Syracuse vs. West Virginia Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. West Virginia Player Quotes
January 28th, 2012
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Brandon Triche, Junior Guard
Threes haven’t been going in the past couple games. What’s going on with the shots?
“I don’t know. They are open shots. We are lining them up and they just aren’t going in. They look like they are going in but end up hitting back rim. Once we get that going again it’s going to be really hard to beat us.”
You guys haven’t had a game go down to the wire. What were your thoughts on the crowd and atmosphere?
“The crowd was definitely behind us when we needed them. It’s one of those games where we show heart. Fab wasn’t there which doesn’t make it easier for our other big men. We were hustling up and down the court getting loose balls and blocking shots.”
What has your preparation and mindset been since last week’s loss?
“Our preparation hasn’t really been different. We are trying to focus on rebounding, but that didn’t really help today. But we are showing heart down the stretch. We definitely showed that. We are playing a tough game and no matter what guard combinations are in, it’s all about the guards. It’s pretty much what our team is. If the guards do well that everyone will do well. We set the tempo for the team. Dion, Scoop, and I played pretty well. It wasn’t just offense; it was a lot of defense too."
Scoop Jardine, Senior Guard
Are you guys concerned at all about the three point shooting?
“No because they are the same shots that we are getting when people talk about how great our outside shooting is. We are getting the same looks. We just have to calm down and knock them down. You will go throw stretches like this in the middle of the season, you aren’t worried about it.”
How are you guys a different team without Fab in the lineup?
“We are totally different. No one can deny that at all. But we can be there to try and get out on them. We have two wins without him. But with Fab we are rebounding and blocking shots and we become a much better defensive team."
You have a week off and then you are going on the road to St. Johns. What are your thoughts about that?
“That’s not the road. But St. Johns is a young team. They are a team that plays with a lot of energy and plays really hard. Same with West Virginia. We knew that it was going to be a tough game. If we control the backboards we can knock them out.”
Dion Waiters, Sophomore Guard
WVU was nipping at your heels and you guys haven’t really been tested at home. How did the win feel?
“It was great. These are the type of games you want to play and come to college for. That’s what we look forward too. We needed a tough game like that to see where we were at mentally so it was great for us."
How did you feel about having an off game but having your teammates there to back you up?
“I mean I didn’t have an off game. I just wasn’t making some shots but I still had an impact on the game. It’s not always going to go your way. You have to stay prepared and continue to work hard. At the end of the day we only have one goal and that’s to win a championship. Triche came up big and Scoop came up big down the stretch so everybody chipped in a little bit.”
What has this past week been like preparation wise and mindset wise following the loss?
“It hasn’t been different. We came back strong with a win against Cincinnati. It’s all a mental thing and you can overcome that and that’s what we did.”
Do the guards need to get more rebounds?
“We do need to get more rebounds. It’s our job to go down there and battle and get rebounds. We are all big guards so we have to go help the big guys with Fab being out.”
January 28th, 2012
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Brandon Triche, Junior Guard
Threes haven’t been going in the past couple games. What’s going on with the shots?
“I don’t know. They are open shots. We are lining them up and they just aren’t going in. They look like they are going in but end up hitting back rim. Once we get that going again it’s going to be really hard to beat us.”
You guys haven’t had a game go down to the wire. What were your thoughts on the crowd and atmosphere?
“The crowd was definitely behind us when we needed them. It’s one of those games where we show heart. Fab wasn’t there which doesn’t make it easier for our other big men. We were hustling up and down the court getting loose balls and blocking shots.”
What has your preparation and mindset been since last week’s loss?
“Our preparation hasn’t really been different. We are trying to focus on rebounding, but that didn’t really help today. But we are showing heart down the stretch. We definitely showed that. We are playing a tough game and no matter what guard combinations are in, it’s all about the guards. It’s pretty much what our team is. If the guards do well that everyone will do well. We set the tempo for the team. Dion, Scoop, and I played pretty well. It wasn’t just offense; it was a lot of defense too."
Scoop Jardine, Senior Guard
Are you guys concerned at all about the three point shooting?
“No because they are the same shots that we are getting when people talk about how great our outside shooting is. We are getting the same looks. We just have to calm down and knock them down. You will go throw stretches like this in the middle of the season, you aren’t worried about it.”
How are you guys a different team without Fab in the lineup?
“We are totally different. No one can deny that at all. But we can be there to try and get out on them. We have two wins without him. But with Fab we are rebounding and blocking shots and we become a much better defensive team."
You have a week off and then you are going on the road to St. Johns. What are your thoughts about that?
“That’s not the road. But St. Johns is a young team. They are a team that plays with a lot of energy and plays really hard. Same with West Virginia. We knew that it was going to be a tough game. If we control the backboards we can knock them out.”
Dion Waiters, Sophomore Guard
WVU was nipping at your heels and you guys haven’t really been tested at home. How did the win feel?
“It was great. These are the type of games you want to play and come to college for. That’s what we look forward too. We needed a tough game like that to see where we were at mentally so it was great for us."
How did you feel about having an off game but having your teammates there to back you up?
“I mean I didn’t have an off game. I just wasn’t making some shots but I still had an impact on the game. It’s not always going to go your way. You have to stay prepared and continue to work hard. At the end of the day we only have one goal and that’s to win a championship. Triche came up big and Scoop came up big down the stretch so everybody chipped in a little bit.”
What has this past week been like preparation wise and mindset wise following the loss?
“It hasn’t been different. We came back strong with a win against Cincinnati. It’s all a mental thing and you can overcome that and that’s what we did.”
Do the guards need to get more rebounds?
“We do need to get more rebounds. It’s our job to go down there and battle and get rebounds. We are all big guards so we have to go help the big guys with Fab being out.”
