Feb. 7, 2012
Oregon State men's basketball head coach Craig Robinson sat down with the media at his weekly press conference on Tuesday to talk about the Beavers' upcoming games against Washington State on Thursday and Washington on Sunday.
Opening statement...
"We're really looking forward to playing a couple of home games after playing three on the road. I think at the beginning of the year, when we took a look at the schedule, before we instituted our "One Day At A Time" mantra, you look at this stretch and say if you can come out of here winning two out of three on the road that would be something that is pretty good. It's very exciting to be coming home after playing that well in two road games out of three, and then four out of the last five, so we're looking to stretch that out a little bit."
On the difference between the Colorado and Utah games...
"I still haven't figured out the conundrum of the whole altitude thing. I don't know if that plays a part in the psychology of going into a game against them (Colorado), but the numbers sure bear out that they lose very rarely at home. I thought that we started out the game pretty nicely and were holding our own. There was a stretch there where they just took off and we couldn't keep up. That was a big part of that first night and then it seemed like we could never catch up or make a run like we normally do when we get behind. As a coach, I'll have to figure out if there's something we can do to better prepare for those games up there in altitude. I'm not blaming the altitude; I just have to take a look at it.
"On Saturday, I thought it was a combination of the fact that they (Utah) had quite a few players down that they're missing. They had lost their leading scorer who's no longer on the team and then there's a big 7'3" kid who is not playing. So they were a bit shorthanded and we had just taken a nice licking and we came back very focused. I thought, even though at the beginning of the game it was even, which it tends to be when you're on the road, we were very focused, especially on defense, and I liked how we played defense, both man-to-man and zone. I thought that we made really good decisions once we got a little bit of a lead in order to extend that lead. When they made their run in the second half we were able to match it with a run of our own to put the game away."
On if his team has matured since the beginning of the season...
"Absolutely. We have been pretty consistent over the years with getting better as the season goes and this team has sort of followed that same track. I think that they're all becoming better at understanding what is needed on the road. I think that we still have a little ways to go, but watching us in those games in Boulder and then in Salt Lake City it seems like we understand how to follow a road game plan."
On what will be different from the first matchup against Washington State...
"The biggest thing when we were in Spokane, we got off to such a slow start and then we were playing catch up or even with them for the rest of the game. I'm hoping that we don't get off to such a slow start since we're playing at home. I thought that was the biggest difference in that game. I want to be cautious in that we can't just get off to a fast start, we have to play well. Each game for us gets harder because we're making ourselves more relevant so people are really preparing for us. It's a big change from the years past and we have to do most things right at home in order to win no matter who we're playing."
On switching match-ups from the first game against the Cougars...
"Actually, based on their starting lineup, we might have to change matchups, but not because of what happened last game. Last game was so long ago we wouldn't change our game plan just for that matchup. It seems as though they've been starting him at the five and playing Abe Lodwick more which would change our matchup. I think our bigs are good enough and long enough that any of them are able to guard a guy who is 6'9" or 6'10". I don't think our game plan is going to change from where it has been recently, nor do I think their change in lineup is going to have anything to do with our matchup."
On how Oregon State is different from the first time the two teams met...
"I would say we're a lot different both offensively and defensively. I think that from a defensive standpoint we are playing better defense now. We finally are starting to understand you need to focus on defense no matter how many points you can score in a game. We're a better defending team than we were at the beginning of the Pac-12 season. Offensively, I think we're a better decision-making team than we were when we first started the Pac-12 season, but it's not a surprise to me. I knew we would get better as the season goes along. It's a shame that you still have to look back on two overtime games that you lost that would have you in a completely different position in the standings as well as mindset, but that's how it goes."
On playing one team twice for the first time this season...
"I hope it's not tricky. I don't think it's very complicated. Our defensive strategy should have been the same the whole way. It's the execution part. I think our ability to execute has gotten better. I don't think it's going to be trickier guarding them. It would be nice if we were trickier because we're playing better. The second time around through the conference is always going to be tougher. I think the games are going to be more hard-fought, they're going to be tighter, they're going to come in ready, which always makes it nice that we have five of our last seven games at home."
On playing more zone as the season has progressed...
