University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 87, Arizona State 75
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 87, Arizona State 75
Tempe, Ariz. (Wells Fargo Arena)
February 23, 2017
ย
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
on the status of freshman Lonzo Ball
โWell, he just tweaked his foot a little bit. They re-taped his foot and then he came back and was fine. Again, he played 33 minutes. Heโs fine. Heโs a competitor. But he did tweak it a little bit and he just wanted to get re-taped.โ
ย
on whether he worried that Lonzo would miss any playing time
โNo. Itโs Lonzo Ball. Heโll be there full force on Saturday, Iโm almost positive.โ
ย
on the play of UCLAโs frontcourt
โTremendous. We beat them by 20 on the glass. We knew that they wouldnโt get many bench minutes, and we wanted to try and wear them down. I thought that our board play was terrific. We hold them to below 40 percent shooting. I know that they made a couple of threes late. But we did a really good job, defensively, because that is like guarding four guards. Ike [Anigbogu] and G.G. [Goloman] were terrific off the bench. And I thought that what TJ and Tom did was really good. There was going to be a mismatch. And I thought that we did a really good job of winning that mismatch.โ
ย
on the zone defense triggering some momentum for UCLA in the first half
โYeah, you know, just mixing it. If anything, it just keeps our guys engaged a little bit. They want to get to that offensive end so doggone fast. So, itโs just a fun group to coach. Itโs a fun group to be around. And we are growing. Thatโs six in a row in this league and three of them are away from home. So, weโve done a good job during this stretch and we have done a good job of defending. Our defense is getting better and our efficiency is getting better. You could see that any time we got a stop and weโd get out in transition, thatโs where we are really good. And again, I thought we were really good. We had a slow start, but then we had 26 assists. Itโs what this team does.โ
ย
on ASU making three-pointers on just about any opponent
โThey made 14 and I think they shot about the same number in Pauley [on Jan. 19] as they did tonight. Theyโre playing four guards. And [Obinna] Oleka is a forward who really plays on the perimeter. You are not seeing any post game or any post feeds. That is hard. Itโs hard for TJ, G.G., Ike and Tom to where they are constantly having to guard at the three-point line. I thought that we let [Torian] Graham get going. But Graham is a good shooter and he makes tough shots. And theyโre going to score. So to hold them in the 70s, the mid-70s, I thought that was going to favor us. I thought coming in that theyโd be able to score.โ
ย
on UCLAโs frontcourt against Arizona State
โThat was going to be a big key for us. Weโre obviously a team that likes to shoot the three and can shoot the three. But we really wanted to get the ball inside tonight because knew, especially if they werenโt going to their bench and they werenโt going to play big, the biggest guy on the floor for them was [Obinna] Oleka at 6-foot-8. So with our size and our length, we thought that we could score at the rim. When there is not a rim presence, I think youโve got to go there. I thought that our guys did a really good job of doing that.โ
ย
on having defeated Pac-12 teams that UCLA had previously lost to (Oregon, USC)
โWell, there is confidence [heading into Saturdayโs game]. But thereโs [College] Gameday and itโs a national scene, itโs sold out, this [at ASU] was probably their biggest crowd of the year. I told our guys that thatโs you guys, and you should feel good about that. And now we get Gameday plus Senior Night, so we get the whole deal from Arizona. But, we know that weโre playing a very good basketball team. Weโre going to have to play well. If we play well, weโll give ourselves a chance. And we are playing good basketball right now, so hopefully we can continue that.โ
ย
sophomore guard Aaron Holiday
on the performance of UCLAโs frontcourt
โWith Ike, thatโs the best that Iโve seen him play on offense. Which he does, obviously, in practice, but thatโs the best in a game that heโs played. So, weโve got to get him to continue to do that. TJ, he just is doing what heโs doing down low. They had smaller guys on him. We just kept feeding him and thatโs how it ended up. We got a lot of points.โ
ย
on his aggressive mindset when entering the game from the bench
โYeah, I obviously have to come in with an aggressive mindset because Iโve got to get myself going, first and foremost, and Iโve got to help my team win. Coming off the bench cold, I canโt come off being passive.โ
ย
on improvements UCLA needs to make when facing Arizona on Saturday
โDefense. No turnovers. I donโt think we turned the ball over against Arizona that much. But, mostly defense. Weโve got to take care of the defensive end. And we should be all right.โ
