Nov. 15, 2009
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2 | Photo Gallery 3 Iowa Head Coach Todd Lickliter
Overall Statement…
“Here’s what I would like to do, if you will allow it. I would like to talk about the positives here. We defended about as well as any team I have had in a first game, especially with the amount of experience we have. I was very pleased with that. I was pleased with our effort on coming back, playing a team that is very well coached and experienced and that starts four seniors and a junior. They are a good team; there is no doubt about that. They had a really good spurt and our guys battled back. And I really appreciate that. I appreciated the way we defended, it has to be something where we learn and we grow because offensively we struggled. There is not an excuse for that. Last year we had problems trying to manufacture good shots, this year though we don’t. We can get a good shot and we can pass the ball to one another. There is no excuse for that; we have to get that corrected. I believe this team will be competitive, the Hawkeyes will compete, our guys are competitive. Texas-San Antonio is a good team and my hat goes off to them. I am disappointed in the loss but I am not disappointed in our guys.”
On getting in a groove…
“I thought we did after they got into their flow on that 14-0 run. We kind of settled down and started attacking and we got some pretty decent looks. We started to get to the line. It took us a long time to get into a flow. I do think we shot it fairly quickly several times, I think they are shots we can make but when you aren’t, you’ve got your hands full. We shot 18% from the three point line. If we do that we are really going to have to guard, there is no question.”
On the freshmen…
“I wish I would have gotten Brendon a little bit more time, I wish I would have done that-that was my mistake. He deserves it, he’s earned it, but we got down and we started to make a run and got back in it. I just felt like the guys who got us back in it had to stay in there and fight it out. I was proud of them for getting back in it.”
“Eric and Cully, it is a whole different game; the speed, the coaching, the schemes of the other team, the physicalness of the other team. You can talk about it all you want; you can’t simulate it in practice. We had growing pains tonight but I believe they are tough, they’ve got great potential, they are competitors and they won’t accept this-and that is a good thing.
On Matt Gatens and Anthony Tucker’s struggles…
Oh my goodness. If you take them both out there right now they are going to make shot after shot after shot. I thought they were a bit anxious tonight. If it’s not dropping and maybe you are trying to do something you aren’t quite comfortable with-it is tough. Those guys are so capable they’ve got to shoot; if you just saw them tonight… maybe it will be a good thing. Maybe they will get a hold of this tape and back off of them. I believe in them and I believe they can shoot.”
Texas-San Antonio Head Coach Brooks Thompson
Overall Statement…
“Obviously, we’re thrilled. Our guys have really worked hard and keyed in on this game for a long time finishing our year last year. We made some big shots; I thought that Melvin Johnson coming in as a freshman and hitting those four three-pointers gave us a really big lift. I was disappointed we got outrebounded by that margin, but I was very happy with our defensive effort, only giving up 26 points in the first half and 24 in the second.”
“I thought it was a pretty well balanced game. I thought Iowa went through some lulls, and I think that our defense had some effect on them. We really respect the way they shoot the three-pointers, and I think we were fortunate with them being 5 for 27, and I thought they missed some open ones which is uncharacteristic of them because I know that they’re going to make a lot of shots. On the flipside, I did like our defensive intensity and our effort.”
On having a more experienced team than Iowa…
“Experience is very hard to compensate for. It’s the first year since I’ve been the head coach here that we’ve brought back this wealth of experience. I think Iowa has a lot of talent out there to work with and they’re going to become hard to reckon with when they do gain that experience. We won quite a few non-conference games on the road last year and I think it’s paid huge dividends.”
On winning in Iowa City after two previous consecutive losses…
“It means a lot. On the flipside, I try to instill the mentality in our guys that we’re Division-I basketball players as well and they deserve to go anywhere and win. It does mean a lot to our program though, with the tradition of Iowa Hawkeye basketball. I try to instill in our guys that we should be able to go in and win anywhere no matter if it’s the Big Ten or anywhere. Is that realistic? Probably not, but that’s what we instill.”