Dec. 17, 2011
Vanderbilt vs Indiana State
December 17, 2011
Memorial Gymnasium
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Comments:
“I think the story of the game was that [Indiana State] got the tempo where they wanted it and we didn’t defend the three-point line, especially our bigs. What we talked about before the game was controlling penetration and defending the three-point line. We didn’t do a good job of either. It was not a very good performance. It was not a very good week of practice. It was not a very good week overall.”
“I didn’t think we had our edge to us today. I could kind of sense it. [Indiana State] played well, though.”
On What Went Wrong Down the Stretch:
“We missed free throws. We missed jump shots… We didn’t play well the whole game. The start of both halves was indicative of our mindset.”
On What Coach Stallings Told the Team Following the Loss:
“Not much. We’ll talk more about it tomorrow. There aren’t many things to say right now other than we have a game on Monday [against Longwood].”
On Indiana State’s Perimeter Defense:
“They did a good job of getting up on John. He was too quick to try and pinch off shots. There was no rhythm to our offense, but we had no rhythm the whole week of practice.”
Vanderbilt players:
Jeffery Taylor, Brad Tinsley:
On the 10-day break:
BT: “We were pretty banged up throughout the stretch where we had a lot of games. A lot of guys needed some time off to rest, but we got the guys in when they needed to and they got rest when they needed to. I thought we got a lot better in that 8, 9 days of just practicing.”
On factors during cold stretches:
JT: “We think we played pretty solid defense, we did a good job at rebounding, we only allowed four offensive rebounds today. I just think there were some stretches where we couldn’t buy a basket. We went cold and it seemed like when we went cold they would make a couple of threes and it would be a close game again. So, it’s just untimely for us to go cold in those stretches. I can’t really put my finger on it. It was a game we should have won, so it’s really frustrating right now.”
On season struggles finishing games:
JT: “I couldn’t tell you, but we’re going to have to figure it out, we can’t keep going like this. We’re a much better team than what we’re playing like right now.”
BT: “I think it’s just a mentality more than anything. We have the talent, we have the experience. We’ve got the exact same team as last year when we finished a lot of games. It’s just a mentality type of thing that whoever is on the court just has to have mental toughness.”
On how team will react to loss:
BT: “That’s the good thing about having another game really fast, just look back on this game and see what we did wrong. Like I said earlier, I thought we got a lot better in the week or so of practice, we just have to figure out some small things, have a little more different mentality, play a little smarter. I thought we didn’t play very smart, especially on offense, throughout this whole game. Turn around, and we’ve got another tough game on Monday.”
On mentality when VU held lead with 6 minutes left:
BT: “We were up by I think 8 at the most, something like that, that’s when we could have made a little run but that’s when we went cold and they went hot. That’s sometimes the way it goes.”
Is this the lowest team has been in last few years?
JT: “We’ll be alright. We have a lot of experienced players, 6-4, we’ve got Longwood on Monday, and that’s our focus is to beat Longwood Monday. After that we’ll focus on the next game. It’s a marathon. We’re about maybe a fourth of the way right now. We’ll be alright.”
Indiana State Head Coach Greg Lansing
Opening Statement:
“This is obviously a big win for our program. We won against one of the best teams in the country. I have a lot of respect for Kevin Stallings. This is one of the best coached teams in the country… We won this game off of the last two practices… We practiced well and were prepared. I am glad to get this win. It’s going to be a good ride home.”
On Limiting Vanderbilt’s Scoring at the End of the Game:
“Our team wanted to fight as much as possible. Myles Walker is a good defender and Steve McWhorter defended well… Vanderbilt is patient, smart, and good in transitions. We tried to get them in the transitions and force them to make tough shots.”
On Vanderbilt’s Eight-Point Lead with 6:31 Left in the Game:
“I was worried some. We’ve done that a lot, letting opponents come back. We calmed down on the offensive end and that helped us be a better defense. We’ve been guilty of poor offense leading to poor defense. Having the ball in [Jake] Odum’s hands at the end makes me feel comfortable.”
On if Indiana State Utilized Vanderbilt’s Loss to Cleveland State to Help Guard Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins:
“We definitely watched that tape. But, we always put Steve [McWhorter] on the other team’s best player, all the time. It’s not rocket science to look in there as much as possible and scout the best you can.”
Indiana State players
RJ Mahurin:
On facing Vanderbilt:
“Vanderbilt’s a really good team, obviously, you know, Top-25 in the country. One thing we emphasized all week was just to practice as hard as we could because if you don’t perform in practice, you’re not going to perform in a game, and that’s what we put our emphasis on this week. We knew it’s a tough environment to play in, and you know, one of the best teams in the country. We were fortunate enough to come in and battle one out, finish.”
On what made the difference:
“We came out in the second half and we were a little stagnant in the first half–we made a lot of shots, which helped. They played really good defense. That’s one of the best defenses we’ve seen, just quickness, their athleticism, but we were able to come out and move the ball a little more, come out, make shots.”
On beating a ranked team:
“Hopefully this will help us at the end of the year. It should. That’s what we had in mind coming in here. And it’s great to get the win.”
On adjustments to Jeffery Taylor’s 10-pt run in the second:
“Just guarding him a little closer, pay more attention and make a better effort to get between him and the basket. He’s an athletic player, made all kinds of plays for them, dominated for a while. It was just a team defensive effort really.”
Steve McWhorter:
On finishing with resounding effort:
“It’s a great feeling and I think practice this week, Coach was just telling us we had to be more intense and to close out games. We knew coming to this game it was going to be a big one for us, and coming down that ten minute stretch we knew it was going to be do or die, so we had to dig deep and get some stops or it was going to be another loss. But we dug deep and I’m proud of my guys, just pulled out the win.”
Defense in general and against Jenkins:
“Coach told me Jenkins, he was a really good player and I was going to be no help just face guarding him, chasing him the whole game, and that’s what I wanted to do, so I knew I was going to have to in order for our team to have a chance. I feel like I just chased him and my team did a good job at helping me, and were able to hold him under his average, which we try to do with the best player on the team. That was a big part in this game tonight.”
Jake Odum:
On finishing a big game on the road against a ranked team:
“It’s a big time game. Hopefully it’s a turning point for us, we haven’t finished well all year. We’ve let some slip away. But it’s good to come on the road and battle together as a team and pull it off.”
On the second half and turning point:
“Defense, all game. A 16-2 run, that’s how you got to win right there, that’s your defense. And that turned into offense and moving the ball and that’s what we wanted to focus on, keeping them on the defensive end longer than we’re on the defensive end, and that’s what we were able to do in the last five minutes. Cut our turnovers down also which was hurting us earlier in the half after we got the lead but we settled down and stayed composed.”
