Bill Self:
On the toughness of his team, finding a way to win after being down 14 points with under three minutes to go:
"We can talk about all the things that we did poorly, but one thing about it is they played every possession until the end. Even when we were playing bad, we played every possession. We missed layups - how many times did Josh (Jackson) and Lagerald (Vick) miss uncontested layups? And we missed free throws, but we just labored. Josh, Devonte' (Graham) and Frank (Mason III) were 3-of-18 in the first half, the second half I think they were 9-of-22 (counting overtime), to end up going 12-of-40, but how timely was Frank's big three? Then Devonte' put us on his back there down the stretch. That was a remarkable game. They outplayed us for 38 minutes, but we were so good the last two minutes, and with a makeshift lineup out there with everybody fouling out. Somehow the guys just hung in there. I think it's the most remarkable win I've ever been a part of – and we've had some great ones here, but we've never come from 14 down with 2-and-a-half left, against the ninth-ranked team in the country. I'm exhausted. I know our players are, our fans should be. We had no chance to win this game without our crowd. Those ones that left a little bit early missed a hell of a finish."
On Frank Mason shooting 16-of-18 from the free throw line and playing 43 minutes tonight:
"I was complaining to the officials all night long, 'Geez, you guys don't call any hand checks. Give the kid a little bit of respect,' but he ended up shooting 18, so I assume that they did. You know, they (West Virginia) were quicker than us the entire game. To battle basically even on the glass, force 21 turnovers, get 11 steals, and to win a game like that when you shoot 34 percent - we had to get hot to shoot 34 percent – I mean we had to get on fire to shoot 34 percent overall. Then we missed every big free throw it seemed like until we had to have them."
On Lagerald Vick being the unsung hero with 18 big minutes of the bench and 14 points:
"I thought Lagerald was great. It really hurt us when he got in foul trouble. He fouled out and only played 18 minutes, but he was great. It was good to see that ball go in the basket. I thought Josh (Jackson) was pretty good, he just didn't make shots. I thought Frank (Mason III) was pretty good, but he didn't make shots. I didn't think Devonte' (Graham) played that well at all, until it counted, then he was the best player on the floor down the stretch. We did a lot of good things tonight, considering that we didn't play well, but we just kept fighting. These are the most fun games to win. You know when you've got good players and you're playing at home and you make shots, you should win. Sometimes, it doesn't happen all the time, but you should. Tonight we had nothing go right, and to grind, and grind, and grind and come out with the win - that will give our team more confidence than the other kind of win."
On KU's strategy to drive down the stretch instead of taking 3-point shots:
"We were in the bonus early, so we tried to drive it and that was our best offense. You know, they (West Virginia) didn't let us run any sets. Really the only set that we were able to run and execute was at the start of overtime and Landen (Lucas) missed a wide open layup. But for the most part, you have to go make plays. They're so quick and athletic and their hands are so good that they didn't allow us to get in any rhythm, but the guys just kept grinding."
On back-to-back Big Monday victories and how tonight was good for KU in the Big 12 standings:
"Texas Tech is pretty good and that was very evident tonight with them beating Baylor. I watched the first 30 minutes and I thought Baylor played well, but Texas Tech just hung around. I think (Manu) Lecomte fouled out and Tech kind of took control after that. We've got an opportunity to put ourselves in a great position going down there if we're successful in Waco, but I won't look at it that way. We've got an opportunity to go play the fourth-ranked team in the country on the road and get a huge win and really cap off what's been a pretty remarkable last three games. Look at K-State, it was almost a last-possession game, Texas Tech was a last possession game, today obviously was a last possession game. I know our fans think we should play better, but this league is so darn good that there's going to be a lot of games like this. You just have to have tough kids to finish the game."
Kansas senior guard Frank Mason III
On West Virginia opening the game on a 10-0 run:
"It started on the defensive end. We had to start getting stops and making them work really hard for each shot they take and I think we did a good job of doing that moving forward in the game."
On West Virginia's defense in the first half:
"It was just one of those nights. Sometimes your shots don't fall and sometimes they do."