ย
on if other teams get demoralized with UCLAโs high-scoring offense
ย โItโs really when we stop them. Thatโs when they get frustrated. Obviously, they know that we can score. Weโre focused on getting stops, not so much the offense.โ
ย
on UCLA playing its best basketball of the season
โYeah, weโve gone 5-0, now 6-0, in February, which is great. We are starting to get it together, and defensively, weโre now playing our best defense.โ
ย
on scoreboard watching the USC-Arizona game
โI mean, whatever happens happens. Itโs not in my hands.โ
ย
freshman forward TJ Leaf
on the gameplan to pound the ball inside against ASU
โI mean, it was definitely our gameplan. We know that they kind of play small ball, but theyโre very good at it. So we knew it was the gameplan. We just wanted to get out and execute it. Ike was definitely dominant for us, as he usually is. He doesnโt get enough credit, and he should. But even G.G. [Goloman] when he came in, he looked great for us. Itโs good to have four bigs in there who all do their part.โ
ย
on whether UCLA gets excited when seeing a smaller lineup
โWhatever the game plan is, Iโm just full force on it. If that is getting it to the guards for isos or whatever it is, Iโm 100 percent on board. Tonight, it just happened to be getting the ball inside.โ
ย
on UCLAโs success with a 6-0 start through February
โWe know that February sets up March, and thatโs one of the big things that we have been harping on. We just want to play our best ball come March.โ
ย
on how he liked the โCurtain of Distractionโ
โThere is no curtain of distraction.โ
ย
on how he feels going into Saturdayโs game at Arizona
โItโs going to be fun. Bigtime environment. Two big-time teams. Itโs going to be a lot of fun. And we are ready for it.โ
ย
on UCLA having won rematches against Oregon and USC
โWe have confidence going into every game regardless of what that is. It happens to be two really good teams, so weโre excited for it.โ
ย
on what he expects from the crowd and fans at Arizona
โI donโt really know what to expect. I just know that itโs a big-time environment. Itโs sold-out every game. So, I mean, theyโre probably going to be on all of our heads. Thatโs just what they do there.โ
ย
on whether he and his teammates will watch the end of the USC-Arizona game
โWeโll be heading to Tucson right now, but weโll probably watch, yeah."
ย
on if he has a rooting interesting for either USC or Arizona
โI donโt know that we root for either of them. Itโs just a game to watch. Itโs two good teams going at it.โ
UCLA 87, Arizona State 75
Tempe, Ariz. (Wells Fargo Arena)
February 23, 2017
ย
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
on the status of freshman Lonzo Ball
โWell, he just tweaked his foot a little bit. They re-taped his foot and then he came back and was fine. Again, he played 33 minutes. Heโs fine. Heโs a competitor. But he did tweak it a little bit and he just wanted to get re-taped.โ
ย
on whether he worried that Lonzo would miss any playing time
โNo. Itโs Lonzo Ball. Heโll be there full force on Saturday, Iโm almost positive.โ
ย
on the play of UCLAโs frontcourt
โTremendous. We beat them by 20 on the glass. We knew that they wouldnโt get many bench minutes, and we wanted to try and wear them down. I thought that our board play was terrific. We hold them to below 40 percent shooting. I know that they made a couple of threes late. But we did a really good job, defensively, because that is like guarding four guards. Ike [Anigbogu] and G.G. [Goloman] were terrific off the bench. And I thought that what TJ and Tom did was really good. There was going to be a mismatch. And I thought that we did a really good job of winning that mismatch.โ
ย
on the zone defense triggering some momentum for UCLA in the first half
โYeah, you know, just mixing it. If anything, it just keeps our guys engaged a little bit. They want to get to that offensive end so doggone fast. So, itโs just a fun group to coach. Itโs a fun group to be around. And we are growing. Thatโs six in a row in this league and three of them are away from home. So, weโve done a good job during this stretch and we have done a good job of defending. Our defense is getting better and our efficiency is getting better. You could see that any time we got a stop and weโd get out in transition, thatโs where we are really good. And again, I thought we were really good. We had a slow start, but then we had 26 assists. Itโs what this team does.โ
ย
on ASU making three-pointers on just about any opponent
โThey made 14 and I think they shot about the same number in Pauley [on Jan. 19] as they did tonight. Theyโre playing four guards. And [Obinna] Oleka is a forward who really plays on the perimeter. You are not seeing any post game or any post feeds. That is hard. Itโs hard for TJ, G.G., Ike and Tom to where they are constantly having to guard at the three-point line. I thought that we let [Torian] Graham get going. But Graham is a good shooter and he makes tough shots. And theyโre going to score. So to hold them in the 70s, the mid-70s, I thought that was going to favor us. I thought coming in that theyโd be able to score.โ
