Clemson vs. Duke Postgame Quotes

Feb. 5, 2009

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Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell

On Game “It was an excellent win. I thought we played very well and our full court pressure was very good. We were able to set the tone going into the half, and came out in the second and made shots. The field goal percentage was huge, we rebounded better, and played better this time against a Top 10 team. I have always said you have to take away lessons from losses, and I thought we were able to apply them tonight. We really embraced the atmosphere and were comfortable.”

On Duke Offensively “If you pressure well, then they will spend a lot of energy trying to beat it. We not only pressured in the back court, but the front too which we haven’t done in recent games. We played with energy and tenacity and were able to disrupt them offensively. Our guys did a good job of guarding them.”

On Bench play “When you play pressure defense, then you have to play 9 to 10 guys. The second unit was able to go on spurts and get easy baskets. Guys like Tanner Smith are always in the mix.”

On the Victory Margin “I was certainly surprised. You can’t expect to win by this margin, you just saw a better team tonight.”

On if This Was His Best Win Against a Ranked Team “I don’t know if it was the best game ever, but definitely the best game this year.”

On Physical Game “It seems like all the games are physical when you are playing in the ACC. We got in the bonus early in the first and didn’t foul after that which was important. The second half we did the same, and didn’t put them on the line a lot and allow them to come back.”

On Inside Play “Our big guys were a huge part of the game. We talked at half about getting the ball back inside, and the key was to make Duke defend us inside.”

On Henderson “You always have to be concerned about him. I thought we had a good matchup with Potter and Rivers, and we were able to guard him well.”

On Rotation “We always get good defense from our guys. Offensively we got more than usual, but it is not unusual to get tremendous defense.”

On Crowd “It is a great atmosphere. With the kids camping out and their enthusiasm, you want to smell the roses.”

On Duke’s lack of runs “We didn’t let up much, and played extremely well. We did a good job of guarding the ball and kept pressuring. We didn’t allow them to get settled.”

Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski

On game: “Well, Clemson played great. They have a great team, a great crowd and great coaching. We were the opposite. My hat goes off to them.” “We just didn’t compete. Clemson out played us for 40 minutes. It was 40 minutes of them dominating. They just kicked our butt.” “I’m not surprised about anything tonight, Clemson is a great team.” “We had no chance of winning this game.”

On Clemson’s defense: “They didn’t win because we played poorly. They played better and made us not play well. I’m not going to make excuses. “At no point did I think it was over. At any time, if you think its over, then it is.”

On loss: “Our players shouldn’t forget this loss. This is as bad as you can play. You can’t say `oh that’s okay’. Not if you’re wearing a Duke uniform. “

On depth of league: “I’ve been the most outspoken in the league. Tonight was a vivid example and a good reference point of this great league. It’s a great league with lots of veteran players. “

On Clemson in the league: “Rivers and Booker are two of the best players in the country. Purnell is one of the best coaches. They have other players that show up every night. Clemson’s program has a lot of pride.”

Take from the game: “This was a 27 point loss. You have to take responsibility of what you’ve done. What you do with the responsibility determines where you are. Don’t make any excuses.”