Alando Tucker Quotations

We knew we were going to jump back into the Big Ten. It was tough taking that loss but you can't think about it. That's one of the things we've been doing so good as a team. We've been able to recover and bounce back really well.

We were trying to size them up. We didn't want to come out too fast. We saw where we were wearing them down. That's where we wanted to pick it up coming out of the media timeout. We really wanted to get the crowd into it and use it to our advantage.

So I see a lot that we have to offer and a lot that we can do and accomplish but it has to be for 40 minutes.

I'm always shaping my game into what the team needs. This year we really need me going inside and drawing fouls. I figure I'll always have a chance to do that.

We talked after the game, but that's enough talking. We just have to go out there and get it done now. We can't say anything else about it. Everybody's been making excuses about the losses that we have (after) losing Greg and Marcus, but with my teammates, I have a lot of confidence in them. I think they have confidence in themselves, too. We just have to start showing it now.

He said he doesn't get involved in all the hoopla and everything before, but you can see that he got emotional coming out of the game.

He didn't look like he was going to dunk it, so I figured I could just step in and try to alter his shot.

I think it's motivation to show these younger guys that hard work pays off, to show that what we've been doing in these past few years has worked. And if it's worked in the past, it can work in the present.

I was confident in what we had done over the course of the season that we were going to get in. I felt good about it. It's just that you're anxiously awaiting to see where you're going, what environment you're going to get stuck in.

Stay poised. We knew they were going to get up. We just figured if we stick together, keep running our offense and don't get rattled, we could still come out with a win.

It feels good. Jeez, it's like lifting some weights up off your back.

I still have to knock down some shots, period. I shot 2-for-18. I can't be happy with that. If we're going to be top of the Big Ten (Conference), that can't happen. Especially from a guy like me with a lot of experience.

That's what always gets me through the tournament. ... It gives me that extra energy that I need.

We're a family. Wisconsin builds families. It's not just about stats, it's about the family we build, the friendships we build as a team, and he cherished that from day one. It's great to see him out there contributing. Right now, he has his chance.

We finally put it together. We put everything together.

(When) you're making your run (and) momentum is swinging your way, you just have to finish it off. It seems like we didn't cap it off because we couldn't knock down any shots.

We need everybody in the lanes, getting a body on somebody. When you're playing guys who are long and athletic like Pitt, coach (Bo) Ryan says you can still stop them by putting a body on guys.

When a team's making a run, you've got to be able to respond.

Those are crucial minutes. We wanted to get a good start because we didn't want this game to resemble the Milwaukee game.

You look at their faces after a loss, it's tough. You lose one at home in the Big Ten, it's always tough. You have to realize that this is still early.

We're young. Mistakes come early in practice but it seems like the young guys are getting better and better at understanding things.

We just weren't finishing. But we wanted to stick with our game plan. There was plenty of time left.

We have to close out as strong as we can. It's still a possibility, there's still a chance for us to win a Big Ten championship.

We have to close out as strong as we can. It's a chance for us to get a Big Ten championship, depending on how things go. We have to make sure we close out hard and do everything possible as much as we can to put ourselves in position in these last games.

We've got to get stronger. A lot of guys have got to get quicker. This is definitely a motivation game to show guys we have to step our game up another level, another notch.

With some of the things that happened in the past and earlier in the season, I knew we were going to go through a tough stretch. We have to stay strong. ... we can't give up. We have to keep fighting (and) keep competing every night.

You can tell he's excited. It's only natural when you come play in front of your family. We'd love to get a win for him. We know how important it can be even though he doesn't show it.

We wanted to prove something by coming out with a lot of energy.

We talked about old times, about high school. James is a good friend of mine. Whenever we get a chance to meet and talk we do. So, it was along the lines of that and just wishing each other good luck.

They are accepting it. We know what we have and we just have to work from there.

It was a burden a lot of players put on their shoulders that they had to do certain things. That's just hard. After losing those guys, we knew it would be tough given the numbers that we had playing against other teams that were as experienced or more experienced and had four or five seniors. We knew it was going to be a tough battle and we just wanted to stick it out.

