Nebraska Postgame Quotes Final Score: Nebraska 70 Wisconsin 58 Thursday, March 10, 2016

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1 Nebraska Postgame Quotes COACH MILES: I thought the guys played a very tough-minded, determined basketball game. You could see they were flying around on the defensive end, making it difficult for Wisconsin, giving up their body on the glass, rebounding well, and played with good pace on offense too. I was really proud of them. Q. For Shavon and Benny, just the defensive intensity from the start of the game on through, how big of a difference did that make? BENNY PARKER: It made a big difference because it just showed that we were the aggressor on both ends of the floor, and that led to scoring and getting out in transition, which we like to do. SHAVON SHIELDS: That was the difference. If we don't play against we don't win games so -- Q. Shavon, first time you played these guys, you didn't play, but you got beat by 11 points. Talk about the difference that you think that you made in the game tonight. SHAVON SHIELDS: I like to think I'm the captain of the team, and me and Benny did a good job of leading tonight, and I felt like I added a different element to the game which allowed us to win. Q. For both of you guys, knowing that you probably have to win this tournament to get to the NCAA Tournament, how much does it mean as seniors to keep this run going? BENNY PARKER: It means a lot. Every game the coach makes sure that we know that this could be our last game. So we go with the mentality and just do whatever it takes to get a win to keep playing. SHAVON SHIELDS: I second that. Q. Shavon, given that you didn't play in the first game, can you just describe what the feeling was like knowing late in the game that you had done enough to secure a win and extend your college career at least one more day? SHAVON SHIELDS: It was awesome. I don't have words to describe it, but I'm happy that we have a chance to keep playing and get a shot at Maryland tomorrow. Q. For both of you guys, looking ahead to tomorrow, it will be your third game in three days and following up on a big brine today. Any concern at all about being able to match the energy that you had tonight? SHAVON SHIELDS: I think we just have to compete. And if we're playing hard and just worried about what we need to do on offense and defense and just thinking about that, I don't think our fatigue or anything will set it. BENNY PARKER: Coach said we're not allowed to be tired at this time. So we were just grinding it out, because that's what it's going to take. Q. Benny, I assume three games in three days beats getting on an airplane, doesn't it? 1 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc

2 BENNY PARKER: Easy. I'll take that any day. Nebraska Postgame Quotes Q. The way you jumped out on them physically and attacked them defensively, did you see them back up a little bit or get tentative? BENNY PARKER: Yeah, you could tell that we took them out of their offense. And that was really the game plan from the get-go. One of our main keys was the ball pressure, and that was something that the guards really just focused on. Q. For both of you guys, I think if you look at the stats, you guys held Nigel Hayes under his season average, kept him to low a shooting percentage. What worked for you guys on defense, in particular containing him? SHAVON SHIELDS: We really, really talked about getting the fronts, because he's a good post player. So I think Jack McVeigh came in the in the first half when me and Drew got fouled and gave us great minutes. I don't think he scored on them in the first half. And you have to pat Jack on the back for giving us big minutes and giving us that lift and team defense of everybody rotating and doubling and everybody being locked in. I think that's what took him out of his rhythm and off his game. Is. COACH MILES: Is anyone going to ask about the lame-duck pass that Shields threw? No one? No one? You could tell his dad played guard. There it is. Q. You guys made a pretty conscious decision at the beginning of the game, and certainly throughout most of it, to double-down on Ethan Happ every time he touched the ball. What was working on the rest of the court when you guys were doubling on him that kept everyone else from shooting well? COACH MILES: I think we worked hard at our rotations knowing Greg does a good job of spacing and making sure when you leave a guy who's probably an excellent shooter like Bronson. So we have to get somebody to cover that ball-side guy and then how to get out of that trap too. So we got out early. And the kids just worked hard at it. You could see that they were moving fast and they were all of moving together. That helped a lot because you have to get to Ethan and make it as hard as possible on him. Q. Tim, what did you do differently in the second half on Brown after the 13 points and the three-for-three shooting from the three-point range? Did you do different things on him? COACH MILES: He got two on the same play, so we just stayed attached on the roll replace action where they go screen roll and then lift him. So we had to help all the way from the corner then. And we hadn't done that. But I thought, you know, especially Andrew White did a really nice job on him. You have to play him like a guard right now. Q. Tim, just for an effort and energy and intensity standpoint, I guess, what would you rank this game, especially considering it's the second game in a row? COACH MILES: I literally -- and I'm not trying to glamorize March basketball, but I was so proud of these guys. I looked at the clock with 35 seconds and got chills. I could feel goosebumps on my legs, because I was just so happy for these guys. I saw just extreme joy, you know, tough-minded group playing together, finding a way, you know, beating a 2 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc

