USC - Oregon State Postgame Quotes
January 28, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2001
Postgame quotes from USC coach Henry Bibby
"I thought in the shootaround today that we weren't ready to play. We were too loose. We thought we could beat them. Every team in the Pac-10 is beatable. It showed at the beginning of the game that we weren't ready to play. So, yes, before, at halftime and after the game, it required that I have a ?spiritual' meeting with my guys.
"Clancy didn't play at all tonight. Granville wasn't ready to play, Bluthenthal wasn't ready to play and Trepagnier wasn't ready to play. Scalabrine had a very, very good second half. He made some shots. And we got a big three-point basket from Nate Hair at the end of the half.
"They scored 9 points in a row before that at the end of the half. If they hadn't, they would've had 10 points at the end of the half. That's what I was upset about.
"They like to shoot threes. We didn't want to give them those open looks.
"I don't know if we have momentum. I know we didn't have enough guys playing well tonight. But we found a way to win. We need 3, 4, 5 guys playing well, then we have a shot.
"Nate showed he can still make shots. He picked up his intensity in practice. I hope this was a confidence booster for him.
"I'm hoping for the night where everybody is clicking.
"Clancy was playing against guys who were 6-3. He should've dominated. He wasn't ready to play."
Postgame quotes from Oregon State coach Ritchie McKay
"I think USC has a chance to make a run in the post-season. They did a good job of taking Tanner out of the game. I said at the start of the game that if we didn't shoot well from the perimeter, we weren't going to do well.
"In the second half, Scalabrine was really aggressive. When we collapsed down low, they were able to kick it outside and Granville hit a couple of threes.
"It was tough for Brian Jackson tonight. When you don't have the height to help you against a team like USC, you are almost on an island by yourself. Brian played with pain all night. I appreciate his heart, I was really proud of him.
On the next four straight games at home
"I want to play hard, especially in Gill Coliseum. It is the first step in building your program. It will be a stiff challenge against Arizona and Arizona State, but we have to get ready."
