Arizona State Head Coach
Arizona State Head Basketball Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening Statement …
“I thought we did some pretty good things in the first half and then we didn’t carry that into the second half. We dug ourselves a hole. We did a fairly good job of keeping their guards out of the lane. Not a great effort for us defensively in the second half. Have to give credit to Kentucky on how hard they competed defensively and the pressure is as good as I’ve seen in the games that we have played this year. Against an elite team on the road we had to make our free-throws and convert easy opportunities - we did not do that in the second half.”
On how much the game had grit in the first half…
“We did a good job on manufacturing extra possessions on offense. We knew how hard Kentucky was going to play, particularly after last week. We knew Coach Cal was going to get after these guys on the practice floor, and they obviously received the message. They also started making shots behind the 3-point line in the second half that they were not making in the first half.”
On defensive problems in the second half …
“They started to hit a few threes, Briscoe and Murray hit some. Those shots were deflating for us. Our lack of execution on offense, not converting some opportunities, (was) also a factor.”
On Marcus Lee…
“He is a seasoned player who has experience. He has played in big games. Obviously he has the physical tools you look for, also he has the mobility. It is a great thing to have Marcus Lee able to come off the bench.”
On Isaiah Briscoe…
“He has played in a lot of big games in his career. He has a great knack for getting to the rim and finishing. He made bucket going to the lane in our zone, which should never happen. He is a talented guy who has a bright future.”
Arizona State Players
#44, Kodi Justice, G
On what changed from the first half to the second half …
“I think we played a really good first half. We played really hard. We were battling. We were scrapping. We were holding the lane. We were doing all of the things we were supposed to do and then we came to the second half. We weren’t executing the things we were supposed to be doing here and there. Then they went on a run and we just kind of, I don’t want to say give up, but they just came in with a punch and we weren’t swinging back.”
On defensive struggles in the second half …
“It was the little things. It was running back. It was stopping the ball in transition. We were up plus-eight on the glass in the first half and then in the second half we went down eight. We stopped doing the little things that were keeping us in the game in the first half.”
On UK’s 3- point shooting in the second half …
“I think they just started making shots. We were still just trying to pack the lane. With us not getting back in transition here and there, they were finding open shots and they were just making them.”
On what the team learned from playing in this environment …
“I think it’s going to help us in the long run. It was a tough loss for us, but we need to take the good from the bad when we’re playing in big crowds like this. Some of us have never played in games like this, so just to take away stuff like that. If we want to be an NCAA tournament team, this is the type of game we will have to win.”
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