It was closer than the experts thought it would be, but Arizona men’s basketball moved to 17-0 on the season after a 89-82 win over ASU. Here is what head coach Tommy Lloyd, Koa Peat and Ivan Kharchenkov had to say following the win over the Sun Devils: Lloyd on what he learned about his […]
It was closer than the experts thought it would be, but Arizona men’s basketball moved to 17-0 on the season after a 89-82 win over ASU.
Here is what head coach Tommy Lloyd, Koa Peat and Ivan Kharchenkov had to say following the win over the Sun Devils:
Lloyd on what he learned about his team: “That we’re here for it. We don’t have hubris. We don’t expect these games to come easy, we obviously take all these games serious. So I really appreciate the battle tonight. I appreciate the competition. I probably would have been okay if we would have lost. I’m really happy we won, but keep things moving. So, yeah, I learned that our guys are here for it. You put them in tough situations, they’re not afraid to make plays and find a way in a really tough game.”
On Tobe Awaka’s development since arriving in Tucson: “Tremendous. I was talking to Coach Ken about it today, and just how much better he’s gotten is really impressive. That’s what you get when you have a high character, intelligent, talented player. You give them a little bit of time and kind of let him start feeling the effects of the compound, return on his investment, his development and we’re starting to see that. So, it’s great to have a lot of guys you can count on defense.
On the team’s 3-point defense: “We had some breakdowns in our ball screen coverage, but I’ll tell you what, (Moe Odum) is a tough player. When you’re allowed to take 24 shots, and you’re a little jitterbug and you could split ball screens, you can pass up under pressure. I mean, you’re a hard guard. If you play back, you’ll shoot a bullet three, if you play up, he can find the short role. Then their big fella hit a bunch of little short range, little mid range shots and floaters to start the game. Their answers to our coverages and stuff, they had answers for them early. Sometimes you have an answer in execution, but you missed the shot. So, that’s basketball, but today they had answers, and they made a lot of timely shots. So nothing but respect for them, and tip my hat to him on his style of play, scrappiness.”
On Kharchenkov being built for physical games: “I think Ivan is built for every game, maybe give me an example of what he’s not built for. The guy’s a winner, and he’s doing a great job. He’s playing with a couple, you know, point guard type guys. So, Ivan, his playmaking is really good, too. He just probably hasn’t got quite enough opportunities to show it yet, and maybe over the course of the season or his career, he will. I thought he was great down the stretch of the game, and he had a drive to the basket to make an easy layup. He had a quick rip drive up top where he got fouled and won the double bonus and made both free throws. So, I mean, that’s big time stuff.”
On Peat being able to settle into the game: “Koa understands what this game means, maybe more than other guys. So, he kind of had to adjust a little bit. I’m sure he really, really wanted to play well today. One of the things we talk about a lot in our program is the undisciplined want of more. Maybe early in the game he was a little too aggressive, you know, and it got sped up a little bit and in an effort to help our team. Maybe he was a little bit undisciplined with it. So he really reeled that in in the second half. He had great numbers today and played a really big game, especially down the stretch.”
On Peat’s performance in the last two games: “We’ll go watch the defense. I haven’t had enough time to see that yet, because that’s part of his equation. One, because he can be so dynamic on that end of the floor. We asked him to do a lot today. Played 34 minutes, obviously was cramping up a little bit at the end. So, part of that was due to some foul trouble Mo got in the second half. We ended up with a lineup that I felt like we were positioned to close the game until we gave up a crazy made three and foul.”
On allowing that potential 4-pony play: “We got to be a little smarter in that situation. I think that play, you know, Ivan was hustling. He tips the ball on the sideline, and then he dives for it. To me, the ball is going in the backcourt, shot clocks winding down. Be disciplined. I mean, it would have been an amazing hustle play had he got it, but I don’t think the odds were in his favor making the play. So be disciplined, because if you make them pick up the ball and now we’re guarding them, keeping the guy in front, it’s a little tougher for him to get momentum, That puts Tobe in a really tough spot. A little guard coming out of a full speed issue to pull up three. The guy’s probably jumping four or five feet forward with his momentum, and we’re on these guys to contest shots. You kind of end up in his landing area. So, just another example of something we can learn from at the end of the games, but his effort was great.”