On what the comeback meant to the team:
"It shows how much pride we have and how great Coach Self is and his style and how amazing the fans are. It was just great to be a part of it."
On Devonte' Graham's last three:
"I think we had control of the game after he made that. We were up three, and I knew we would get stops after that. That is exactly what we did. That three by Devonte' gave us a lot of confidence moving forward. It gave us more energy."
On winning a game being down double digits with two minutes to go:
"Basketball is a game of runs, and Coach Self says that. He just said keep fighting and play every possession like it is our last, because of how much we were down, and that is exactly what we did. We stepped up and made plays as a team and we have to do that moving forward."
On hitting crucial free throws:
"That's what our season is going to come down to, when it matters the most – free throws. We just have to keep getting in the gym, working hard on it and getting better at it."
On the possibility of losing two in a row at Allen Fieldhouse:
"We were definitely thinking about that when we were down 14 with two minutes left. I know I was thinking about it, I know Coach Self probably was and the rest of my team was. We were just thinking about it as a group, and we had to do whatever we had to do to make that not happen."
Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson
On West Virginia's defense:
"It was just one of those nights. Sometimes your shots don't fall and sometimes they do. We knew they were going to come out and pressure us. I wouldn't say their defense starved us, but they are a great team. They are good defensively and at the end of the game our shots just started falling. I think the biggest thing was that we just made defensive stops down the stretch."
On hitting 6-of-8 free throws:
"I wish I could have gone 8-for-8, but it's an improvement. I'm happy with it. We got the win."
On the mood going into overtime:
"I wouldn't say we had it won, but we definitely had the momentum and we definitely had a lot of energy. We stepped up and made a couple of defensive plays that really prolonged the game. We had the momentum and we knew we just had to keep playing defense and finally our shots started falling."
On how big Frank Mason III was:
"Huge. At the end of the game, him and Devonte' (Graham) are two guys we really want going to the free throw line. It was good to get them up there."
On Devonte' (Graham) hitting the 3-point basket:
"I do have a lot of confidence in him (shooting it), but I'm still going to the glass trying to rebound."
On Lagerald (Vick's) standout performance in the first half:
"He did a great job tonight. Any night it could be any one of us that gives our team a spark. Tonight we're glad that it was him. He did a great job. He did really good job on defense and made a couple shots when he was open."
On the biggest moment in the comeback:
"When Daxter Miles Jr., missed the two free throws, we figured we could do it and it was possible."
On the play where he fell to the ground:
"I was just waiting for someone to come flash the ball and help me out and thankfully Carlton (Bragg Jr.) did."
On this not being KU's night:
"It honestly wasn't our night. I don't think anybody really shot the ball well from the field. When we have nights like that, we just have to play defense."
Kansas junior guard Devonte' Graham
On what happened in the game and how Kansas pulled off the comeback:
"We were down 12 with 2:45 left and at the under four timeout, we just talked about staying in it. We can do it. Coach (Bill Self) kept saying that we're going to step up and make plays and everybody made some big time plays."
On his 3-point basket in overtime:
"The first one I think Frank (Mason III) gave me the pass and that one felt really good. The other one, it definitely felt good."
On fans leaving early:
"Actually, Udoka told me that, but I'm not paying attention to the crowd. The ones who left, missed out. Definitely."
On the last West Virginia's last possession in regulation:
"I was under the basket when I saw it go up, so I could tell it wasn't going in."
On staying in the game down big:
"It is just that confidence that we have in each other and the coaches have in us. We just know what each of us is capable of and I think we just believe in each other in what we can do, and we just proved it."
On being down big late:
"You just take what you can get. If you are open you just have to shoot the ball. We were driving and kicking and making plays off the dribble. Thank God they fell."
On West Virginia pulling the press late in the game:
"I think that was a sign to them that they had the game won and it helped us out because we didn't have to go up against the press in the backcourt, and we could just bring the ball up the court and make plays."
