Michigan State coach Tom Izzo:
What won them the game:
Thought our three freshmen won the game. [Deyonta] Davis was phenomenal (8 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks)… Valentine shot well, but struggled in some areas (6 turnovers). Thought [Matt] McQuaid gave us a big lift. They guarded us well in the first half, but we were able to hit some shots in the second half. (MSU shot 16-for-26 from deep)
On the current state of the Wildcats:
I can understand how Chris is doing. That team was playing well, now their guards are struggling to hit shots. That happens. (Northwestern’s starting guards were 6-for-29 from the field).
I have great respect for what Chris has done. I feel for teams like this cause they remind me of my second or third year. They have talent, they’re gonna be a good team.
On his team’s turnovers (15 total):
I’m upset about the turnovers. I don’t want to dampen a good win, but I’m gonna dampen a good win. That’s inexcusable. (He later complained about Valentine's six turnovers, though the senior guard also finished with 19 points, 7 assists and 6 boards)
Northwestern coach Chris Collins:
On learning from Michigan State:
They have one of the best players in the country, and lots of experience. We should learn from what they do. Izzo is a great role model for me.
On his team’s performance:
They (MSU) got 26 open threes and made 16, we had 23 open ones and made 4. That’s 36 points, it’s basic math.
I thought in the first half our defense was decent. If Denzel’s gonna make a forty-footer, sometimes you gotta tip your hat… they made 16 threes, and that’s a big number, but I thought our D was good early. Then as the game went on we wore down…they have a dynamic team and they shot it good tonight.
On his team’s current attitude:
I’m excited about where we are, I think we’re on a good track. I just feel badly for our guys because our effort level is there. One team shot the crap out of it, one team couldn’t hit anything. If you’re playing your butt off and keep missing open shots, it wears on you. Other parts of your game goes south because you can’t score... We have half of our conference left. We’ve hit rough patches before. The same team came in and beat us last year, then we won five of the next six.
You gotta keep fighting. We’ve been down this road before. Confidence can turn in a heartbeat if you have a good performance. You gotta be positive. We still have nine games left. I’m not sure any team in the country has played the stretch we’re playing. (three top-15 opponents in four games, four straight ranked opponents) That’s not easy. It’s just the reality of it. What you have to do is hang in there. We have to be ready to play the rest of our schedule, every game. We had two tough games, Indiana and tonight. You can’t let these games put you in a tailspin. Everyone sensationalizes everything. We’re gonna keep playing. If we win on Sunday, it’s not everything is great. You just keep playing.
You gotta get old. To get old you gotta go though nights like this.
On why Scottie Lindsey did not play:
I just swung with other guys tonight.
On Alex Olah’s health:
He doesn’t practice at all. He’s got a broken foot. He’s a senior, he’s trying to gut it out.. I thought Davis’ shot-blocking, size and activity really bothered him. When you don’t practice it makes it hard.
More on the team’s shooting struggles: (Northwestern shot 20.7 percent from the field, and 17.4 percent from three)
Our two seniors (Demps and Olah) were 2-for-20. It’s tough. Bryant was 4-for-15, it’s tough. Still thought we had good looks. When you have a good looks, you have to make shots. I’m not blaming our guys, we’re all in this together. You have to make shots, you have to finish…It’s frustrating for all of us. Our staff will work tirelessly with our guys. Right now, our guys have lost confidence shooting and we have to get it back.
On not getting calls from the referees:
We’re not a team that’s going to get a ton of calls against a team like Michigan State. You have to fight through that stuff. Bryant gets crushed at the end of the half and they swallow the whistle… we gotta earn our respect. We gotta keep plugging along. That’s not to discredit Michigan State, they’re good.
On Denzel Valentine:
I thought he hit some really good shots. We didn’t do a good job at the end of shot clocks. I thought our D was pretty good… Could have denied him the ball better at the end of shot clocks, when they try to find their play-maker. We allowed him to get it a little too easily. I thought he made some huge end of shot clock plays.
He turned it over six times. This game isn’t on the defensive game plan. You’ve gotta score. This game was not lost on the defensive end. You’ve gotta score and you’ve gotta make shots
Sanjay Lumpkin:
On the team’s shooting woes:
It’s tough. We gotta keep shooting. We just have to stay in the gym, guys gotta get their confidence back, and we can’t let it affect our defensive play.
We have nine more rounds left. We’re gonna fight every round, every game, just gotta prepare ourselves for Sunday.
