Michigan State University
Illinois
Michigan State - Illinois Post Game Quotes
2/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2002
MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo:
"Well, there might have been many reasons, but tonight I think you saw the difference between a team that really wanted it and a team that didn't. Give Illinois a lot of credit. They came in with their backs against the wall and really took it to us. We didn't play with the energy that we needed.
"As a coach you have to make decisions, and I made the decision yesterday that freshness was the most important thing. But we just didn't go over enough stuff with our walk-ons. We had to make some substitutions and it was almost unfair to them. They had to cover guys certain ways and they weren't really able to do it.
"The game was really decided in the first five minutes. The energy we brought and the energy they brought was not the same. We could not stay focused. After timeouts, we weren't able to do the things we talked about. We got what we deserved tonight."
On Marcus Taylor's last shot:
"We wanted to go for a three. They overplayed him. We used one timeout early because we were so tired from foul trouble. I usually have one timeout at the end. He just didn't make the shot. It's hard to look at the last minute, but the game was lost in the first five minutes, because that's when they really took it to us."
Illinois Head Coach Bill Self:
On Frank Williams' play:
"I thought that was the best game Frank has played in a while. Obviously he made some big shots and I thought his effort on defense against (Marcus) Taylor was really good. Certainly, players have to make plays when the game is on the line and he has been real inconsistent of late to the point that tonight he deserved it."
On the win:
"I think it is huge. It has been pretty well documented that certainly we haven't played consistently but there is still time if we peak at the right time. This win will do more for our confidence more than any other game we have played."
