The Wisconsin Badgers misplaced to the Illinois Preventing Illini 93-87 within the Massive Ten Match finals, falling brief in an offensive showdown to snap their three-game profitable streak.
After the sport, head coach Greg Gard and guards A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn spoke with the media, breaking down his workforce’s efforts within the shut victory.
Opening Assertion
GREG GARD: Initially, congratulations to Illinois. I believed this was a terrific school basketball recreation, appropriately in March. It got here right down to a play right here, a play there, a rebound right here, a rebound there.
However I’m so pleased with these two guys to my proper and the opposite 15 guys in that locker room. We’re leaving right here at this time a significantly better workforce than after we got here in on Wednesday and began this match on Thursday.
We acquired to the sport we needed to get to, and we had been in a position to utterly get throughout the end line, however it doesn’t diminish the pleasure I’ve in these guys and the way they’ve dedicated and grown over the past — you recognize, this complete season truly.
It stings. It hurts as a result of it’s one we needed clearly and it was one among our objectives. However as I advised them within the locker room, we put ourselves in place, so we now have extra basketball. We’ll take the factor we realized via this week, which had been many, and far more positives than negatives. Like I stated, we’re a greater workforce strolling out of right here at this time than we had been after we confirmed up on Thursday.
I’m wanting ahead to those guys having extra ball arising this subsequent week within the match.
Q. A.J., Coach sort of talked about the way you guys have grown all year long. How do you are feeling your recreation has grown over the course of the season and particularly just lately?
A.J. STORR: I believe simply being on the identical web page with my guys on the market, like serving to me lots. Defensively I believe I improved slightly. The blokes are motivating me to be a greater defensive participant, and I’m shopping for into it. Simply wanting ahead to taking part in some extra video games.
Q. Chucky, clearly the difficulty over the course of this second half of the season has been protection. Do you are feeling prefer it’s not essentially indicative of a few of the issues you guys have, however it’s simply they made extra of the pictures and made a few of the performs they wanted to?
CHUCKY HEPBURN: Made some powerful pictures, acquired offensive rebounds, second-chance factors. That’s what we have to repair in March Insanity in an effort to advance. We’ve acquired to do the little issues to win video games like that.
Q. Greg, you sort of alluded to it, however I assume what had been you hoping to construct with this week? How shut do you are feeling you got here to what you had been making an attempt to get out of this week?
GREG GARD: Making an attempt to get a championship this week. That’s what we had been working in direction of. Like I stated earlier than, we’re higher at this time than we had been initially of the match after we landed on Wednesday. Now we get to go chase one other championship.
68 of us — or 64 of us at the very least with the play-in video games — will begin on the identical beginning block. One recreation at a time. You’ve acquired to get six. I appreciated what I noticed. We’re primed and able to go now.
Like I stated, you need to be taking part in your finest basketball in March, and we’re. Wanting ahead to those guys getting extra alternatives to go present how good they’re.