Nov. 21, 2011

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POSTGAME QUOTES

Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach
On tonight’s game
“Going into tonight’s game we really wanted to get off to a good start and I’m not sure we did that. I had to get on some guys in a timeout in the first half and after that I think we really responded. After the first half I think we did a good job of getting the ball to (Jared) Sullinger, I wanted to get him going and obviously he did. But the games they (North Florida) have played to this point, I think they showed they have a really good opportunity to be a great team.”

On playing three games in one week
“I do (like playing games close together) because I have to do it. It’s a positive for our guys, and now we have to get ourselves ready to go for the next game. So, we’ll show some clips and get ready for VMI.”

On the team’s progression
“At this point on Nov. 21, I think our guys are continuing to adjust. We made some good adjustments in the second half and Aaron (Craft) took it to another level. Even in the Florida game our adjustments really worked to our advantage later in the game. And that’s something that has to continue to be a work in progress.”

Jared Sullinger, sophomore forward
On Ohio State struggling in the first half to get ahead
“We didn’t come out with any juice, any energy or any intensity. We came out expecting to win because we are Ohio State. We realized this team wasn’t scared to play and obviously it showed in the first half.”

On the week ahead
“It is a mental toughness week. With a game, practice, game, practice, game, we only have to get better.”

Lenzelle Smith, Jr., sophomore guard
On his dunks tonight
“I’m feeling good about them. Some things we were successful on offensively as a team today. Some things clicked tonight.”

On the team creating turnovers
“Any team that wants to be good needs to convert turnovers into buckets.”

Deshaun Thomas, sophomore forward
On the Ohio State offense shooting inside
“Coach always said we get good looks when we shoot it inside. When we get it inside to (Jared) Sullinger and me, our percentages go up.”

On knocking down the first shot behind the arc tonight
“It was just one of those shots. It’s about staying focused and ready to shoot. That’s what we work on in practice. We try to get our percentages up. Playing on offense just kind of clicked for me tonight.”

Matthew Driscoll, North Florida head coach
On the game tonight
“Obviously when you play a team like this, that is as talented as they are, ranked as high as they are, coming off your third game in five days, the one thing you want to do is look for resolve. You are trying to look for your guys to get after it and compete. It was 15-12 at the 12 minute media timeout. They (Ohio State) went on a 20-2 run after that and a 10-2 run to start the second half. Those runs are hard to go against. When you have runs like that you can really separate yourself.”

On holding Jared Sullinger scoreless for the first nine minutes
“We do a good job of doing certain things and playing certain ways. To give ourselves credit, it was really hard. I coached in the Big 12 and saw (Kevin) Durant, Michael (Beasley) and Blake (Griffin) and you need to make guys like that play through their chest. When you play guys and make them wall up and play through their chest, it is a hard shot to make. We tried to make him play through our chest. He is a good angle scorer.”

On defending William Buford
“If (William) Buford is not making shots, he is going to keep on shooting. But if he is not making shots they are obviously going to run the offense through Sullinger.”