On what this game means for the Big 12 race:
"It gives us a lot of confidence. We can't be worried about what other teams are do, but that gives us a little cushion on the conference lead and you have to keep taking it one game at a time."
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins
Opening statement:
"It was pretty self-explanatory, we had control of the game and didn't make enough free throws or guard them well enough. We just didn't have the pressure."
On turnovers:
"We just weren't taking care of the ball. We press ourselves every day so that shouldn't be a problem for us, but that's on all of us – mainly on me. I should've called a timeout or something. We've got to do better."
On pulling the press late in the game:
"We were up by 14. They were having a hard time scoring."
On Kansas' shooting:
"They shot 34 percent from the (3-point) line. Graham has killed us the last year and in the conference tournament. He's made shots. Obviously, you can't put Mason at the line 18 times. We shoot 29 and they're trying to foul us on purpose the last two minutes and 40 seconds. They're fouling us on purpose."
On his team's pace of play in the final minutes:
"No, I didn't think we went too slow. I think against pressure we didn't look up the floor, we had guys standing down there wide open and we didn't throw them the ball. Two minutes and 40 seconds - I think we were up 12 at the time - why wouldn't you run the clock out? You just can't put them at the line 42 times. If they weren't fouling us on purpose. That free throw disparity would have been much worse."
On taking time off:
"We're going to take a couple days off. Everybody is tired. You get home at 5:30 in the morning. It's hard to get your body back on schedule."
West Virginia senior forward Nathan Adrian
On Kansas' late defensive pressure:
"We just weren't taking care of the ball like we know how to. We press ourselves everyday, so that shouldn't be a problem for us. But that's on all of us. Mainly on me, because I should've called a timeout or something. We've got to do better."
On what West Virginia must do to rebound from the loss:
"We just have to regroup, we can't do anything about it now. We need to move forward and win the next six (games) and make a run in the tournament."
West Virginia sophomore forward Esa Ahmad
On what was going through West Virginia's minds as they prepared for overtime:
"Honestly, we were trying to keep positive. We turned the ball over 21 times, (and) that's too many. During that time I was trying to keep positive."
On the toughness of his team, finding a way to win after being down 14 points with under three minutes to go:
"We can talk about all the things that we did poorly, but one thing about it is they played every possession until the end. Even when we were playing bad, we played every possession. We missed layups - how many times did Josh (Jackson) and Lagerald (Vick) miss uncontested layups? And we missed free throws, but we just labored. Josh, Devonte' (Graham) and Frank (Mason III) were 3-of-18 in the first half, the second half I think they were 9-of-22 (counting overtime), to end up going 12-of-40, but how timely was Frank's big three? Then Devonte' put us on his back there down the stretch. That was a remarkable game. They outplayed us for 38 minutes, but we were so good the last two minutes, and with a makeshift lineup out there with everybody fouling out. Somehow the guys just hung in there. I think it's the most remarkable win I've ever been a part of – and we've had some great ones here, but we've never come from 14 down with 2-and-a-half left, against the ninth-ranked team in the country. I'm exhausted. I know our players are, our fans should be. We had no chance to win this game without our crowd. Those ones that left a little bit early missed a hell of a finish."
On Frank Mason shooting 16-of-18 from the free throw line and playing 43 minutes tonight:
"I was complaining to the officials all night long, 'Geez, you guys don't call any hand checks. Give the kid a little bit of respect,' but he ended up shooting 18, so I assume that they did. You know, they (West Virginia) were quicker than us the entire game. To battle basically even on the glass, force 21 turnovers, get 11 steals, and to win a game like that when you shoot 34 percent - we had to get hot to shoot 34 percent – I mean we had to get on fire to shoot 34 percent overall. Then we missed every big free throw it seemed like until we had to have them."
