University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt-West Virginia Post-Game Quotesheet
2/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2006
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PITT VS.
February 9, 2006
Quoting Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon:
Opening Statement:
"I think our defense really overcame our offense in the first half. We made some adjustments in the intermission though, and really improved in the second half. I think it says a lot that we shot 52% and only had six turnovers after the break. I also thought our defense was great throughout. All of our guys that guarded Pittsnogle were outstanding. It was a great game and we battled for a win."
On Ronald Ramon and Levance Fields guarding Mike Gansey:
"Ronald was particularly good today. Holding Gansey to only seven shots is just outstanding. I thought our focus throughout was good, and also our scouting and preparation in the days leading up were particularly effective."
On Pittsnogle going scoreless:
"I thought we did a great job denying him open looks. Then later on in the second half, he tried to go inside more. Aaron Gray made sure he got his hands up in that situation, got in good defensive position so Pittsnogle still had to take tough shots."
On giving the ball to Carl on crucial possession at the end of the game:
"Teams are concentrating on Carl defensively and he notices that. He's doing a good job taking advantage of it in other ways. His rebounding, his defense, his passing and his free-throw shooting were all excellent tonight. To top it off he made big shots when it really counted."
On WVU forcing a lot of turnovers:
"The 1-3-1 is built to force turnovers, and WVU is very good at it. However, it gives you some other things, like inside shots and offensive rebounding. Even though we turned the ball over a lot in the first half, we adjusted later on. I also thought throughout we did a good job of exploiting the aspects the defense gave us."
On Ronald Ramon as a defender:
"He was ahead of a lot of freshman defensively last year. He also has a toughness that all good defenders possess. Ronald is quick, and he's not afraid to battle and stick his nose in the action, which is a great combination."
On Sam Young's offense in the 1-3-1:
"Sam really benefited from the adjustments we made in the offense at half-time. We tried to keep him around the basket more. We started off in the offense we ran last year, and we were successful then. Tonight, we were much more effective bringing our good guys in close. Having Sam around the basket is a great spot."
On the importance of winning this game:
"No one will go undefeated in this league. We had some tough losses last week, but the trick is to learn from them, which I think we did. I knew we'd come out and battle, with no signs of panic or worry. That's the only way you can be successful playing in a league like this. Tonight was a great night, but we have another tough one on Sunday."
Quoting West Virginia Head Coach Jim Beilein
Opening Statements
"The stats tell the story of the game. Pitt played a tremendous game. We'll a lot from this game. It was very hard to get open looks in this game."
On holding Kevin Pittsnogle to zero points
They have very good defenders now, we as a team need to learn how to play appropriately
On whether he was surprised to see the ball in Krauser's hands at the end.
No, he's a heck of a player; he saw an alley - took it and finished it. Ramon had a heck of a game too we lost him twice in the zone those were big plays.
On this year's Pitt Defense
"They're a little small since Troutman was so big. They're pretty quick now whether it's Ramon or Krauser they're a great defensive team. There's a reason they're 14-0 at home."
On if the rotation needs to be altered to get more experience to other players.
"I think an eight man roster is plenty but we do what we need to do to keep them ready."
On being down three at the end after having Pittsnogle taken out of the game.
"Our edge is our mental toughness, but we're not perfect."
On the lack of open looks.
"They had a great defense and they took away the open look sand the frustrate you."
On the student section
"The student section here is terrific."
On the toughness of the league
"Our schedule is a tough one and so is everyone else's in the conference"
On the new Big East.
"The best of the Big East is the involvement of the students. I pity those who don't take advantage of what college has to offer."
Quoting Pitt's Aaron Gray:
On holding Kevin Pittsnogle scoreless:
"We watched a lot of film on him. He's a big key to their offense. When you're guarding him you can't leave him or he'll get an open shot. I also got great help defense from my teammates, and he missed some shots too. The combination is why he went scoreless."
On Pitt being better equipped to defend
"It's a deeper team this year. We also have more athletic big men like Levon and Sam, who can stay with their big men when they go to the outside. They deserve credit too for getting great rotation out on their shooters and limiting their open looks."
On the importance of stopping a two-game losing streak:
"Unlike some other teams, we enjoy the challenge of playing three ranked teams in a row. To be successful in this conference and in the NCAA tournament you have to consistently beat good teams night in and night out. It's great preparation for us."
On a possible advantage on Kevin Pittsnogle in the low post:
"Initially I made some poor decisions, especially making bad passes that caused turnovers. There were points in the game however, where I did think that I had an advantage and my teammates did a good job then finding me with the ball."
Quoting Pitt's Ronald Ramon
On his good shooting night:
"We needed good guard play. There was a feeling that Aaron was going to be double-teamed which meant opportunities for us. If teams are going to do that then the guards have to step up and hit shots."
On trying to force it inside later in the game:
"We wanted to get Aaron the ball later in the game. When they double team him, it means one of us is open, and Aaron is very smart about passing the ball to the right place in those situations."
On Pitt's first-half turnovers:
"I think we got away from our offense a little bit at the start. We called a time-out though and made sure we started rotating and getting the ball in the right places."
On the importance of stopping a two-game losing streak:
"It's always important to win games. At this point every team's a great team. This one's big for us, but we have to keep practicing and working hard to get where we want to go."
Quoting Pitt's Sam Young:
On getting all of his points in the second half:
"Coach took me aside after the first half and told me to try and get on the glass, try and get some hustle points. That's what I tried to do and it worked out."
On bringing momentum to the team's offense:
"Every game we play I feel like I can bring a piece of the puzzle. We also have one of the best crowds in the nation and when they get going it gets us up."
