Dec. 2, 2002

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Mike Brey Postgame Quotes

On the defense…
“I thought we set the tone defensively…We did a great job on the back boards. We can score now; we can spread it around.”

On Chris Thomas . . .
“Chris was fabulous in that he controlled the whole game. He involved his teammates and took shots when he had them. He made a lot of contributions tonight.”

On the game plan . . .
“A good team like Marquette makes runs at you and puts pressure on you. I thought we stayed poised . . . that was a credit to Chris Thomas. Instead of trying to take it to the bucket, we involved other people, we moved the ball, and we got to the foul line. We took advantage of some of Miller’s mismatches. I’m learning how to use that more with him; he’s a great weapon for us.”

On offensive improvements…
“We were poised in coming down the stretch and being a little more patient offensively. We are understanding how to be patient and make a few more passes before we take a shot. I think we learned a lot, we grew tonight. To do that by December 2, you feel good.”

On the varying talents and skills of the team…
“We have a lot of options and weapons to use. We have guys that are quick, guys that are little, and guys that are good rebounders. I’m still learning how to use all that. Chris Quinn gives you a different look than Chris Thomas. Dan Miller as the second big guy, especially having a big guy try to guard him on the perimeter, [helps us]. These are all things we’ve learned about this group in the first month.”

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Senior forward Dan Miller
On the game . . . .
“[It was a] big win for us, but we can’t stay too high on it. We’ve got big games coming up. It’s still early in the season.”

Senior guard Matt Carroll
On this game setting the tone for the season. . . .
“I think it can, especially early on [this season]. We needed this game, and this one’s really going to set the tone going into Maryland.”

On his performance…
“If I don’t shoot the ball that well and we score 92 points, that’s a pretty good time.”

Freshman forward Torin Francis
On feeling more comfortable with each game …
“I do [feel more comfortable], especially tonight. Everyone knew his role. Everyone in their positions was doing what they could do.”

Tom Crean Postgame Quotes

On the way his team played…
“We didn’t play with the energy and the toughness that we needed to have tonight. Overall, I’m disappointed with the entire evening. There is no excuse on how we defended tonight.”

On the way Notre Dame played…
“I want to give all the credit to Notre Dame for being an outstanding team. They’re a very balanced team. This game was an example of how good Notre Dame can be when they are clicking on all cylinders.”

On Chris Thomas…
“Certainly, they are led by Chris Thomas and how well he plays. He continued to beat us at every front tonight; wether it was shooting, penetration or passing. He is certainly an outstanding defender as well.”

On DuWayne Wade…
“Unfortunately, he was just gasping for air because he played so long. The problem was that he had to continue usinging all his energy to come back; it was almost counterproductive. We only had him out for short periods of time; that was the problem with the whole night.”

Marquette Player Quotes

Sophomore guard Travis Diener
On his impression of the game . . .
“We just didn’t come ready to play tonight. They took it to us, and they’re a great team. They should have a lot of success down the road.”

On the play of Chris Thomas and the other Notre Dame guards …
“They played unbelievable. We knew coming in that they had a very good perimeter and they proved that tonight. [Thomas] had an unbelievable game, and he is an unbelievable player.”

On the Notre Dame-Marquette rivalry…
“There was a lot of intensity [on the court]. It was pretty much a full house. You could just tell from the start of the game that it was going to be a battle. They came out ready to play tonight and took it to us.”

Junior guard Dwyane Wade
On Notre Dame’s zone defense…
“I was not surprised [they didn’t use man-to-man as much] at all. We knew they liked to switch defenses, and we expected them to switch defenses as much as they did. They did a good job.”

On Notre Dame’s defensive pressure . . .
“They played great defense on me today. I give a lot of credit to Notre Dame and their coaching staff for analyzing my game and playing great defense. Credit goes to them.”

On the play of Chris Thomas…
“[Tonight] the guy played the best game I think I’ve seen him play. Too bad I had to see it happen against us. He had a great game; he shot the ball well, and was the leader on the court. I was very impressed with what I saw. Everything goes to him; he’s a great player.”