Nebraska vs. Cincinnati Postgame Quotes

Notes:
*-Tonight is the Huskers’ first OT game at Pinnacle Bank and the Huskers’ first double OT game since a 64-61 double OT win at USC on Nov. 14, 2011.
*-Nebraska has now won its last five multiple overtime games dating back to the start of the 1999-2000 season.
*-Nebraska picks up its first-ever win against Cincinnati in five games.
*-Walter Pitchford’s 10 rebounds in a season high and the third time he has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in his career.
*-Nebraska held Cincinnati to 31.7 percent shooting, which is a low by a Huskers opponent. The previous low was 32.8 percent shooting by Central Arkansas on Nov. 18.
*-Terran Petteway finished with 13 points, his 20th straight game in double figures. It is the longest stretch by a Husker since the 1998-99 season.
*-David Rivers finished with eight rebounds, the fourth straight game with at least six rebounds.
*-Nebraska’s 22 turnovers is a high in Tim Miles’ three seasons at Nebraska

Nebraska Coach Tim Miles
Opening Statement:
"We asked our guys before the game, we said, "When you're struggling, just play hard. Get back to the basics. Play great defense." I know Cincinnati is like us. The aren't a great scoring team, but, I said "Out hustle them. Let's out rebound them." We were even, practically, on the glass. I thought that our guys really showed a lot of mental toughness tonight in hanging in there. Cincinnati does what Cincinnati does, which is make it a really physical game. They are unbelievable on the glass and they turn you over. Mick is a great coach and his staff do a phenomenal job. I was proud that our kids came back when we were down three in the first overtime and found a way to tie it. That was big. We found a way to win. We kept the ball alive. Your superman, Benny, comes flying in there and hits the floater. Just what you drew up. I's proud of Benny and the way those guys played. We are down to nine scholarship guys, we decided to keep a short bench tonight. That was tough. those guys played a lot of minutes."

On importance of winning tonight's game
"You could see we were skittish as soon as it got close in the first half. The only way to get any confidence is to earn confidence, and I think the only way to do that is come out on top and win. I'm just so thankful for these guys and the effort they put in tonight. Nobody had an ego. The only time there was frustration was when somebody made a mistake. Terran would have a turnover or Shavon. They both slipped on some stuff. The crowd was amazing. You could see the difference in our guys' effort and stance when the crowd got into it. What a great night at Pinnacle Bank Arena."

On using this game to gain confidence
"Well sooner or later we had to gain some. There was no doubt that this game came down to let's out hustle them, let’s beat them on the glass, let's do something nobody expects us to do. The efforts we got from some guys, like Pitchford gets 10 rebounds, Rivers get eight, Terran got nine in limited play. Those are really good numbers for us. Then, to find a way to win. They were in a match up zone. They haven't played in 10 days, and they haven't shown a whole lot of match-up zone, so to me that as different. I thought they did an outstanding job."

On fight and toughness during game
"I think it says a great deal about their toughness and their maturity. We gave one away on Wednesday, but maybe we don't win this one if we don't do that. Who knows. But I am just so happy for our guys to go out, play their butts off, scrap, fight and hustle and just fight to the end and find a way to win. It's really fun to be around this group."

On using this win to gain momentum
"We are going to Hawaii so we have plenty of momentum. Don't worry about it."

On previous games that went into overtime
"Yeah. I was in triple overtime game in 2006 where nobody made a game winning shot. So at least we had one guy throw it in there late. So at least we had one guy make a shot. I think that was against Minnesota-Duluth and we beat them by one."

On physicality of the game
"This was a physical confrontation from the get go. We knew what it was going to be. That's the way they play. I thought we were able to match that, and I thought we really scrapped and fought. It's hard to say we outhustled them because those guys fought so hard too and they forced turnovers. But there is no question that that was just a rock fight."

On Cincinnati's pressure
"There pressure was outstanding. They just get you and there's constant contact. Soon pretty soon it numbs the authority of everybody out there. Now they get some turnovers and deflections. If you ask Mick, he knows every deflection they get and how many at every four minutes. That is there deal. So you just have to handle it."

On the rebounding
"What's funny is we didn't do one rebounding drill. All we did was tell these guys and show them tape. Rebounding and blocking is just a commitment to doing all the little things and being physical. Its a commitment to mental toughness. Our guys knew the the only way we would win this game is if we out-toughed them. And we did. On play. One point. Whatever it might be."

Nebraska Forward Shavon Shields
On the victory
"It was good. It was good to get that monkey off our back. We kind of had a rough week and we lost two games earlier in the week--all on things we can control. I think tonight we did great job of bouncing back, staying together and focusing on what we could control and at the end we got the victory."

On how the team battled back
"I think it showed that we have matured. We found a way to win and found a way to finish the game. Instead of kind of fragmenting like we would last year, we came together and everyone was talking in the huddle and everyone knew what we needed to do. At the end of the game, we made one more play in order to win the game and that was big. That is kind of what we have been preaching, toughness and what we need to do to be successful and get back to what made us successful in the first place. Everything else will fall back into place.

Nebraska Guard Benny Parker
On his game winning shot
"I just looked up and saw that the clock was running down. I saw an open lane, and we have been working on floaters all week because they were big and athletic. We worked on it in practice and I was able to knock it down."

Nebraska Forward Walter Pitchford
On his post game tonight and his play in the paint
"We had to step up. Coach told us that is what we had to do leading up to this game. I think we executed it pretty well. We battled, played our butts off and grinded through it. It was excellent.

On how NU rebounded
"Just not take a play off you know. Coach always preaches about rebounding. He basically emphasized and told me to be more active. Be more active on the defense and on the boards. I think we did a great job of that."

On if they will be sore tomorrow
Benny: "Most definitely"
Shavon "For sure."

On if any of them had been in physical game like that before
Shavon: "Yeah the Big Ten is kind of like that, as the season gets long. Down the stretch in the Big Ten every single game is going to be like that. You just have to be prepared for it and fight through it."

Cincinnati Head Coach Mick Cronin
On if the amount of chances to win the game made the end painful
"Losing is always painful, but when you have the game won a few times and make a couple of really dumb defensive plays--up three and foul. Up two and foul. When you do that, usually the basketball gods get you--I always say that. When I am sitting at home and that stuff happens, basketball gods get you, and they got us. That and free throw shooting. So you know, I am proud of our team. Nebraska has got probably outside of Louisville the best arena I have ever been in. Great home crowd and obviously they were in desperation mode today, trying to get a win. We couldn't throw it into the ocean from the beach, and I don't know, we came out of the first half only down two. I think we definitely grew as a team tonight. We learned and stayed together and competed. It is just a shame that we did not get the win, because obviously we basically gave the game away with two fouls."

On offensive struggles
"Well we had 18 turnovers and we did not really get much on the interior. When ever you struggle to score on the interior, you are going to struggle. The game was extremely physical. You got a blood bath underneath, but then the foul call on Jermaine Sanders is beyond my comprehension. Been around the game since I was born, you get to see it all."

On how the team recovers
"Oh it is a long year, I am going to try and get something to eat and get ready for San Diego State, ain't nothing else you can do. It is tough. I believe part of the process of becoming a team is you got to go through things, whether that is going through success, if we ever have any, or dealing with losses. The psychology of the team, you either get tougher or fall apart. For us, I knew it would have to be in growth pattern. I have had bad losses."

"The way our travel is going, I just hope we make it home. We have the worst charter company in the history of college basketball."