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Postgame Quotes

OU 72, No. 5 Kansas 66 | February 9, 2013 | Norman, Okla.

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  Head Coach Lon Kruger

Opening comment:
"When you beat a Kansas team you always feel good about it. I am really happy for the players and fans because those spontaneous celebrations are something you can't put a value on. Credit to the tradition of Kansas and how great they are through the years and this year too. A lot of different guys stepped up and made plays and made shots there late. We made enough jumpers here and there to keep our head above water."
 
On Je'lon Hornbeak being at the free throw line at the end of the game:
"The key is Je'lon likes being there. He's been there through a lot of summer-time ball and high school ball, which might not be quite like the crowd in Big 12 ball. But, he has been there and he likes it. He shot them well and even the ones that he missed he shot well. They went in and out. I think the fact that he shot them well made him want to go back again late in the game."
 
On what a win like this means for the OU basketball program:
"The crowd has been great for Big 12 games. They have been outstanding. Again, I mentioned the value of those spontaneous celebrations, especially with the students, are hard to determine. They are important that is for sure. It's a step but there are a lot of steps. This is a small step here. Again it happened because these guys work hard and continue to work at it. They have had a really good attitude about getting better each day."
 
On Isaiah Cousins:
"I thought Isaiah played well. He created some opportunities and pushed the ball in the back court. He knocked down a shot or two and he really took the ball to the bucket and the paint and we need that. That is something guys haven't been comfortable with doing that. I thought he created things really well."
 
On multiple players contributing to the win:
"It's kind of the nature of this season. Different guys different nights have stepped up. Romero is the cornerstone most of the time and [Steven] Pledger most of the time and Amath [M'Baye] most of the time. Other guys just stepping up different times so it's great. A lot of people feel good about their contributions and I'm excited about the next game."

  Senior F Romero Osby

On Jelon Hornbeak's three after he passed it:
"I told him in the huddle to `have your feet ready' because I had missed one, and that's really not my game to step up and hit a lot of threes. I knew if I could get Withey to come down on me and his man relax, which is what happened, I kicked it to him and he shot it with confidence. He stepped up and hit a big shot for us."
 
On his confidence:
"We had a lot of energy from the get-go. Shoot around was really active, the guys were active, everybody was anxious just to get out there and play. That's the thing you love about college basketball. You have the crowd behind you at home and everybody has enthusiasm. Coach has been preaching that since day one, talking and helping each other and making that extra effort. I think that ended up being the deciding factor, the fact that we came out there and played hard and defended well."
 
On having more energy:
"That's always our goal, to be more active and make it mean more to us than it does the other team. Kansas always has energy, Coach Self does a great, they've been doing that for years, having great energy all the time. We just wanted to come out and set the tone ourselves in our own element and play as hard as we could."
 
  Senior G Steven Pledger

On getting open in the first half:
"I tried to keep my feet moving, that's all. There might have been some cross-moving here and there but I just tried to keep my feet moving and keep my hands ready. That's been a big problem for me this year, I wasn't really ready for any passes, so I just try to stay ready for everything."
 
On the crowd and the students rushing the court:
"I've seen it on TV all the time, and I said `I wish we could get something like that to happen.' I didn't think they were going to let them do it, but when we beat Kansas, lo-and-behold, everybody was rushing to me, and I started jumping too."
 
  Freshman G Je'lon Hornbeak

On the three point shot from Romero Osby:
"I passed up a couple just to get Romero going. He just told me to be ready to shoot, get your feet ready and they were all behind me. That's when Coach Kruger put me in the game, he said `be ready, there'll be a time to knock your shot down.' He's always been on my back telling me that big players make big shots, so I got it, sized it up and I had a lot of space, so I took it."
 
On shooting free throws late:
"I like being at the free throw line at the end. It's kind of good, just to know that the team's looking for you to make the big step right there. I missed two, and I'm not really happy about that, they went in-and-out on me, but the last two I knew the touch and where exactly I needed to put the ball. I was happy we got up for and had a comfortable lead."
 
  Head Coach Bill Self

On how he feels his team played:
"This game to me, today, I'm not leaving out of here disgusted with my team at all because we actually played better today. We played a good team today and they shot the heck out of the basketball. Our last two efforts haven't been great efforts, but today we gave a decent effort and it just wasn't good enough."
 
On what Oklahoma did differently in this game:
"I thought both teams played better today than both teams did at Lawrence. When [Amath] M'Baye's made two [three pointers] on the year he makes two and [Romero] Osby's made four on the year and he makes a big one, and those are the things that are the difference in winning and losing. We go triangle and two and they're late to throw them off, but I think we did an above average job of doing that, but they had some guys that stepped up there and made some shots."
 
On if these losses are an end for his team:
"This last week hasn't been a good week for us by any stretch, but let's be real. We were ranked No. 2 in the country seven days ago, and you don't go from being a good team to a bad team overnight. We had a couple of bad outings, but we're still a good team. If guys lose their swagger or their confidence after this then we're probably not going to be very tough anyway. It's not as big of a deal to me; I just want my team to get better."

  Senior C Jeff Withey

On Romero Osby's play against him:
"He's great player, and they just all hit shots today. It's definitely frustrating, but they just made shots."
 
On his team's energy today:
"Today we definitely came out, but they did also. We were ready for this game, and we had a lot more energy than at TCU, that's for sure. We made it a game late and some things didn't go our way, but we're not going to stop right now, there's no doubt about that."
 
  Senior G Elijah Johnson

On what changed in Oklahoma compared to two weeks ago:
"They're just a good team. Osby gives them so much because he can stretch the floor. They talk. They're energetic, and they like to play basketball. That's one thing I can say about them as a group is that they like to play ball, and I respect that because they're having fun out there."
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