense stands around and they format [Josh] Hairston and [Amile] Jefferson to set screens and get their threes off of Plumlee playing like a point guard, so we wanted to focus in on having him making tough twos and staying attached to the three point shooters. Now what we didn't do in the first half that we wanted to do was not give him angles and make him score over you. He got a couple of dunks and angles, and we talked about that at halftime with not giving him angles."
On mixing up the starting lineup...
We got out of the gate obviously much better today. The only reason we made the switch in the lineup was we thought we matched up better.
On the difference between home and away performances...
We've got to a better job of being tougher on the road, although our game before we lost to Virginia Tech in the last second. We just had a really bad half at Georgia Tech.
On the momentum shift in favor of Duke...
"I told our players before the game - when you play at the highest level, you need to expet adversity and there will be runs throughout the course of a basketball game with Duke or whoever we play. You need to be mentally tough and grind through it, and that's where you have to defend, get loose balls, rebound, not turn it over and keep running your stuff."
On players' relation with the student body...
"We have a terrific group of young men that have really connected with the students. We're doing a lot of things to make that happen - to put our players in front of students. Our players are doing a great job of just connecting, saying hello and getting involved in other students' lives, so it all works. We have terrific young people here at Wake Forest and they're bonding together, and that's a beautiful thing."
On Arnaud William Adala Moto's shot...
"We had several options on that play to drive it. It's a very good play, and that four man is always going to be open. And he was, so he was playing well and had a very good look at it. Can't get a better shot than that."
Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Wake Forest vs. Duke
Postgame
January 30, 2013
Opening Statement...
"It's a heck of a basketball game. Jeff (Bzdelik)'s kids came out with great energy and I thought they played with great energy the entire game. They started a different lineup to get more speed and they really push the ball down on us. I thought it knocked us back early. We adjusted a little bit in the first half and were able to hang in there to be tied at half time. The second half our guys played defense, we got back better, played ball screen defense better, and did enough good things to beat a really good basketball game tonight. Mason (Plumlee) was amazing tonight with his presence in addition to 32 points. We have been shooting free throws very badly, we are last in the ACC and tonight he was 8-for-10 and I think we were 17-for-21. We need that. We are not that deep of a team, we are not a power team. Seth (Curry) hit a huge shot at 67-67 after missing those two open ones, and we called a set to get either Mason low or get Seth a shot at the top of the key. They doubled Mason and Seth was open and after missing those two he hit that. That is a sign of a really good player. Rasheed (Sulaimon) hit a big shot and Mason did. We hit some free throws and Josh (Hairston) got a loose ball and all of a sudden you are fortunate to win. We earned it but if they would have won they would have earned it. Both teams played winning basketball tonight. Since Christmas, their team has improved so much. They really have great character, they look like they like one another and believe in one another. The two upper classmen have got to be outstanding leaders. (C.J.) Harris and (Travis) McKie give them that stability that those kids need and we beat a good basketball team tonight. We feel very fortunate to win."
On having junior and seniors down the stretch...
"No we don't have more of them. We have two (and) they have two. We are a different team, I am telling you. The kid who made one of the biggest plays was a freshman, Sulaimon. Mason and Seth have been in a lot of big games, this was a big game, every one of them are, and they were able to come through."
On getting the first road win in a hard-fought game...
"It means the other team probably died. If you won by 20 in this conference it means that the team that lost cooperated. It's good to win. We shouldn't qualify winning. We should not take for granted winning. Winning is very, very hard, especially on a consistent basis."