3 Nebraska Postgame Quotes ranked opponent. And I was just so happy for them. And that's, you know, kind of the essence of what we're supposed to do. So whatever that describes, that's what it was. Q. Coach, you have talked about getting that third score, maybe it would be a combination of Webster, Parker, and Glynn. Tonight Glynn and Benny had 14, I think, the last 14 points. Can you speak to the point guard's efforts tonight? COACH MILES: Yeah, they were terrific. And they were terrific defensively. I can't think of how many balls they deflected. And I was surprised they only had four steals between the two of them. I thought they would have more than that. So they didn't on both ends. And then, of course, when you're going to get pressed and fouled, you have to be able to make your free-throws. And they did a really nice job. Glynn made some big baskets. Benny had a huge transition basket. And then they made it really tough for Bronson and those other guards all night. Showalter didn't hurt us. Hill, I don't think he hurt us either, coming off the bench. So their defensive effort really matched what they were able to do to end the game. That was great. We need them. Tai is an X- factor with us, but he played so good defensively, I think that got last in some things too. He spent a lot of energy tonight. And I kept asking, do you want to come out? No. No. And then I took him out and then things went wrong and I had to get him back in. Of course, that's the way it works. Q. Tim, can you talk about difference that Shavon made tonight, and he didn't play the first time. Obviously, it was a big difference. COACH MILES: There's no doubt, Shavon is a difference maker in our program. Not only on the floor but off the floor, too, if you just look at his accolades. So his leadership, his presence really matters to the guys. And, you know, he and Benny sometimes get a little bit jumpy on me. They get so excited because they don't want it to end. And until Shavon got bonked in the nose by Bronson, then he finally kind of -- his nose kind of puffed up a little bit. And "maybe I should chill out a little bit," he says. And then he really played well after that. So he is an excellent player for us. You can see when he starts driving the baskets some, I feel sorry for the guy trying to step in his way, because he is a big physical guy going to the rim. Q. Tim, was it kind of a hell-or-high water night going to the basket; you guys were going to go in there no matter what? COACH MILES: When we're good, I think it's hell-or-high water going to the basket for us. We only took eight threes. Certainly that is fine. Andrew is in a lot of foul trouble, and you knew he wasn't going to have much rhythm, but he hit a big one in the second half for sure, maybe two of them even, I think. No, he had one each half, I think. But we thought if we could get -- when they started switching things and we had some funky matchups, if we could just space the floor and kind of go isolation basketball or playground basketball, then we had an advantage. I thought with some quickness and some power, that could get to the rim or get fouls. And to be able to shoot as many foul shots as Wisconsin at this point in the season when we're dead last and they're first, I thought that was as important a quality or 3 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc

4 important a key of the game as anything. Nebraska Postgame Quotes 4 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc

5 Wisconsin Postgame Quotes COACH GARD: Thank you. First of all, I have to credit Nebraska. Tim's team played and beat us to every 50/50 ball, every loose ball. I thought they played with great energy and I think some of it, obviously, because they played yesterday. I was concerned about that, giving them a boost, especially in that category. But every time they needed a play, we crept near them, and we either made a mistake and gave them three points or they made some plays, and obviously they made some plays down the stretch with Shields and Watson hitting tough shots where we could never get back within clawing distance. So I'm obviously not pleased with some of the things on our end, the shot selection at times and turnovers. If we're like this it will be one more. Give credit to Tim's team. Because about every single category, they were better than we were. Q. For Ethan and Vitto, to expand on what Greg said, especially in the paint, it looked like they were able to get into the paint and score and you guys had a tough time finishing at the rim. Was it them? Were you guys to tentative? VITTO BROWN: Like Coach Gard said, they just played hard and we didn't do a good enough job of squeezing those driving lines. We allowed them to get way too many easy drives to the basket. And when they did drive, we didn't step over soon enough and take over any charges. I think we took one. And so doing that allowed them to get more confidence to continue to attack us. And then obviously they started finishing the ones down the stretch. And by that point it was too late. Q. Ethan, you were able to score a little in the paint, but you also had five turnovers. At times it looked like you were tentative. Were you struck when you'd see things were clearly out there, getting the chance to go to the rim? ETHAN HAPP: I wouldn't call it tentative. I didn't play well, and I didn't do what the coach asked of me on either end, and it's a change going forward. Q. After a long winning streak like you guys had, how do you rebound from two tough losses like this and refocus yourself on a tournament game? VITTO BROWN: I think the main thing is going back and reevaluating and looking at the film, really analyzing what we didn't do right in both of these games. And I didn't think they both really came down to the fact that we allowed them to attack us and we didn't reciprocate that on the other end. So I think the main thing is defense, because every time we did try to claw back, like you said, we just let them expand the lead again. We were never able to close that gap. Q. Vitto, a lot of good looks on the first half, 5-for-5, kind of carried a lot of the offense, and the second half, only made two shots and some free throw times two. Did they change something on you in the second half? Or what different looks did they give? VITTO BROWN: I don't think it was anything that they were doing because they were closing out pretty hard in the first half. I think I just stopped moving as well without the ball and stopped to getting open. So I've got to continue to work on that because our guys were driving, but I didn't make myself available for those passes. Q. Vitto, your coach mentioned shot selection just in passing, but in the first half were you guys rushing things offensively, because there were a lot of passes that were not on target, a lot of shots that looked just a little hurried. 1 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc

