Bruce Weber Quotes (279 Quotes)


    It's been a good rivalry. When Dee and James were freshmen, there was the close game up there. Then there was Harris and our guys bickering back and forth. Then we beat them three times last year. It goes back.

    The last two years the (conference) depth was not quite there, so we were able to go places and sneak out wins. I don't think you will this year. We had such an experienced team. Now it looks to me like everyone has experience. That's why you have that big difference in home wins and losses.

    You don't want to coach against your friends. But once the ball goes up, Matt won't care if I'm on one end and he's on the other. It's just his team against our team. We'll laugh before and laugh after, but in between, we'll battle.

    There's no doubt it's huge that he stepped up. He's given us a chance to be a special team. You've to got to feel good as a team, but you feel bad for Rich (that the shot didn't count).

    It's the NCAA tournament. You play at that magic level.


    Who's going to help Brian Randle next year be a leader That might determine if we're going to be worth a darn next year.

    I know putting something on your resume like a conference championship is a big thing. Ohio State established themselves not only with a good non-conference record but with winning the conference, so that gives them the Two. Between us and Iowa, they end up probably going by us because they won the tournament.

    I'm sure last year our easy ride, our bus ride to the Final Four, was very much scrutinized throughout the nation. I'm not saying that it had an effect, but it wouldn't surprise me if that had an effect on where we have to go.

    Today was tough. The score is not indicative of how tough this was.

    Brian is special at times. He's like James. He doesn't realize how good he is. If he can slowly but surely become more involved and improve his skills over the course of the next two years, he can be pretty big weapon for us.

    I hope they're mad and in a little disbelief. We should have taken care of business in the first half.

    We were hoping for 12-2, maybe 11-3. I didn't think it would be that easy. It was still the first phase of our season. Our next worry is to compete for the Big Ten championship. I feel we can compete. One thing we have is confidence. It's part of their personality as a team. They believe in themselves. Winning is a habit. They believe they should win every game.

    I don't think there's any doubt. I hope they come in cocky and think they're going to win. I'd love that. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think they'll play at a high level with a little bit of a fear factor. I would expect a grind-it-out game

    We'll drill pretty hard, but you have to readjust some of your principles. How are you on the weak side Where are you pressuring Where are you not pressuring I hope the older guys have a good feel for what we need to do.

    I want them back because it's good publicity, but also to be around our other guys. I know Luther will keep coming back I hope Deron will come back and then Dee and James down the road.

    We have a feel for it. But if you were going in blind, it would be a major fear factor. We have three or four tapes (on Air Force). We'll get after it (Sunday) night.

    The first thing on the board was that we wanted this to be a statement game. Not just to put pressure on Ohio State but for the (NCAA) committee and national media. I'm not sure we're as good as last year, but we're a pretty good team and deserve a high seed to stay close to home.

    We started so good. Then you think we're going to kill them, so we shoot some quick shots. It's about your mental approach to the game.

    The crowd gets you so riled up at home. It gets you through bad times, bad stretches. It intimidates the other team and freezes them. On the road, you don't have that.

    Even in the meeting he didn't say a word, and he's usually making fun of me and cracking jokes. He was quiet before the game. There's no doubt he was nervous.

    It caught our attention. Purdue is competing with everybody. It's not like this is something new.

    If Iowa wins at least a piece of the title, Brunner's going to get my vote.

    One thing we do have is confidence. Winning, I believe, is a habit. It's a belief and I believe it's definitely part of our personality as a team. I think they believe in themselves, they have confidence and they believe they should win every game.

    I'm sure they are looking forward to just getting a little bit of time to relax.

    He might be the most improved player in the league. To make 5 of 6 3s and 6 of 8 (in the game) ... we have guys who can't make free throws like that.

    One thing that has been constant is our defense. It has carried us early. I hope it continues to carry us until at least Christmas. Motion coaches tell you that you won't be good until after Christmas. I'm crossing my fingers on that one.

    He felt a little confident. He had a couple freshmen guarding him at different times, got them in the paint, got a pull-up jumper. He got to the free throw line and he made them too, so that's even better.

    I think they understand their roles, but once in a while they slip out of it. The big guys are posted up at 9 feet from the basket, and I tell them they're not Karl Malone. But they don't know who Karl Malone is, so that doesn't do any good.

    You always feel you can be successful, but to be where we are at, it's surprised myself and my staff. You've got to give Dee Brown and James Augustine credit for kind of conveying from one group to the next how hard you've got to compete to stay at this level. They've been great leaders.

    We need to come home and get a good feeling. We need great energy and great fan energy (tonight) and Sunday against Indiana. It's so key. I hope it's the best medicine, so we can cure a lot of things and have a great finish.


    We've had some good luck when we've gone with him at the four. The assistant coaches said, 'They're small so let's go small.' That disrupted some of their flow.

    Dee sacrificed himself to help make our team better and did all of the things that you want from your point guard. He has been our leader. He's been an inspiration to his teammates, and most importantly, he is a winner. He has meant so much to our program and to college basketball in general.

    We did that. We got the crowd in. I thought we continued it throughout the first half.

    This was a dress rehearsal for the NCAA. Next time we lose, we go home. So I think this was a good experience for our guys. At least, I hope it is.

    I told the whole team, all the things you face in a season you'll face on this trip. Then it's a matter of how you deal with it. It's not only the basketball, it's the toughness, the discipline, the growing up. It's all part of this trip.

    So they advised him that we're in that part of the season where he might want to make a change. It's for his health, his longevity.

    I'm sure statistically it might look that way. Air Force was one of the last teams to make the field. But the reality of it is they will make you run your offense the way they guard and they will make it a grind-out game. Each game is different and that's what makes March Madness special.

    I hope they're a little angry. I hope they're a little disappointed about how they played Friday. You need a little bit of that going into the tournament. You need a little bit of a fear factor, an edge, some motivation.

    Rich McBride asked out of the game early. He said he couldn't breathe. I thought, 'Oh, great. James is out with foul trouble, Dee is nervous and Rich can't breathe.' I smelled a disaster coming.

    We can't have James getting out-of-position fouls. We looked at the tape from Saturday and he's covering for people when we don't need him to. We can't have the reaches. We're reaching too much as post guys.

    My phone kept ringing (Wednesday) last night. I was on the road recruiting. In the end, Ohio State made the baskets they needed to make to get the win.

    Indiana State was the last-place team in the Valley. It's college basketball. You have to come ready every game.

    Their whole team scares you. They have some experience. They have some guys that have some talent. It's a little bit like Michigan. You're waiting for them to explode. With Minnesota, you don't know when it's going to happen, but it's possible it could any time.

    It was great to see Rich make some shots. As a high school kid, that's what he was known for. He's been so consistent at taking care of the ball and guarding. It was good to see a feel-good game for him.

    But and this is coming from the Big Ten the number of alumni from each school in Chicago is astronomical. Each school has a fan base there, which they probably dont have quite as much in Indianapolis.

    I know him. He was in my daughter's classes. He was on our campus. We did look at him a little bit coming out of high school.

    We still have a long stretch and a lot of tough games coming up. The season can go a lot of ways. I hope the kids realize that. I hope Dee and James do a great job making sure we're prepared for every game.

    Obviously we're disappointed that he was involved in an incident. We'll wait the course of time, and after the thing is resolved, we'll make a decision on (discipline).

    I feel bad for him. That's one of the bad parts of our profession. It affects your family. People have no sympathy. You say it's college, it's amateur basketball, but it's not. It's sad. But we chose to be in the profession, so we have no one to blame but ourselves.


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