The shots we took, as horrible as they were, that set it up for them to push it up faster instead of trying to make them work, get some fouls and get to the line or make some shots - and then they can't push it as fast. I think they forced us into some shots and that's their type of game...Early, that's what we did. We just played into their hands.

I want all our guys to realize that if we get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, that's our last chance. If we lose then, there's no more looking back and saying, 'OK, we can get it back.' You can't get it back. If we have 40 minutes left (in) our season, we have to cherish that. Everybody has to be ready to play. We have to just think we can't get that back. So we have to play with that urgency.

The name of a team doesn't scare me. The name of a player doesn't scare me. It's an opportunity for us to win a ballgame.

Defensively, his confidence is really growing. Everything coach tells him he gets done.

Definitely. I could breathe. It didn't feel like I had windshield wipers.

That's why I have a lot of confidence still. It's not like we're just playing totally bad. We have to be able to close out games when it's getting tough, when it's getting down to the last couple of minutes and being able to knock shots down. Clutch situations lately we haven't handled very well.

That's how you win games - if you're attacking, aggressive. That was a big concentration coming into the game.

That's how you win games, if you attack and you're aggressive. The Northwestern game, we watched that and saw where we had a lot of opportunities where we could (have) and we didn't attack.

You never know what to look for. The minute that you think they're going on a screen they backdoor you. ... Their passes, they put the ball there before the player is there. They keep you on your heels.

You never know what's going to happen in the Big Ten. We have to close out as strong as we can. There's still a possibility for us to get a Big Ten championship, depending on how things go. We just have to do everything we can to put ourselves in position to hopefully have a chance to win.

They're two freshmen, but they're out on the floor closing out the game.

They're two freshmen but they're out on the floor closing out a game. It just shows the confidence that he's got (in them).

They never stopped. Every time it seemed like I made a cut or touched (the ball), I was seeing two or more guys coming.

It's just a great feeling, and it's just a shame every player doesn't get to experience this.

It's all about defense. Defense is ultimately going to win the game.

It's only just begun. I don't want the guys to start thinking we're going to walk into games and get victories. The madness is just starting.

It's always bad when you have to lose guys. Him being my best friend, it's really hard to see him have to hang up his jersey. He has a great career ahead of him.

It's tough when you lose two guys who gave you a lot of productive minutes.

Everybody has to be on the same page and everybody has to have confidence. Teams are starting to tweak their defenses where they might not guard two or three guys on our team, thinking they don't have the confidence. We need all five guys to have the confidence in order for our offense to run as smoothly as it has in the past.

That's one of the things coach Ryan has been trying to get through to some of my teammates - when to attack...he always says when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em. I think that's what we're still learning and still recognizing as a team, as a group.

That has to be the worst shooting performance that I've ever seen.

It's great to be named All-Big Ten, it's a wonderful honor. It's all thanks to my team, because if it wasn't for my teammates I wouldn't get any accolades. It's not an individual award, it's a team award.

They did a great job; everyone saw it. Just closing out the game, for them to step up and rebound and make big plays defensively, that's what we need. If we're going to be a great team, you need that, and those two guys did a heck of a job.

They were playing great defense and it kind of rattled us. We weren't staying focused. We weren't staying relaxed.

It was his day. He even said he kind of got emotional. You could tell he got emotional coming out of the game, and even before the game started. It's great to see that.

Once the week started, we were past it. That's what we had to prepare ourselves mentally for.

The NCAA is more one-on-one. Teams are defending me straight up in a man-to-man. That's where I tend to create more.

I know what Kam can do. I know the abilities he has. I believe in him. It's just a matter of him believing in himself.

I know after the game our guys were limping. They were a physical team and their principles are still the same. They still get a lot of second- and third-chance opportunities. We can't let that happen.

I could breathe. I didn't need windshield wipers this game. It feels good. I feel back to normal. I didn't have any pain.

The main thing is we can't focus on what they're going through and hope we get a win out of taking advantage of that.

This is our last opportunity. We have to realize that. Everybody has to look in the mirror and realize we have to put it together. We don't get a second chance. We have to do it now. That's my mind frame I'm taking into the game.

All together, I think we played a fairly decent job defensively.