Quotes by Matt Painter

“There are no real surprises on the schedule. Every year the Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and this season should be no different. I feel like the Big Ten is going to be very good from top to bottom.”

“I like having a couple of road games to begin conference play. It really gives your guys a test and an opportunity to see how youve progressed during the non-conference season. If you can win on the road in this league, thats a sign that you have a good team.”

“I can relate to that now.”

“He didnt treat me as an ex-player. He allowed my opinion to mean something and he gave me a lot of responsibility. Thats something I cherished. It allowed me to grow as a coach and learn from my mistakes.”

“I dont even look at it that way because of our situation.”

“Their pressure was too much for us in a couple of those runs. They pressured us into some ill-advised passes and some ill-advised shots.”

“Their pressure was something that really affected our offense. It was us not being able to handle their pressure which resulted in bad passes and ill advised shots.”

“We dont see that pressure Illinois puts on you every day in practice. It is tough when your weakness is something you cant simulate in practice.”

“It was us not being able to handle their pressure. However you want to describe that, whether it was their being good or us being bad, their pressure was too much for us on a couple of those runs.”

“Our guys went at them and they were ready to play. They have all the intentions of doing what were asking them to do. Sometimes, it just doesnt work out.”