On Lagerald Vick being the unsung hero with 18 big minutes of the bench and 14 points:
"I thought Lagerald was great. It really hurt us when he got in foul trouble. He fouled out and only played 18 minutes, but he was great. It was good to see that ball go in the basket. I thought Josh (Jackson) was pretty good, he just didn't make shots. I thought Frank (Mason III) was pretty good, but he didn't make shots. I didn't think Devonte' (Graham) played that well at all, until it counted, then he was the best player on the floor down the stretch. We did a lot of good things tonight, considering that we didn't play well, but we just kept fighting. These are the most fun games to win. You know when you've got good players and you're playing at home and you make shots, you should win. Sometimes, it doesn't happen all the time, but you should. Tonight we had nothing go right, and to grind, and grind, and grind and come out with the win - that will give our team more confidence than the other kind of win."
On KU's strategy to drive down the stretch instead of taking 3-point shots:
"We were in the bonus early, so we tried to drive it and that was our best offense. You know, they (West Virginia) didn't let us run any sets. Really the only set that we were able to run and execute was at the start of overtime and Landen (Lucas) missed a wide open layup. But for the most part, you have to go make plays. They're so quick and athletic and their hands are so good that they didn't allow us to get in any rhythm, but the guys just kept grinding."
On back-to-back Big Monday victories and how tonight was good for KU in the Big 12 standings:
"Texas Tech is pretty good and that was very evident tonight with them beating Baylor. I watched the first 30 minutes and I thought Baylor played well, but Texas Tech just hung around. I think (Manu) Lecomte fouled out and Tech kind of took control after that. We've got an opportunity to put ourselves in a great position going down there if we're successful in Waco, but I won't look at it that way. We've got an opportunity to go play the fourth-ranked team in the country on the road and get a huge win and really cap off what's been a pretty remarkable last three games. Look at K-State, it was almost a last-possession game, Texas Tech was a last possession game, today obviously was a last possession game. I know our fans think we should play better, but this league is so darn good that there's going to be a lot of games like this. You just have to have tough kids to finish the game."
Kansas senior guard Frank Mason III
On West Virginia opening the game on a 10-0 run:
"It started on the defensive end. We had to start getting stops and making them work really hard for each shot they take and I think we did a good job of doing that moving forward in the game."
On West Virginia's defense in the first half:
"It was just one of those nights. Sometimes your shots don't fall and sometimes they do."
On what the comeback meant to the team:
"It shows how much pride we have and how great Coach Self is and his style and how amazing the fans are. It was just great to be a part of it."
On Devonte' Graham's last three:
"I think we had control of the game after he made that. We were up three, and I knew we would get stops after that. That is exactly what we did. That three by Devonte' gave us a lot of confidence moving forward. It gave us more energy."
On winning a game being down double digits with two minutes to go:
"Basketball is a game of runs, and Coach Self says that. He just said keep fighting and play every possession like it is our last, because of how much we were down, and that is exactly what we did. We stepped up and made plays as a team and we have to do that moving forward."
On hitting crucial free throws:
"That's what our season is going to come down to, when it matters the most – free throws. We just have to keep getting in the gym, working hard on it and getting better at it."
On the possibility of losing two in a row at Allen Fieldhouse:
"We were definitely thinking about that when we were down 14 with two minutes left. I know I was thinking about it, I know Coach Self probably was and the rest of my team was. We were just thinking about it as a group, and we had to do whatever we had to do to make that not happen."
Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson
On West Virginia's defense:
"It was just one of those nights. Sometimes your shots don't fall and sometimes they do. We knew they were going to come out and pressure us. I wouldn't say their defense starved us, but they are a great team. They are good defensively and at the end of the game our shots just started falling. I think the biggest thing was that we just made defensive stops down the stretch."
On hitting 6-of-8 free throws:
"I wish I could have gone 8-for-8, but it's an improvement. I'm happy with it. We got the win."
On the mood going into overtime:
"I wouldn't say we had it won, but we definitely had the momentum and we definitely had a lot of energy. We stepped up and made a couple of defensive plays that really prolonged the game. We had the momentum and we knew we just had to keep playing defense and finally our shots started falling."
On how big Frank Mason III was:
"Huge. At the end of the game, him and Devonte' (Graham) are two guys we really want going to the free throw line. It was good to get them up there."