6 Wisconsin Postgame Quotes VITTO BROWN: I don't think we heeded his advice. He told us that they want to come out with passion and fire, and I think we downplayed their abilities in the beginning. And we were kind of taken by surprise at how hard they were going on both ends of the floor. And then, like I said, we didn't do a good job of rebounding in the second half and fixing that. Q. For both of you, does it take some of the sting out of it knowing that there is a tomorrow for you guys? It's not like this is done now. You have good stuff to look forward to. ETHAN HAPP: No, it does not sir. VITTO BROWN: I mean, it doesn't take the sting out, but it's something to look forward to and know that we're able to kind of correct these mistakes and have another crack at it. Q. You mentioned that you didn't do what the coaches told you to do. Can you expand specifically where you thought you needed to be better and stronger? VITTO BROWN: Offensively, I turned the ball over, obviously, as you pointed out, five times. Defensively, I didn't box my man out far enough. The way they were calling over the back. There were a lot of things that you could point out that I'm sure, when I watch the game over again, I'm going to kick myself in the butt for all of them. Q. Greg, the first time these guys played each other, you beat them by 11 points at your place but Shavon Shields didn't play. Talk about difference he made tonight. COACH GARD: He is their best player on both ends of the floor, and I knew that was going to be a factor because he has been through it, a senior that's going on his last lap, so to speak. And he is a very good player. He's hurt us before. Two years ago down there, he played well and they got us in Nebraska in the year So I knew that he would make a difference, not only in terms of talent but how hard he plays. And I knew, and we talked about it, it will be a different team than what we saw in Madison because of him being back and what he adds. Aside from numbers, just his presence because of his leadership and his impact on everybody else. Q. Greg, you mentioned shot selection and turnovers. That showed in that one five-possession stretch after you pulled within Did that surprise you? Your team has been pretty poised on the stretch run of game during the run. COACH GARD: We have. Biggest thing was every time we clawed back, we gave them free points. It was either a foul that was unnecessary, one 60 feet from the basket. Another time, twice in transition where we claw within two or three and suddenly give up five points in transition. So it was just simple things like that that are very -- saw a lot of uncharacteristic things out there tonight that haven't been present when we have been playing really well. And so we're not in this position of finishing tied for third with having those things be obvious or present. So I thought that we deviated from what has made us good in terms of through the course of the year made us consistent. At times we did some good things. But every time we got back close again, we would revert back or make a mistake on a screen or knock it back in transition or foul one that wasn't necessary to, not 2 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc

7 around the rim and put that in the free-throw line. Wisconsin Postgame Quotes Q. Greg, what do you think this does to your NCAA seeding, and is that important to you? COACH GARD: I don't know what it does. Those things, the committee takes care of that, and they will look at the whole body of work. I'm more concerned about how we're playing versus where we're seeded or who we're playing. Because this is, like I said, as I told the team, you got one more. You can put the jersey on one more time. And, obviously, we have to get back to what put us in this position, not the replication of what we put out there tonight for 40 minutes. So I'm more concerned about that than where we're seeded or who we play. Q. Greg, it appeared from the stands or from the press area that Nebraska wanted this a little bit more than you guys. Do you see it that way? COACH GARD: As I mentioned in my opening statement, as I watch these college tournaments around the country, and we even talked about it this morning, that when teams are relatively even or you see a team that maybe played the day before and then they have to play the second day versus the team that's just playing for the first time, the difference has been in terms of the energy and that level, how hard a team plays. Like I said, I thought Nebraska played extremely hard. And that's what I was my concern not having played yesterday and coming in, knowing that adding Shavon back was going to be a different team, and the fact that they had played yesterday I thought was a bonus. When you get to the third day it gets a little harder, as they will have tomorrow. But I thought on that second day, unless you can match that or exceed that, sometimes the advantage -- you know, look at Illinois and Iowa. The advantage goes to the team that had played the day before because they have things clicking a little bit easier or better, they're more accustomed to the environment, and they're a little looser. They played like they had nothing to lose. We don't have anything to lose either, but that was the one thing that I thought going into it because going to be a difference maker, and it was a difference maker. 3 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc