Feb. 21, 2001
Post Game Quotes – Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey Versus Boston College, Feb. 21, 2001
On the victory: “We have a championship-level team. Our guys really believe they are going to win the game. That was a heck of a basketball team, and it was a tough match-up for us because they all can take you off the dribble. I can see why they’ve been so good over in the East (Division). But it was a big win for us. We flushed Sunday’s performance quickly and I told the players we really needed to be ready to compete against a good team. I thought we had a good practice Monday and especially yesterday.”
On Notre Dame’s toughness: “There was a little bit of a different tone at the pre-game meal. We were a little quieter, so I thought there was a little more sense of urgency. I thought we got off to a good start. They answered it, but we found a way. When they took the lead, most teams might say, ‘Man, not tonight.’ But we have a lot of character and we’ve been through some battles already. I’m really proud of how we found a way to win.”
On Matt Carroll’s performance: “I think I said this after the first month of practice, but no one has been more consistent on a daily basis from Oct. 15 on than Matt Carroll. You see a guy who’s a good shooter, but he’s a complete basketball player. He was guarding (Troy) Bell down the stretch. He’s a really confident guy right now. What I love about him is that it says ‘sophomore’ next to his name.”
Post-Game Quotes — Notre Dame Players
Versus Boston College, Feb. 21, 2001
Martin Ingelsby
On hittingthe winning shot: with 3.7 seconds remaining “We were trying to get the ball to the big guys, but I saw a lane and took it.”
On losing a tooth on the final play:
“Troy Bell ran in to me and it just came flying out.”
David Graves
On his game-ending steal: “He (Troy Bell) is a big player, and he is going to get the big shot. I was in the right place at the right time.”
Matt Carroll
On shooting 4-for-7 from three-point range: “I felt a lot better shooting the ball tonight. I get a lot more confidence when they are going in.”
Ryan Humphrey
On playing more aggressively in the second half: “We said to ourselves, ‘Why not us?’ We were playing tentatively in the first half. We came out in the second half and played tighter defense and got it done. Our guards did an excellent job of getting the ball to where it needed to be.”
On playing through pain:
“I feel like I’m part of this team. If I didn’t play, I would have let my teammates down, let the fans down, and let myself down.”
Troy Murphy
On shooting more free throws than the entire Boston College team: “They fouled me more than we fouled their whole team.”
Post-Game Quotes — Boston College Head Coach Al Skinner
Versus Boston College, Feb. 21, 2001
On Martin Ingelsby’s basket: with 3.7 seconds remaining
“He made a hard move toward the basket. Sometimes, those shots win you ball games. I thought we played good defense, but those things happen.”
On Kenny Harley’s 0 for 6 second-half shooting:
“He just missed shots.”
On Troy Bell’s performance in the second half:
“He runs our offense. He controls the basketball and knows what he needs to do. He thought it was necessary to assert himself, and he did.”
On Notre Dame’s 14-0 run to start the second half:
“They made shots. We didn’t make shots. We rushed the offense. They were aggressive. We knew we had a lot of time left and that we would have to fight back, and we did.”
On the plan for the last 3.7 seconds with Notre Dame leading 76-75:
“We wanted to get Bell the ball, which we did. They made a great hustle play.”
On the second half performance after leading 39-34 at the end of the half:
“Sometimes we get hurried on offense, and our shot selection is not what it should be. When we rush, we take jump shots and miss. Those turn into long rebounds and then transition baskets. We fought and hustled back into the game.”
Post-Game Quotes — Boston College Players
Versus Boston College, Feb. 21, 2001
Sophomore guard Troy Bell
On the loss . . . “It is definitely the toughest loss for us this season because we came back and had the game, but there was a lot of stuff that went on early in the game that determined the outcome.”
“Like I told the other guys, moral victories ended last season. I can’t be happy about a loss. I’d rather win and learn than lose and learn.”
On the physical play . . .
“It’s definitely tougher with all the physical play. You just have to hope the ball bounces your way and the other team gets cold.”
On the Irish run to begin the half . . .
“Notre Dame was just hot. They got hot and kept hitting threes. I guess it’s just something we have to deal with for the rest of the season until we figure something out.”
On his low-scoring first half . . .
“I don’t think it was due to anything Notre Dame did. My team was just looking elsewhere. They’re my teammates and I trust them and some other guys were hot early. But there were times I felt I was open and I didn’t get the ball.”
Freshman guard Ryan Sidney
On the loss . . . “This was even more important than (the Duke loss). This one was on the road and it was big for us to grow as a team and mature. It’s not a big thing that we’re not number one overall (in the BIG EAST) and they beat us. It’s more important that as a team, we felt like we lost the game. We know that you have to step up to the challenge at hand. The loss tonight was bigger than any of the other ones. This one hurts more than any of the other ones.”
“The Duke loss was big as was the St. John’s game, but that was an early loss so got over it and got stronger. This one might leave a deep scar and that scar is going to carry us through a lot of things from now on. We’re going to make sure we never feel like this ever again.”
On the physical play . . .
“There was more banging going on in there than in a football game with three seconds to go and someone needs to score a touchdown. We got beat up, screened and pushed in the back and there is still no call — which is fine. We understand that some people are not going to call that.”
On guarding Martin Ingelsby on the last possession . . .
“I think that was one of the best defensive possessions I’ve ever played. I’ve always said that no one scores on me and I still feel that way. Ingelsby got a lucky shot off and put the ball in the basket. I played it the best way I could have.”