What Theyre Saying

 

LEXINGTON, KY--Missouri and Colorado State tip off at approximately 9:20 Thursday night in the final game of the Lexington pod of the NCAA Tournament. PowerMizzou.com spoke to players and coaches from both teams about the other on Wednesday. Here's what they had to say:

Pierce Hornung on Missouri's frontcourt: "They got a talented frontcourt. I was watching them on film a little bit and they're very, very talented players and good athletes and it's gonna be a tough matchup for us. But I think we just stick to our game that we've been doing all year and get our game on the floor that should be a fun matchup."

Dorian Green on Mizzou: "I think they're extremely talented. They're as good as the best teams in our league. They're great on the boards. That's one of our strengths to so we've got to keep them off the boards and limit them to one shot and they got a lot of good players so we've just got to contest everything they have."


Green on Phil Pressey: "I think he makes their team go. He's as good as anybody in the country at finding his guys where they need to get the ball and getting his guys going. He makes everybody on that team a lot better. As far as just a true point guard, he's really good."

Colton Iverson on Alex Oriakhi: "He's obviously very physical, very athletic and he can rebound. It's gonna be a tough matchup but we're well prepared for what they're capable of and it should be an exciting game."

Larry Eustachy on Pressey: "I've only seen the ones where he wins the games. I haven't seen the ones where he loses them. I just see him taking over games. Obviously they've got a great collection of players and Frank is a great coach, but it starts with him just like it starts with Dorian Green with us. I didn't know he was Paul's son, is that correct? I can see he's got a great just natural feel. I had Jamaal Tinsley. He really reminds me of Jamaal. He has eyes in the back of his head. So I'm sure he's made some mistakes late in games. He's the reason why they were that close at the end. So, you know, if we can't stay in front of him, and when teams haven't, they've lost every time, meaning the opponent, so he's the key and we have to stay in front of him."


Jabari Brown on Colorado State: "They're a real tough team, hit the boards very hard, they play tough defense and they've got good players. We're definitely gonna have to bring our A game."


Brown on Pierce Hornung: "I think it's just a will thing. You've got to have heart to rebound. It's just a mindset. You've got to tell yourself to go to the boards every time and they obviously do a good job of that."


Earnest Ross on the Rams: "Their rebounding. They're a great rebounding team and one of the best teams we're probably gonna face this year. We're a great rebounding team also. We just have to go out there and be physical and prepare for the war that's gonna happen."

Keion Bell on CSU: "How tough they play and how hard they play. They play every single game like it's an NCAA Tournament game, like it could potentially be the last game of their season. They're a tough, resilient group of guys and they rebound extremely well."


Oriakhi on Iverson: "I definitely expect a physical game. When you're 6-10, 260, average nine rebounds, I know it's definitely going to be physical. I love being physical so it's not going to be any different for me."


Laurence Bowers on Colorado State: "They play very, very hard. They have five seniors so they know how hard you've got to play. They have a real good five man in Colton Iverson, just got to come out and execute and play, you know, like it's our last game."

Oriakhi on CSU: "The big fella is averaging 14 and nine. Obviously he's a guy you got to box out. The four man crashes the glass pretty well. I think me and Laurence match up pretty well because we're able to rebound and score in the post as well. I think it's going to be a great game, but a great battle."


Frank Haith on Dorian Green: "When I watch him, he's an outstanding player. He plays with such great intelligence, great pace. He can shoot the ball. They're obviously a different team when he's not out there. I think he's such a key for them and their success as well as Phil is for us."

Haith on Colorado State's experience: "There's no question. I know Larry really well as a coach. Their team, you watch them, you can see that as a coach, you can see their team. They thrive and know how to win. Knowing how to win is those things, it's not making all the shots. It's about the little things, about the 50-50 balls, getting the extra possession or understanding late game and drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. That's winning basketball. But a veteran team understands that. They've been in those situations and they understand how to play that way in order to give themselves a chance to win."

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