Feb. 23, 2008

Recap |  Box Score |  Notes

Ohio head coach Tim O'Shea

Opening Statement:

That was a great second half for us; that's as good as I can recall any Ohio team playing in the second half.  To outscore a team of that caliber by 25 points is really remarkable.

On the first half performance:

I had no problem with our shots at all; the balls just wouldn't go down. There was nothing wrong with our effort, nothing wrong with our shot selection; their attitude in the locker room was very positive about making a run in the second half and staying with their defense.

On Bubba Walther's performance:

Bubba probably had his best game in an Ohio uniform today.  He was incredible. He did what seniors are supposed to do; he put us on his back and made big shots and big play after big play.

Ohio senior guard Bubba Walther

On the second half come back:

We didn't really force any bad shots in the first half, we would just miss, and in the second half we were hot. Coach just said relax, play your game. We just knew that we couldn't lose at home, we can't afford to lose at home.

On limiting Will Thomas' shots:

From a guard standpoint, I think their guards were so hot in the first half, that they had the confidence in the second half. I think they got away from him. They threw it into him a few times at the beginning of the second half and he missed lay-ups.

What do you think about the term mid-major:

Against Kansas we were definitely a mid-major. But seriously, there's so much parity now in basketball. We beat Maryland and now they're one of the best teams in the ACC. I think that there is probably ten teams that you know you won't beat but I don't really like the term mid-major anymore.

On hitting 50% of his shots against George Mason:

I'm a streak shooter. I'm either really good or really bad, I've kind of accepted that. At halftime I was just sitting there telling myself to calm down, you're a senior, you have to step it up big. Once I hit that first one in the second half, it really calmed me down.

On the crowd and large student section at the game:

They're what kept us in it. I know that was a big thing I was thinking about... I was walking into the locker room at halftime, and I was like "This place is packed. We're down 13, that's a joke."I know we take a lot of pride in our home court, and I think we put on a good show to show the rest of the country what Ohio Basketball is all about.

Ohio senior forward Leon Williams

On his battle with old high school rival Will Thomas:

It felt like old times, like being back in high school. He's a really good player and he's going to take that team a long way in their conference tournament. It felt good (to play against him), I'm glad we pulled out with the win.

When asked to describe his first 3-pointer:

Honestly I just threw it up. Looking back at it, I heard Bubba say shoot it, I didn't even think the shot clock was that low. I just threw it up and it went in. The guys on the bench said it looked pure coming off my hand.

On the team's strategy against Will Thomas:

Watching films, we saw that everyone was playing behind him and just letting him get it. We tried to front him or just front him all the way and try to disrupt what they wanted to do and keep the ball out of his hands. That was our main objective, not letting him be comfortable getting the ball.

On the crowd and its affect:
It was a great feeling. I wish the crowd was like that all the time. I just like the support, I wish we could play like that on the road though. I wish we didn't need a crowd like that.