On focusing on playing inside the paint: “(Massamba Diop) affects a lot of shots around there. There are other guys who play really hard as well. You hope you can wear them out physically a little bit, maybe curb some of their aggression with some foul pressure. Our going inside is always part and parcel of our game plan. So, I think our guys had a little more wherewithal in the second half to get there.”
On being okay with the possibility of losing: “I understand it’s part of the process. Would I be happy? No, but I’m gonna be all right. I’m built for this. I’m built for this. I don’t like to judge myself on whether we’re undefeated or not, it literally has zero impact. That’s for you guys. We got through tonight. I told the guys yesterday, I don’t care about the Big 12 championship today. I don’t care about the NCAA tournament. I just care about being Arizona State. Let’s just beat Arizona State today, and then we’ll deal with what comes next and what comes next? It’s a tough road game at UCF, so I’m just gonna stay locked into that mindset. I’m not gonna get greedy.”
On ASU being more physical than usual: “I knew they’re gonna come out play like that. They always do. Bobby’s a ferocious competitor, one of the greatest in college basketball to ever play. The dude’s been coaching for a long time. He knows how to get a team amped up and to respond, and 100% I’m not surprised at all the way they played, and with the effort, physicality they gave. I would expect nothing less, and I appreciate the competition.”
On avoiding technicals: “I have no idea what happened, and it was so far away from me. Then it was whatever it was, an offsetting deal. So it didn’t really impact the game but Brayden picked up a foul, and then you pick up another one. Now you got two. That impacts minutes. I don’t know what happened. So I literally have no idea. I didn’t ask our players, I didn’t ask our staff. I didn’t ask the officials. We just kept it moving. I think we’ve played in a lot of intense environments and emotional games. I think we have, for the most part, pretty steady guys.”
On Jaden Bradley being a closer for Arizona: “I honestly had some thoughts, right? Like, man, he’s so important to us. Do I play him with 3 fouls to start off the half, because he picks up one, you probably sit him for a long stretch. So we decided we trust him, because we do trust him and we went out there, and he proved himself. More than anything, he’s a winner. He has a ton of belief in himself, and the beautiful thing about JB, it’s never about him, it’s always about the team and his teammates. So, I appreciate what he brings to the team, and I appreciate him being able to handle it with poise and professionalism in a tough foul situation.”
On other guys stepping up when Mo Krivas got in foul trouble: “They were playing good and gave us a little bit of mobility out there. Not that Mo doesn’t, but just I felt like we kind of got that lead and there was an opportunity maybe to put Mo back in. We kind of just looked at it and decided to go a little bit smaller, maybe if we were going to sub, but Mo, he has to hang with it. Mo is really coming on and when you’re a big guy, you’re really coming on, the other team picks it up on you. Usually what picking it up means, like, is way more physical. It’s just one of those things that inside, they don’t call the first hit very much. So you got to be able to play through it and not get frustrated. There’s a number of tough plays in the TCU game, and I’m sure there’s some tough plays tonight. I haven’t watched a film, obviously. So he’s got to hang with it, because he brings so much to this team. He’s got to keep his head high and his energy good, because he’s a really good player who’s getting a lot of attention from the other teams.”
On having ASU exit through a different tunnel: “I told Bobby before the game, it’s no secret. He and I don’t talk every day, but we have a decent relationship. I just told him, ‘Bobby, I don’t know what our fans are saying to you, but you don’t deserve it.’ I want to let him know from one coach to the next, because I played at Arizona State. It has been crazy. I just wanted to let him know that I respect him as a human being and as a person and as a coach. So, whatever our fans are saying, that’s just part of fandom. It’s not real. So I thought that it was a brilliant idea to take him out the other side. We don’t need anything with one of our students or one of them. It impacts two teams that are trying to build these seasons. We don’t need anything outside of the game impacting that. I would hope Arizona fans are classy enough to not make it a regular thing and respect our competition and respect our opponents. If we get beat, you tip your half to them and you move on instead of yelling vulgar things. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a heck of an idea. Somebody should have thought of that earlier.’ UCLA probably agrees with that a few years ago.”
