Player Quotes
Syracuse vs Louisville
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Carrier Dome/Syracuse, N.Y.
Kris Joseph, Sophomore, Forward
On Louisville's defense:
"It was a pressure, match-up zone - something we haven't seen much this year at all. We just weren't executing our offense. We scouted this for a whole week. We knew what was coming. We just didn't execute. We weren't getting the ball to the high post like we were in the first half and getting easy high-lows. That's what hurt us."
On why the team hasn't seemed to play well the last few games:
"The same shots that were falling earlier on in the year are not falling now. I think that's what it is. We're getting a lot of great looks. Maybe we're not finishing inside the same way we were. Maybe we're not connecting on the outside the same way we used to in the first half of the season. I don't know what caused it, but we just have to keep working hard and that's what we're going to keep doing."
Wes Johnson, Junior, Forward
On how he's feeling since the fall against Providence:
"I'm getting better. I think I'm still coming back. I really started practicing fully a couple of days ago. I think I am coming back. I'm really just trying to play within myself and not try to force anything out there. I'm still coming back right now."
On how Louisville's defense affected the offense:
"I think we were getting sped up. We had a spurt where we were hitting shots, making good plays, penetrating, finding the open guy. I think that's when we were slowed down. They had their pressure going. They started hitting shots and we were hitting shots, then we got sped up and we thought, 'Oh, we can play their game.' Then it got turned into a track meet and they won."
On if it is frustrating for him to not have his body at 100 percent:
"Definitely, it's very frustrating to not be at 100 percent. It feels like I'm cheating my team and my ability. I'm not playing like I should be playing and my body is not agreeing with me with what I want to do when I'm out there. I just need to take it day-by-day and get the proper treatment, the proper rest and just go out there and hope for the best."
Scoop Jardine, Redshirt Sophomore, Guard
On what Louisville's changing defense did to him:
"It makes me keep thinking. That's my job, that's what I have to do; keep thinking what they're handing me because I'm the coach of the floor. Coach (Boeheim) put a lot of responsibility on me to do that. Louisville did a great job of changing their defense and I had the challenge to keep noticing what they were doing to run our team and our offensive play."
On what the team did differently at the end of the game:
"We just went at them. We attacked. Kris Joseph went to the rack like he wanted to go score. We didn't do that the whole game. When the other team pressures we have to attack it. We didn't do that. We were too lazy and too laid back. Then when we were down and saw we were about to lose we all started attacking and that's what got us back in the game. We have to be like that all the time. When we go down to Georgetown we have to do the same thing. We have to attack."
On if the team was hesitant:
"We were just standing there. It's nothing. It's us. We all have to come together as a whole. I know we will. We lost and then we won 11 straight. I know we can bounce back from it. We're going to watch film. Coach Boeheim is going to do a great job to get us ready. I'm not worried. I just know we're not going to get out-toughed again."
