Head Coach Jay Wright Opening Statement:
“Not one of our best performances, but I think you need to give St. John’s a lot of credit. They used a lot of length defensively. They played [Malik] Ellison at the point a lot. They just played a big, long team that seemed to bother us. We were fortunate to go inside to Daniel [Ochefu]. We didn’t make a three-pointer in the first half. In the second half, not only did Daniel score, but he made some great passes by kicking the ball out. It’s the balance of our team. We’ll take it when you don’t play particularly well defensively.”
Jay Wright on St. John’s:
“We had 15 turnovers and shot 21 percent from three. They shot 40 percent from three. That’s how they beat Syracuse hitting those threes. They had ten threes. That’s exactly how they beat Syracuse. To be able to find a way to win I do feel good about it.”
Wright on grinding out a game when Villanova is struggling from three:
“St. John’s did a great job. Amar Alibegovic had four three-pointers. Malik Ellison goes 2-for-3 from three. If you look at those guys numbers that doesn’t equate to what they normally do. There was a part of it that we did what we were supposed to do. We played against a team that really made big shots. We still kept our composure and found a way to win. There were a couple of offensive rebounds that we got that kept us alive. Going inside to Daniel, getting to the foul line are just some of those little things you need to do when you’re not making shots. I was happy about that.”
Wright on the lessons of tonight as they prepare for Temple Wednesday night:
“Our value of the basketball and taking care of the basketball. It’s been a problem for us. We have been sloppy with the ball. I thought we lost a little defensive intensity tonight when certain lineups were in there. We’ll address that. We got to keep getting better. We know we have to keep getting better.”
Ryan Arcidiacono on whether or not there was pressure tonight playing as the No. 1 team at home for the first time:
“No, I think St. John’s came out and executed their game plan. We didn’t really execute our game plan. I don’t think there was any added pressure. We already played a game as No.1. That’s something we don’t even think about or talk about. It was the same routine that we always do at the hotel the day of the game and with the walk through today. It was just another game for us.”
Daniel Ochefu on whether or not there was a sense of urgency to get the ball inside:
“Definitely not. Urgency is always intense in all of our games. We try not to rely on our offense. We just try to make sure our defensive rebounding is good so that can win the game for us.”
“Not one of our best performances, but I think you need to give St. John’s a lot of credit. They used a lot of length defensively. They played [Malik] Ellison at the point a lot. They just played a big, long team that seemed to bother us. We were fortunate to go inside to Daniel [Ochefu]. We didn’t make a three-pointer in the first half. In the second half, not only did Daniel score, but he made some great passes by kicking the ball out. It’s the balance of our team. We’ll take it when you don’t play particularly well defensively.”
Jay Wright on St. John’s:
“We had 15 turnovers and shot 21 percent from three. They shot 40 percent from three. That’s how they beat Syracuse hitting those threes. They had ten threes. That’s exactly how they beat Syracuse. To be able to find a way to win I do feel good about it.”
Wright on grinding out a game when Villanova is struggling from three:
“St. John’s did a great job. Amar Alibegovic had four three-pointers. Malik Ellison goes 2-for-3 from three. If you look at those guys numbers that doesn’t equate to what they normally do. There was a part of it that we did what we were supposed to do. We played against a team that really made big shots. We still kept our composure and found a way to win. There were a couple of offensive rebounds that we got that kept us alive. Going inside to Daniel, getting to the foul line are just some of those little things you need to do when you’re not making shots. I was happy about that.”
Wright on the lessons of tonight as they prepare for Temple Wednesday night:
“Our value of the basketball and taking care of the basketball. It’s been a problem for us. We have been sloppy with the ball. I thought we lost a little defensive intensity tonight when certain lineups were in there. We’ll address that. We got to keep getting better. We know we have to keep getting better.”
Ryan Arcidiacono on whether or not there was pressure tonight playing as the No. 1 team at home for the first time:
“No, I think St. John’s came out and executed their game plan. We didn’t really execute our game plan. I don’t think there was any added pressure. We already played a game as No.1. That’s something we don’t even think about or talk about. It was the same routine that we always do at the hotel the day of the game and with the walk through today. It was just another game for us.”
Daniel Ochefu on whether or not there was a sense of urgency to get the ball inside:
“Definitely not. Urgency is always intense in all of our games. We try not to rely on our offense. We just try to make sure our defensive rebounding is good so that can win the game for us.”