On the transfer portal rule changes: “I’ve heard about it. Obviously, that could happen. We’ll adjust. There’s so many things going on right now. To me, that’s minutia compared to everything else and the other decisions we got to make on this deal. If you wanted to live and die by it, man, what a roller coaster that would be. I prefer to live and die with basketball games, not the rules surrounding the basketball games, because whatever rule they make today is going to be changed in three days. I’m just like, ‘Man, I have no time for that stuff right now.’ Here’s my stance. I’m a head coach at Arizona. I love my basketball team. I’m going to have trust, believe it or not, have trust in the powers that be to make the decisions. I have no time to waste on giving input on these things, because it’s so crazy right now that if I gave input, why would I emotionally want to get invested in something. I give input, and I think it’s a great idea. They don’t do it, and now my feelings are hurt. My team needs my attention right now, and I’m going to trust the administrators and the powers that be to make great decisions to move our game forward. We have a great game. The game of college basketball is great. That game out there was great tonight. Some of the stuff that is surrounding the game maybe not so great. Let’s keep our focus on the game, the game, the game, the game. That’s where the focus should be, because it’s really special, and eventually it’s all going to be worked out. Hopefully we quit talking about the other stuff. We’re just focusing on the game.”
On the impact the crowd had: “It was awesome. Thank God we played it on our court today. Obviously that’s a little bit of an advantage. I thought our crowd was great. It’s great to have the students back. Our fans have been turning out, you know? Tucson loves Arizona basketball, and Arizona basketball loves Tucson right back. So we’re thankful for everything they gave us today. They weren’t fans today. They were participants. They helped get us to the finish.”
Peat playing in the ASU rivalry for the first time: “Super exciting to play a rivalry game like that. There’s a lot of history behind it, but we took it like another game, went in there and played our game.”
On Awaka’s performance: “Tobe is a really dominant player. I’m proud of him. I see him work every day in practice, and for him to come out there and come off the bench this year, for him to come out there and have that spark for us, he was huge for us. He was huge for us in the first half and in the second half. So I’m really proud of him.”
On what the close win means for the team: “I think it helps us a lot, to get a gritty win like that against a really good team, really well coached team. It’s not gonna always be easy, so to have a game like that, I think that’s really gonna help us in the long run.”
On adjusting to early game struggles: “Obviously my shots are not gonna fall every game, but my teammates had my back. Tobe came in and sparked us up on offense. Ivan was great. JB was great and my coaches and my teammates kept instilling confidence in me, and that’s a huge, huge thing for me.”
On finding his rhythm in the second half: “I think again, just trusting my teammates, trusting the work I put in, and just being confident. My teammates found me and put me in good positions to score, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to win. Scoring and rebounding, you know, passing, playing defense, I would do anything to help my team win.”
On the team’s winning streak: “We’re just kind of staying in the moment. Taking one game at a time. Coach always tells us to stay in the moment. Get prepared for the next game, and that’s what we’re going to do. Get prepared for UCF.”
On what ASU did to make it hard to win tonight: “They’re well coached, they made a lot of big shots, a lot of broken plays. They shot the ball well from three. I don’t think we played our best first half, but it’s a good learning moment for us. I think we’re gonna keep getting better from it.”
On playing pick-up basketball with the community: “That’s just Brayden messing around. He wants to play everybody, so he’s joking around and I posted on my story, and people showed up. That’s special, you know, to have fans come out and support us like that. They come to our game. So, I mean, it’s special to just give back to the community, just have them together with us.”
Kharchenkov on if there are rivalries like UA/ASU in Germany: “Yes, especially like the in-country ones for your league. We have, for sure, derby games like that.”
On being more emotional because of the rivalry: “It’s a derby game, but also I feel like I’m a really emotional guy, because it’s a close game. I tried to bring even more emotion, bring more than 100% and I think that we needed that for sure.”
On how the crowd was a part of the game: “I think we could feel that. The new semester began, the students are back. We definitely needed a little spark. It’s great to play for the crowd like that. You’re willing to sacrifice your body, sacrifice your energy that maybe you don’t got. It’s going to give you the energy. It’s great.”
On being able to draw fouls: “Well, it’s a big, big factor for our game. Just putting foul pressure on the big guys, because the next man coming up is not as good as the starting big guy, and we are better putting pressure and getting easy points at the basket, at the free throw line, just putting all pressure.”
On Bradley: “Big time player. I mean, he’s a vet, he’s our leader, and he’s taken the ball many times in these kind of situations and delivered every time. So, I mean, kind of built trust in himself.”
On handling the schedule: “We found a little of our own rhythm. Always playing on Saturday on the road, playing on Wednesday at home. We found our groove a little bit, yeah. Just helps us to find our routine and just stick to it.”
Category: General Sports
