An occasional feature where we compile quotes from the weekend’s meaningful games. Read on and enjoy.
“It was real physical down in the paint. The refs just look at you like, ‘Uh, this is the Big Ten.’ ”
— Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger, on the conference’s physical play.
“We played well tonight, but we just didn’t play well enough. We’ve got to be almost perfect to beat a team like that.”
— Maryland coach Gary Williams, after watching his team lose 71-64 to Duke.
“I threw it up and God was on my side.”
— UConn guard Kemba Walker, who scored 22 points in an 82-81 OT win over Texas, including a wild 3-pointer to force OT.
“I’m sitting here right now, and I feel like I’ve been inside the cookie jar in the cookie store and stole every cookie out of the jar and every cookie out of the store. And I want to get out of town as fast as I can. It was one of the ugliest W’s I’ve ever been involved with.”
— North Carolina coach Roy Williams. His Tar Heels beat Virginia, 62-56, on Sunday.
“It was a win, and I’ve never had a bad win.”
— San Diego State assistant Brian Dutcher, when asked about the Aztecs’ 71-62 victory against Utah.
“I just almost feel for the guys this time because of how they work. What we did and how we played today is almost unexplainable.”
— Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans dropped to 10-5 after a stunning 66-62 loss to Penn State.
“We watch TV. We want to be on TV like everybody else is. Even our own [scoreboard] has the Top 25. We want to be on there.”
— Georgia forward Trey Thompson. The Bulldogs beat No. 10 Kentucky on Saturday.
“I don’t want to keep winning like this. It’s not healthy.”
— Memphis coach Josh Pastner, whose Tigers beat East Carolina 61-58, their fifth win by five points or less.
“The ref said he blew the whistle on accident, but there had to be something. They’ve talked about how the OVC is really concentrating on elbows this year. So it’s in the rule book and that’s how it went down.”
— Austin Peay’s Josh Terry, who was whistled for a hotly debated foul at the end of the Govs’ win over Murray State.
“If you’re from Pittsburgh, you’ll be known as a defensive team and a hard-nosed, blue-collar team. The Steelers started that and we’ll never get away from it, but that’s a good thing.”
— Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon. The Panthers actually have the nation’s most efficient offense, too.
“Winning like this says we’re playing pretty good right now.”
— Washington senior Venoy Overton. The Huskies overcame a slow start to beat Oregon State 103-72 for a 4-0 start in the Pac-10, their best since 1984.
“If they didn’t know what they were doing, Da’Sean would have slapped them on the wrong side of the head. He’s allowed to do that.”
— West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, whose team is still searching for a leader like last year’s senior Da’Sean Butler.
“The main thing when you see them huffing and puffing like that is keep sprinting harder up and down, rim to rim.”
— Colorado forward Austin Dufault, on the advantages of playing at 5,430 feet above sea level. His Buffs outran No. 9 Missouri on Saturday.
“Their guys drive the ball from the wing to the rim. We don’t rotate. We don’t take charges. We just whack guys. Those are bad fouls. That’s bad defense.”
— Kansas State coach Frank Martin, who had four starters foul out during Saturday’s 76-62 loss at Oklahoma State.
“We had no flow to what we were doing on offense. Luckily our defense was pretty good.”
— Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, whose team improved to 16-0 despite struggling throughout Saturday’s win at Seton Hall.
“I’ve been doing it for 17 years at the Division I level, working for one of the best coaches in the business collegiately in Bruce Pearl. I’ve been his right-hand man for the last 10 years, so I’m more than prepared.”
— Tennessee associate head coach Tony Jones, who filled in for the suspended Bruce Pearl during a 68-65 loss to Arkansas.
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