Head basketball coach Ryan Odom talked to the media on Monday ahead of a matchup at home against Pittsburgh. Here is all he had to say.
On the bench scoring and the depth of the team….
“I think the depth of our team is certainly uh the strength of our team, and overall, these guys are coming in ready to play. I think Jakari played more like himself in that game the other day, in the second game, and it was great to see him back out there. uh as well. Devin’s given us good minutes. Chance obviously every game has stepped up. Ugo has been tremendous. Uh, so we just have a strong bench.
On how his team responded in gritty situations…
“I think the grittiness and the execution at key times are really important and can help us go forward.
On the message to the guys at halftime when the shooting wasn’t working…
“I think when you talk about shooting, certainly the threes weren’t falling for us in the first half. We just encouraged our guys take the right threes. Uh, but let’s really try to attack the basket, you know, in this half. And you may find some more open threes if we get to the basket a little bit better. I think certainly our guys did a nice job of taking the right shots and you know shot a good percentage from two, which you know every game kind of tells you what you need to do while you’re in the game, and in that particular one it made sense for us to get to the basket.”
On how to create more separation on the scoreboard….
“I think we’re not worried about you know the margin. It’s about winning and uh and certainly we want to play our best basketball you know as we approach the end of the season but again you know I think you know winning on the road is really hard. Especially in any conference in our conference this year it’s tough and uh
you’ve seen a lot of close games you’ve seen you know some upsets and certainly for us we respect every opponent that we play and uh you know, Boston College gave us a great game. Notre Dame obviously gave us a tremendous game and we were fortunate, you know, to win both. Like I said before, I did like our guys’ grit, their toughness, uh their willingness to find a way, you know, the way to win. There’s something to be said for that.”
On keeping the team healthy…
“We talked to the guys about that yesterday. It’s like we’re back in school. This is the grind of college basketball right now. You’re right in that period where you’re back in school. You know, classes are tough. Um, you know, obviously we’ve had some weather and travel, uh, six of nine, you know, on the road to start conference play can be a grind. Just making sure that they’re taking the proper time to take care of their bodies, um, on and off the court, uh, from a practice perspective, trying to limit the practice time, you know, so that they have their legs and they have
fresh minds going into games.”
On the impact of the schedule and how it will help the team going forward…
“We hope it’ll pay dividends for us. To come away 5-1 on the road, you know, is pretty strong. Losing the first game in triple overtime. Um, you know, there’s a lot to be proud of there, but I think I said in the press conference, we can’t pat ourselves on the back. As soon as you start doing that, you know, then the tide will turn on you. And so, we’ve got to focus, you know, on just continuing to get better. And there are certainly areas of improvement that need attention.”
On how winning the rebounding battle has been critical in games…
“Our rebounding has gotten better, especially our defensive rebounding. That’s three straight opponents that we’ve held, you know, in the 20s, you know, percent. Which certainly is a goal for us in each game. And then if we can outnumber on the other side and get offensive rebounds, you know, and our guys have been really good at that so far this season, you know, it’s certainly an area of emphasis for us.”
On how getting points in the paint can help other areas of the floor…
“It definitely can. Uh, and just recognizing when it’s open and taking the shot. I think sometimes we passed up some shots. Sometimes we took some, you know, in that last game, certainly in the first half, where there might have been a drive there, and maybe a more efficient play. It goes along with, you know, trying to improve and get better. And so we show the guys on film, you know, after each game, you know, kind of where they can make some improvements. Fortunately for us, we’ve got really good guys in the locker room that are very real with themselves about their performances. They are very self-critical, and I say that in a team way, and that’s how you get better.”
On the challenge of facing Pittsburgh…
“It’s going to be a challenge. There’s no question about it. Coach Cable’s always done a great job. He and I have known each other since we were youngsters and have a ton of respect for him and what he’s done over the course of his career…