Coach Boeheim Memphis Postgame
Syracuse vs. Memphis
January 6, 2010
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Opening statement:
"I can’t explain the turnovers that we had tonight. I really can't. I wish I could. I have no understanding of it. We have not made those kind of turnovers all year. They came out and played zone against us, which we have seen all year, which we practice against every day. We looked like we had no idea what we were doing.
"Scoop (Jardine) was tremendous in the first half. I thought he made some real big plays for us. I thought Kris Joseph was really good in the second half. We did a better job in the second half defensively of finding their shooters. First half we left open the one guy that could make shots and didn’t adjust to it. The second half we did a better job of that.
"The turnovers are hard to explain. We haven’t done that all year. It wasn’t pressure. We looked like we were throwing it to the other team most of the time on purpose. I know they had a different color jersey on, so it couldn’t have been that. It is unbelievable for that to happen at this stage of the year. Maybe it is a reaction from losing a game, I don’t know.
" Inside we had opportunities early. We have to finish around the basket. We have size. We have to convert around the basket and we did not do that early. It is hard to explain how poorly we played tonight and won the game. I really don’t even care about that. We were very poor and I really don’t have a good explanation for it. We have had a good couple days of practice and I have no explanation for it. It really was like if you had no idea and you came out and played your first game of the year like this, you might possibly be able to understand it. Right now we are not a good basketball team. We are not playing like a good basketball team. I don’t think we have been for the last three or four games. We need to get a couple of good days of practice in and try to find some answers. We are not playing at all like a good basketball team right now."
Talk about the play of Triche in the second half:
“Brandon (Triche) got off to a good start. Our rhythm was good. It’s a slow game that you are not going to make a lot of changes in. They played six or seven guys. Brandon finally got a good feel for the game, made the shot and made a good play. I wanted Brandon to get going a little. He played in the last couple games like a freshman and he shouldn’t be. He has played in big games. He has played against North Carolina and he played good against Florida. He has played in big games and I wanted get him going.
"Scoop (Jardine) should have been back in there within five or six minutes, but I really felt that Brandon had to get some game time, had to do something to get himself back going. He is a good player, but he wasn’t playing good and I wanted to get him back in there. I told Scoop (Jardine) he is the only guy that has a case, he should be upset, for not getting in there because he really played well in the first half. I wanted to give Brandon a little chance to kind of get going. We are fortunate.
Like I said Andy (Rautins) hit a couple big threes. Kris Joseph hit a couple jump shots that he hasn’t hit and that is why we pulled away. It wasn’t anything about anything else. I don’t think we did anything good on offense and precious little good on the defensive end tonight. That is the way I see it. We have to play a lot better."