What won them the game:
Thought our three freshmen won the game. [Deyonta] Davis was phenomenal (8 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks)… Valentine shot well, but struggled in some areas (6 turnovers). Thought [Matt] McQuaid gave us a big lift. They guarded us well in the first half, but we were able to hit some shots in the second half. (MSU shot 16-for-26 from deep)
On the current state of the Wildcats:
I can understand how Chris is doing. That team was playing well, now their guards are struggling to hit shots. That happens. (Northwestern’s starting guards were 6-for-29 from the field).
I have great respect for what Chris has done. I feel for teams like this cause they remind me of my second or third year. They have talent, they’re gonna be a good team.
On his team’s turnovers (15 total):
I’m upset about the turnovers. I don’t want to dampen a good win, but I’m gonna dampen a good win. That’s inexcusable. (He later complained about Valentine's six turnovers, though the senior guard also finished with 19 points, 7 assists and 6 boards)
Northwestern coach Chris Collins:
On learning from Michigan State:
They have one of the best players in the country, and lots of experience. We should learn from what they do. Izzo is a great role model for me.
On his team’s performance:
They (MSU) got 26 open threes and made 16, we had 23 open ones and made 4. That’s 36 points, it’s basic math.
I thought in the first half our defense was decent. If Denzel’s gonna make a forty-footer, sometimes you gotta tip your hat… they made 16 threes, and that’s a big number, but I thought our D was good early. Then as the game went on we wore down…they have a dynamic team and they shot it good tonight.
On his team’s current attitude:
I’m excited about where we are, I think we’re on a good track. I just feel badly for our guys because our effort level is there. One team shot the crap out of it, one team couldn’t hit anything. If you’re playing your butt off and keep missing open shots, it wears on you. Other parts of your game goes south because you can’t score... We have half of our conference left. We’ve hit rough patches before. The same team came in and beat us last year, then we won five of the next six.
You gotta keep fighting. We’ve been down this road before. Confidence can turn in a heartbeat if you have a good performance. You gotta be positive. We still have nine games left. I’m not sure any team in the country has played the stretch we’re playing. (three top-15 opponents in four games, four straight ranked opponents) That’s not easy. It’s just the reality of it. What you have to do is hang in there. We have to be ready to play the rest of our schedule, every game. We had two tough games, Indiana and tonight. You can’t let these games put you in a tailspin. Everyone sensationalizes everything. We’re gonna keep playing. If we win on Sunday, it’s not everything is great. You just keep playing.
You gotta get old. To get old you gotta go though nights like this.
On why Scottie Lindsey did not play:
I just swung with other guys tonight.
On Alex Olah’s health:
He doesn’t practice at all. He’s got a broken foot. He’s a senior, he’s trying to gut it out.. I thought Davis’ shot-blocking, size and activity really bothered him. When you don’t practice it makes it hard.
More on the team’s shooting struggles: (Northwestern shot 20.7 percent from the field, and 17.4 percent from three)
Our two seniors (Demps and Olah) were 2-for-20. It’s tough. Bryant was 4-for-15, it’s tough. Still thought we had good looks. When you have a good looks, you have to make shots. I’m not blaming our guys, we’re all in this together. You have to make shots, you have to finish…It’s frustrating for all of us. Our staff will work tirelessly with our guys. Right now, our guys have lost confidence shooting and we have to get it back.
On not getting calls from the referees:
We’re not a team that’s going to get a ton of calls against a team like Michigan State. You have to fight through that stuff. Bryant gets crushed at the end of the half and they swallow the whistle… we gotta earn our respect. We gotta keep plugging along. That’s not to discredit Michigan State, they’re good.
On Denzel Valentine:
I thought he hit some really good shots. We didn’t do a good job at the end of shot clocks. I thought our D was pretty good… Could have denied him the ball better at the end of shot clocks, when they try to find their play-maker. We allowed him to get it a little too easily. I thought he made some huge end of shot clock plays.
He turned it over six times. This game isn’t on the defensive game plan. You’ve gotta score. This game was not lost on the defensive end. You’ve gotta score and you’ve gotta make shots
Sanjay Lumpkin:
On the team’s shooting woes:
It’s tough. We gotta keep shooting. We just have to stay in the gym, guys gotta get their confidence back, and we can’t let it affect our defensive play.
We have nine more rounds left. We’re gonna fight every round, every game, just gotta prepare ourselves for Sunday.