On Devonte' (Graham) hitting the 3-point basket:
"I do have a lot of confidence in him (shooting it), but I'm still going to the glass trying to rebound."
On Lagerald (Vick's) standout performance in the first half:
"He did a great job tonight. Any night it could be any one of us that gives our team a spark. Tonight we're glad that it was him. He did a great job. He did really good job on defense and made a couple shots when he was open."
On the biggest moment in the comeback:
"When Daxter Miles Jr., missed the two free throws, we figured we could do it and it was possible."
On the play where he fell to the ground:
"I was just waiting for someone to come flash the ball and help me out and thankfully Carlton (Bragg Jr.) did."
On this not being KU's night:
"It honestly wasn't our night. I don't think anybody really shot the ball well from the field. When we have nights like that, we just have to play defense."
Kansas junior guard Devonte' Graham
On what happened in the game and how Kansas pulled off the comeback:
"We were down 12 with 2:45 left and at the under four timeout, we just talked about staying in it. We can do it. Coach (Bill Self) kept saying that we're going to step up and make plays and everybody made some big time plays."
On his 3-point basket in overtime:
"The first one I think Frank (Mason III) gave me the pass and that one felt really good. The other one, it definitely felt good."
On fans leaving early:
"Actually, Udoka told me that, but I'm not paying attention to the crowd. The ones who left, missed out. Definitely."
On the last West Virginia's last possession in regulation:
"I was under the basket when I saw it go up, so I could tell it wasn't going in."
On staying in the game down big:
"It is just that confidence that we have in each other and the coaches have in us. We just know what each of us is capable of and I think we just believe in each other in what we can do, and we just proved it."
On being down big late:
"You just take what you can get. If you are open you just have to shoot the ball. We were driving and kicking and making plays off the dribble. Thank God they fell."
On West Virginia pulling the press late in the game:
"I think that was a sign to them that they had the game won and it helped us out because we didn't have to go up against the press in the backcourt, and we could just bring the ball up the court and make plays."
On what this game means for the Big 12 race:
"It gives us a lot of confidence. We can't be worried about what other teams are do, but that gives us a little cushion on the conference lead and you have to keep taking it one game at a time."
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins
Opening statement:
"It was pretty self-explanatory, we had control of the game and didn't make enough free throws or guard them well enough. We just didn't have the pressure."
On turnovers:
"We just weren't taking care of the ball. We press ourselves every day so that shouldn't be a problem for us, but that's on all of us – mainly on me. I should've called a timeout or something. We've got to do better."
On pulling the press late in the game:
"We were up by 14. They were having a hard time scoring."
On Kansas' shooting:
"They shot 34 percent from the (3-point) line. Graham has killed us the last year and in the conference tournament. He's made shots. Obviously, you can't put Mason at the line 18 times. We shoot 29 and they're trying to foul us on purpose the last two minutes and 40 seconds. They're fouling us on purpose."
On his team's pace of play in the final minutes:
"No, I didn't think we went too slow. I think against pressure we didn't look up the floor, we had guys standing down there wide open and we didn't throw them the ball. Two minutes and 40 seconds - I think we were up 12 at the time - why wouldn't you run the clock out? You just can't put them at the line 42 times. If they weren't fouling us on purpose. That free throw disparity would have been much worse."
On taking time off:
"We're going to take a couple days off. Everybody is tired. You get home at 5:30 in the morning. It's hard to get your body back on schedule."
West Virginia senior forward Nathan Adrian
On Kansas' late defensive pressure:
"We just weren't taking care of the ball like we know how to. We press ourselves everyday, so that shouldn't be a problem for us. But that's on all of us. Mainly on me, because I should've called a timeout or something. We've got to do better."
On what West Virginia must do to rebound from the loss:
"We just have to regroup, we can't do anything about it now. We need to move forward and win the next six (games) and make a run in the tournament."
West Virginia sophomore forward Esa Ahmad
On what was going through West Virginia's minds as they prepared for overtime:
"Honestly, we were trying to keep positive. We turned the ball over 21 times, (and) that's too many. During that time I was trying to keep positive."