"We are. We are playing more zone. The entire season we've spent trying to figure out what the right percentage zone-to-man or man-to-zone is. Once you figure that out for yourselves, then you tweak it to each team you play and try and go with what works the best. The great thing about playing man and being able to play it well is that it makes your zone better because you're not living off playing your zone."
On UCLA's success with the zone against Washington State...
"I think when you're not able to overpower a team athletically, sometimes switching up defenses helps, even if you don't want to play zone. A little change of pace helps your other defense. I think that's what was happening in the UCLA game."
On his guys buying in to how good they can be...
"Yes, I think that there is a slight difference in thinking you can beat anybody and knowing you can beat anybody. When we started the Pac-12 season we thought we could beat anybody on any given night. I think now that we've been through the league halfway and played everyone, I think our team knows that they can beat anybody on any night. We have to use that confidence to our advantage, especially when we're playing here."
On home court advantage in the Pac-12 this season...
"That is a tough one for me to answer because we've never really had a real home court advantage until this year. We're getting to the point where we're at least getting six or 7,000 people on a regular basis for conference games and it really feels like it's an advantage for us. But when you compare it to last year it's hard to really tell. Having said that, when we go on the road, one full house is the same as another full house because it's not yours. But when people come here and they aren't used to this place being loud and being crowded it's an advantage. If it's more than years past I'll have to wait to next year to be able to tell you that."
On defending Reggie Moore...
"He's one of the best players and one of the best guards in the league. He's leading the conference in assists. It's going to be important to slow him down because he directly affects others guys production. But what I noticed from watching the tape of the last game was that when we did a good job on him, it had an effect on everyone else so we're going to have to continue to do that whether we press or try and keep the ball out of his hands. That's going to be something we keep evaluating until we get to the game on Thursday."
On defending Brock Motum...
"Motum is the type of big man that we like. He's very effective from the outside. He's got a very nice shot. And then he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. That's just how we teach our big men to play so that's what makes him such a hard matchup. If you put a smaller guy on him he can shoot over him. If you put a bigger guy on him he can go by him. I feel like our frontcourt is long enough and athletic enough to guard him. We just have to do it. I didn't think we executed it well when we played them the first time and he got off to a really fast start and was playing at home with a lot of confidence and had a great game. We can't let him do that on Thursday."
On if this weekend is the defining point of the Beavers' season...
"Yes and no. I think that every single game you win at this point, you have an opportunity to gain ground on the teams above you, even if you're playing a team behind you, because there is going to be some slippage at the top. But for that same reason, if you don't necessarily win every single game you still have an opportunity to gain on people because of the parity in the league, which is why this a really good year to have the "One Day At A Time" edict. It's very easy to lose focus on what is right ahead of you and thinking of what could be. We're just trying to avoid that. Every single weekend is a big weekend for us from here on out because we are a different team now than we were at the beginning and also everyone else is a little bit different than they were at the beginning. What I tell my players at this point of the year is that there are teams that are going up and teams that are coming down and you always want to be one of the teams that is going up at this time of the year. So this weekend is really important, which brings me to another thing. Every one of our games is going to be harder than the last because if we keep winning, we keep being the team that's important to beat and I think our guys are starting to understand that. They understand why they get everybody's best game this time around as opposed to last year when we could sneak up on people."
On if he likes having two days to prepare for Sunday's game against Washington...
"I do, I do. Sometimes I don't, but in this case I do. The times that I don't like it is because it gives teams an extra day to prepare for us. I think we are a hard team to prepare for in one day. But, a team that's at the top of your league, having an extra day to prepare for them is extremely helpful. So I like the fact that we play Thursday and then Sunday. Some people can argue that it will put you behind for the following week, but with our "One Day At A Time" mantra we don't care about that. We just want to take advantage of what we have in front of us."
On the difference in Washington at this point of the season...
"I think the chemistry of that team is a lot better than it was when they were first starting out. I think there were a lot of roles being defined. You have a freshman on the team who is considered a lottery pick. Then you have a sophomore on the team who is considered a lottery pick. There's a potential for a lot of misunderstanding of what the roles would be. I think that what you're seeing now is that they sort have fallen in to where they should be, and are, as a team, and it's working. When you look at Lorenzo's (Romar) teams you know at some point it gets to that point where they all figure out where they're supposed to be and you just hope you catch them on a night where they're not playing well."
Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events.
Follow Oregon State Athletics On YouTube.
