Syracuse Player Quotes
Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
March 1, 2009
Carrier Dome/Syracuse, NY
Paul Harris, Jr., F
On the importance of this win:
“We feel like we are team that needs to win to get into the NCAA tournament. We came to play, especially with our defense. Our defense was tremendous today. This is a huge win. I know we went through a stretch where we lost a couple. We put that behind us and we are just playing one game at a time and trying to get one win at a time.”
On how the team has improved in the last two games:
“I think it starts with our defense. If you look at our last game, we held them [St. John’s] to 18 points in the first half. Today we held Cincinnati to 17 points. So it all starts with us being active in our zone and getting transition points. Everybody is out there moving and communicating. Things like that help the team out.”
Eric Devendorf, Jr., G
On why Syracuse won by such a large margin:
“I think there was a lot of intensity on the defensive side of the ball on the first and second half. When we set ourselves up like that in the first half, it is pretty tough for the other team to come back in the second half.”
On Cincinnati:
“Cincinnati is a good team. They are definitely on the bubble for getting into the NCAA tournament. They are a good team, but we just did a great job defensively on them. Fortunately, we got some turnovers and tough shots.”
On converting turnovers into points:
“It is always good when you can turn turnovers into points, especially fast-break buckets and easy layups. That always gets the team going. I think that is something that we have been doing really well the past two games. That sets us up for all the offensive scores.”
On the importance of two wins heading into March:
“It is big to know that we have momentum going into playing Rutgers on Tuesday. Hopefully, we will have a win against Rutgers and we’ll play well at Marquette and have some momentum going into the BIG EAST Tournament.”
Kristof Ongenaet, Sr., F
On SU’s defense:
“Defense is what can make us a really great team instead of just a good team. I think the last couple games we have been focusing on our defense every single game. Our most important thing is just to get the stops and play defense and the offense will follow. That is the most important thing we’ve been working on in every practice.”
On the level of play in the BIG EAST:
“I do not think there are any easy teams in the BIG EAST. I think we always have to be prepared, even for Rutgers. The next couple of days will be hard. I think we are just playing better and that is why we got a bigger lead than we usually do. Cincinnati is a good team but we did not let them score or do what they wanted to.”
