On the slow start:
“Well, I would say we missed some shots that we usually make,” Howard said. “Got some open looks. Their defensive coverage I think at times bothered us. At times, they’d play matchup zone. There were times they’d be switching. They may be in zone but they are switching. They have a lot of defensive schemes that they throw at you. There were times where we had open shots. There were some shots that we may have rushed. But overall, I love the fact that our guys stayed in it, didn’t get down on themselves. The mental stability was definitely present today.”
Oregon’s tough-made shots:
“Those were shots that they earned, because there was a very good defensive effort as well as the technique defensively we displayed in the first half,” Howard said. “Our guys were just flying around. They also had some opportunities where they drove us but we still put our hands up, tried to defend them without fouling. They just made some shots!”
On Franz Wagner:
“Franz – you guys all think he’s having a bad stretch, but for me – he’s been playing great for us,” Howard said. “Because Franz has been affecting the game in other ways other than just putting the ball in the basket. He’s been out there defending, rebounding, battling against bigs who may have 50-70 pounds more than him. Some are also taller than him. But he’s been competing, he’s been diving on the floor for loose balls. He’s been affecting the game in different ways. Tonight, it was his night, and his shot went in. But there were also good looks and he was aggressive. But it just goes to show you: Franz is a guy who is a competitor.”
On the final play of the game:
“Well, we got the ball in the hands of the right person we wanted to have it,” Howard said. “I love the look that we had. We had the opportunity to either drive it for a basket, throw it back to (Isaiah Livers) or if they came to help – which, they brought everyone to the paint for the spray. So, great decision on (Zavier Simpson’s) part. We live with the results.
“And, by the way, we had a chance to tip it in and it just didn’t fall for us.”
On Brandon Johns coming off the bench:
“I know you guys watched the game – Brandon gave us some great minutes,” Howard said. “And it’s always like the next man up mentality. Stay ready. If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. That’s how Brandon and all our players approach the game. You just gotta always know when your name is called and Brandon delivered today.”
On the late momentum shifts:
“This game is all about runs,” Howard said. “You’re playing against one of the best teams in the country. There’s gonna be some possessions out there where someone may make a shot, someone may make a tough shot. They made some tough shots, especially in the paint. But we stayed with it. That’s why I love our team and I love how we compete. Our guys stayed with it and didn’t get down and continued to go out there and figure it out and find ways to get when our ball is in our hands to make the right play – and they did.”
On going smaller, putting Brandon Johns at the 5:
“That’s one thing about coaching: you’ve gotta look at the situations and what’s best for your team,” Howard said. “And looking at the time of possessions and looking at overall what you need to make the adjustment in order to give your team a spark. Brandon was that guy who I trust that when he got into the ball game he would do something special for us. And he’s been doing that throughout the year. And tonight wasn’t no surprise.”
On Payton Pritchard:
“What do you mean by take the game over? Pritchard is a gamer and it’s not his first rodeo,” Howard said. “And I watched Pritchard during the NCAA Tournament and I’ve always been a fan of his game because he’s a gritty guy, smart player, a high IQ and also he can make tough shots out there on the perimeter as well as some of the finishes. Every bucket he made, he had to earn it and he had to work for it. Our guys like X with defending him, playing one-on-one, playing great one-on-one defense. We switched off on him and our bigs, when he went into the paint to either make or draw a foul, we were very disciplined on how we contested his shot. But overall, I love how our defensive disposition was displayed today.”
On Oregon’s defense:
“Well, Oregon has played all year something quite different than a lot of teams that we’ve faced,” Howard said. “They do maybe 85 to close to 90% full-court pressure. I kinda count the ¾ pressure as part of the full-court pressure. And then they do an excellent job of, when they get back into the half court, of trying to make you guess and make the clock work against you by making you say, ‘Okay, are you in a zone? Are you in a man?’ We practiced it. We prepared for it. Give them credit, they played a good game.
“Great ball game! 71-70, overtime! Nothing to be upset about!”
On Oregon’s Anthony Mathis giving Michigan a tough time:
“Anthony Mathis shot 10 threes, so he gave himself a chance and he made some tough shots early on that were deep from the floor,” Howard said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t mean that as disrespect. But I thought our guys did a helluva job defensively.
“Unfortunately from the three, this is one of the first teams that has shot 50% from three. We’ve done a pretty good job in the past of guarding the three-point line. Unfortunately, tonight they made some bombs.”
On having a week until the next game:
“It’s gonna be a tough week, man. It’s gonna be a tough week for all of us,” Howard said. “Because you know what? Overall, we all care. We care about each one another, we care about the results, whether it’s a win or losses. And when you lose two in a row, it’s gonna sting, because we’re human. And I’m not gonna sit up here and give you some sort of a politically correct answer. We have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday to think about two losses. It’s gonna be painful. All our guys in that locker room, they hurt right now. So am I!”
On Crisler being packed:
“I love Ann Arbor. That’s why I came back here!” Howard said. “I can remember the times when I played here. The first game against Duke when we were freshmen had today’s energy in the building, today’s crowd reminded me of that moment. I appreciate all the fans for being out here today and supporting. I know there are students right now that are studying for their finals. It’s a very challenging time.
“Same goes for our players. I commend them for being able to balance both as student-athletes. They’ve taken away on to Iowa while other students were here studying. This last two days, we’ve been trying to of course focus on academics as well as prepare for Oregon. And have an early game without much rest for them – it’s a lot for a teenager or young adult. So I commend my players for what they had to endure and also what they’re looking forward to for a couple weeks.”
