UConn 73, Cincinnati 66 (OT): Kevin Ollie’s Take

HARTFORD – Some highlights of Kevin Ollie’s remarks following UConn’s 73-66 OT win over Cincinnati:

“It was a great, gutty win.  I didn’t know, in the second half, who was going to score first.  I thought whoever was going to score first was going to win the game.  Fortunately, we won.  The overtime was terrific.  Second half we had 18 points and in overtime we had 18 points.  A great win by us.”

“It was a great team victory.  I’m proud of the guys.  They hung in there and they fought.  It was a grind-it-out game and we proved that we can win these types of games, once again.”

“When we gave up offensive rebounds, we didn’t hang our heads again.  We got back in a fight.  And that’s what I love about this team:  They get back in a fight and they keep punching and keep punching.  They’re just a remarkable team.  I can’t say enough about them.”

“The last XL game, and I think the fans were absolutely wonderful.  They kept us going, they kept us in it.  When we were down four points, they were cheering just like we were up 20.  So I really just want to take a time out to say how much I really appreciate these wonderful fans.  Hopefully we can close out Gampel with two home wins.”

“I want to point out the way Ryan Boatright played. He  grew and he matured.  He had his head down in the last game because he wasn’t shooting the ball well.  This game, he picked up and he took Cashmere Wright out of the game in the second half.  He stepped up and he grew up. And I am very proud of him.”

“Shabazz was spectacular.  Just the shots that he makes in overtime.  Whenever we need a big shot he’s right there.  And he has no fear….He’s a leader who has no fear of failure.  And that’s a great thing when you have a guy on your team that plays with that passion, but also is not scared and not fearful of failing….”

“He just likes the big moments.  And it goes back to him having that self-confidence and that belief system.  It’s a physiology with him.  It’s a mind state.  In that overtime, he just thinks he can make the shot.  And I think he just wills himself to make those….I was going to put the ball in his hands.  At the end of regulation and in overtime, he was going to have the ball in his hands because he was going to make right decisions for us. ”

“Omar [Calhoun] … big time. Big time. He is just growing up in front of our eyes each and every game.  By getting those tough rebounds and 50-50 balls….It’s been a beautiful thing to watch, just his evolution as a player.  He still has room for improvement, but he’s getting better and better.” 

“DeAndre Daniels, I took him out and he took it like a man. I  have a lot of respect for him. He gave us big time minutes.  Big time shots, when we were down four he hit that three when Shabazz made that wonderful pass off a high ball screen.  The toughness that he showed was just great.”