ย
on UCLAโs frontcourt against Arizona State
โThat was going to be a big key for us. Weโre obviously a team that likes to shoot the three and can shoot the three. But we really wanted to get the ball inside tonight because knew, especially if they werenโt going to their bench and they werenโt going to play big, the biggest guy on the floor for them was [Obinna] Oleka at 6-foot-8. So with our size and our length, we thought that we could score at the rim. When there is not a rim presence, I think youโve got to go there. I thought that our guys did a really good job of doing that.โ
ย
on having defeated Pac-12 teams that UCLA had previously lost to (Oregon, USC)
โWell, there is confidence [heading into Saturdayโs game]. But thereโs [College] Gameday and itโs a national scene, itโs sold out, this [at ASU] was probably their biggest crowd of the year. I told our guys that thatโs you guys, and you should feel good about that. And now we get Gameday plus Senior Night, so we get the whole deal from Arizona. But, we know that weโre playing a very good basketball team. Weโre going to have to play well. If we play well, weโll give ourselves a chance. And we are playing good basketball right now, so hopefully we can continue that.โ
ย
sophomore guard Aaron Holiday
on the performance of UCLAโs frontcourt
โWith Ike, thatโs the best that Iโve seen him play on offense. Which he does, obviously, in practice, but thatโs the best in a game that heโs played. So, weโve got to get him to continue to do that. TJ, he just is doing what heโs doing down low. They had smaller guys on him. We just kept feeding him and thatโs how it ended up. We got a lot of points.โ
ย
on his aggressive mindset when entering the game from the bench
โYeah, I obviously have to come in with an aggressive mindset because Iโve got to get myself going, first and foremost, and Iโve got to help my team win. Coming off the bench cold, I canโt come off being passive.โ
ย
on improvements UCLA needs to make when facing Arizona on Saturday
โDefense. No turnovers. I donโt think we turned the ball over against Arizona that much. But, mostly defense. Weโve got to take care of the defensive end. And we should be all right.โ
ย
on if other teams get demoralized with UCLAโs high-scoring offense
ย โItโs really when we stop them. Thatโs when they get frustrated. Obviously, they know that we can score. Weโre focused on getting stops, not so much the offense.โ
ย
on UCLA playing its best basketball of the season
โYeah, weโve gone 5-0, now 6-0, in February, which is great. We are starting to get it together, and defensively, weโre now playing our best defense.โ
ย
on scoreboard watching the USC-Arizona game
โI mean, whatever happens happens. Itโs not in my hands.โ
ย
freshman forward TJ Leaf
on the gameplan to pound the ball inside against ASU
โI mean, it was definitely our gameplan. We know that they kind of play small ball, but theyโre very good at it. So we knew it was the gameplan. We just wanted to get out and execute it. Ike was definitely dominant for us, as he usually is. He doesnโt get enough credit, and he should. But even G.G. [Goloman] when he came in, he looked great for us. Itโs good to have four bigs in there who all do their part.โ
ย
on whether UCLA gets excited when seeing a smaller lineup
โWhatever the game plan is, Iโm just full force on it. If that is getting it to the guards for isos or whatever it is, Iโm 100 percent on board. Tonight, it just happened to be getting the ball inside.โ
ย
on UCLAโs success with a 6-0 start through February
โWe know that February sets up March, and thatโs one of the big things that we have been harping on. We just want to play our best ball come March.โ
ย
on how he liked the โCurtain of Distractionโ
โThere is no curtain of distraction.โ
ย
on how he feels going into Saturdayโs game at Arizona
โItโs going to be fun. Bigtime environment. Two big-time teams. Itโs going to be a lot of fun. And we are ready for it.โ
ย
on UCLA having won rematches against Oregon and USC
โWe have confidence going into every game regardless of what that is. It happens to be two really good teams, so weโre excited for it.โ
ย
on what he expects from the crowd and fans at Arizona
โI donโt really know what to expect. I just know that itโs a big-time environment. Itโs sold-out every game. So, I mean, theyโre probably going to be on all of our heads. Thatโs just what they do there.โ
ย
on whether he and his teammates will watch the end of the USC-Arizona game
โWeโll be heading to Tucson right now, but weโll probably watch, yeah."
ย
on if he has a rooting interesting for either USC or Arizona
โI donโt know that we root for either of them. Itโs just a game to watch. Itโs two good teams going at it.โ