Postgame Quotes
12/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning
Opening Statement...
"We feel very fortunate to get a win. They were missing a man, so it kind of worked out to our advantage, especially in the first half, because we were able to throw the ball inside and get a couple of their guys in foul trouble. I thought we got contributions across the board from a lot of different guys. We've got to lock in a little bit better when we start building leads. I thought we went through a stretch where we tried to make great plays. It didn't work out so well and they were able to attack us in transition and change the game. All in all, we're happy with the win. We have to get better. We have to do a much better job of guarding the basketball and continue to get better."
On Arkansas switching to zone...
"It slowed us down some, but we still shot 52 percent from the field. Any time you shoot that type of percentage, you give yourself a chance to win. It also comes down to defensively, doing a better job. So, it slowed us down some. We just want to be a little more patient getting the shot that we want. We didn't want to come off the first side and fire off a three before we gave our bigs a look inside, especially Devin (Thomas). Once again, he had a monster game. We're riding him right now. He's providing a lot of energy and effort and creating some momentum for us."
On the Deacons' defensive performance...
"We'd like to be better defensively, but going back to the UCLA game, I think we got four stops in a row down the stretch. We're getting timely stops. This is coach speak, but if we're getting them at the end of the game, why can't we get them at the beginning of the game and the middle of the game? Our guys are doing a good job of showing some grit and bowing their neck and coming up with stops when we need them to."
On the Devin Thomas' game...
"We threw him the ball—that helps. We shot 22 threes tonight. Some of those shots were good shots and in the flow of the offense and they were wide open. But we got to continue to get the ball inside. We've been able to get into the bonus every game in the first half because we throw the ball inside. The team has got to play like that every game. That's who we are. We need to throw the ball inside, play inside-out. We have to continue to get Devin (Thomas) touches. I thought (Thomas) played a really good ball game, but I still think he was a little passive early on. He's so thoughtful and caring of his teammates that he's catching the ball at four or five feet from the basket and he's trying to get other guys involved by firing it out for them to shoot threes. We want him to attack the rim a little bit better."
Arkansas Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement...
"First, I want to commend coach Danny Manning and his team. I thought it was a tremendous game, a game that went back and forth. They made more plays than we did down the stretch. I like the effort of our guys. We had a chance to really fold the tent early on. They went up 13 or 14 points, but our guys grew up and didn't let the adversity affect them. They chipped away and chipped away, and before you know it, it was a game. It went back and forth and the guy that hadn't made shots all game long came back to haunt us. That was (Konstantinos) Mitoglou. He made two big threes. I commend them. They found a way to win. That's what you've got to do. He's got a good basketball team."
On switching to zone defense in the second half...
"We wanted to mix it up. We didn't want to be predictable. I know they worked on our pressure defense, our man-to-man. They obviously had a size advantage. They probably had the depth advantage, as well. The matchup was working, we wanted to try to keep (Devin) Thomas off the boards and out of the lane. We didn't do a very good job of that. They made some shots early in the first half, but in the second half, I thought our defense really picked up and got them out of what they were trying to do. They were trying to pound it in."
Wake Forest Senior Forward Devin Thomas
On the Razorbacks' comeback...
"It occurs a lot to give up leads or have deficits where we have to come back. I don't think we are going to get too much luckier, especially when we are getting into conference play. We have a week off, so we have to take advantage of this week of practice to get ready for our next opponent."
On having an 11-day break...
"We have a week to get better and to get recovery in. We have to work on defense and get better. One of the perks of having a week is that after that we do not have to worry about school for a month. All we have to do is worry about basketball. I think that is an advantage, not only for us, but for a lot of teams across the country.
Wake Forest Sophomore Forward Cornelius Hudson
On being back on the court...
"It feels good. I could not wait to be back on the court. I was just being patient and letting the game come to me when I get out there. I am always cheering for my team and doing anything Coach needs me to when I'm out there."
On hitting three-straight 3-pointers...
"I was just stepping into my shot and knocking it down. I was ready every time someone passed me the ball."
Wake Forest Sophomore Guard Mitchell Wilbekin
On the victory...
"A win is a win. It's always good to win and improve our record. I thought we did some good things, but defensively we had too many let ups. We played defense at times, and later in the game we get comfortable and stopped. We cannot do that when we get into conference play. We have to play the full 40 minutes."
On starting up ACC play in a month...
"Winning feels a lot better than losing. In these wins we're doing good things, but in conference play it will probably be a loss. We have to play the whole game and not just pick when we want to play."
