Here is what Coach K had to say about Oregon today:
Q. Could you just talk about what you've seen out of Oregon, and is that a team that as the season went on they moved up the rankings as you've seen them? Have you seen much of them coming through?
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: We don't watch -- you know, we watch our own neighborhood. And even then you don't watch your own neighborhood unless you're going to play them, so you watch your conference. I know -- actually, Josh Jamison who is on the staff used to work with Kyle Singler, so we've known the Oregon program.
Dana, obviously, is an outstanding coach. What I have learned a lot in watching them now is just how athletic they are. They basically have seven starters, and they play off each other really well. They rebound. They play with a great verve. They're a unique team because they don't necessarily have that traditional low-post presence. One of their better three-point shooters is their top shot blocker, and I'm not sure that anybody has that. So they're unique in that regard.
But they share the ball well. They play hard, and they won an outstanding conference. To win the Pac-12 this year, the Pac-12 was really good, and for them to win shows just how good they were for the whole season.
Q. Talking about Oregon, now that you've had a little chance to look at them more, is there any team with their athleticism in the ACC or on your schedule that they remind you of at all?
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: A little bit of Miami. Miami has that depth of athleticism and old and a little bit. But they're unique. Jekiri doesn't shoot threes. Boucher and Bell, they can score and they protect the basket real well. There are not many teams that can be wide athletically where you can do that and play up and down, too. In other words, they block shots.
So that's one of the things that makes them so tough is they can be so athletic going side-to-side, and if they do get beat, they have two guys who protect the basket really well. So it makes it more difficult to score against them.
Q. Coach, can you talk a little bit about the challenges that Dillon Brooks should present?
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: Yeah, well he's, I think, their best player. Probably as versatile a player as I've seen. I'm not saying "the most" because Brogdon we've seen a lot. But he's in that category of just really versatile because he does everything. He rebounds, he defends, he can hit threes, he gets fouled. He does everything.
He's the match-up that I think a lot of teams have had problems with, and Dana does a great job of putting him in a position where he can take advantage of match-ups. I think they do a really good job of that. He's a tough match-up for us.
Player questions:
Q. I don't know how much you guys have had a chance to watch Oregon at all. I noticed a lot against Saint Joseph's they pressed a lot and that's kind of what you struggled with against Providence. How much have you seen and what is your takeaway with their athleticism?
GRAYSON ALLEN: Well, we've definitely watched a lot of film on them. We don't get to see as much of them during the regular season because of West Coast and East Coast, but we have seen a lot of film. They're a very athletic team, and that's what makes their press good. They have athletic guys. They have a lot of size out there on the court with four guys around the same height. So for us we just have to be sharp and handle the press. Like he said, we didn't handle it well against Yale, but hopefully that will be a learning experience and we'll be better.
Q. This is basically a follow-up to the last question: What challenges either in terms of individual match-ups or tactics does Oregon pose for you individually and collectively?
GRAYSON ALLEN: They're a very athletic team. You look at them and you could argue they're one of the most athletic teams in the country with a combination of size and just athleticism they put on the court. Their guys attack you. So offensively they can really spread the floor, at times go five out, and that's tough for most teams to guard the way they can take guys off the dribble, kickout, and almost all their guys can hit threes. It's a tough team to defend.
Then defensively with the lineup that they do have out there, it allows them to switch a lot of stuff because they all can guard similar positions. That's a tough team when you have versatile players like that.
MATT JONES: Kind of like what G says. They can attack us, like we try to attack others with four guards, and very athletic big men. Like G said, their athleticism can really affect people, and the way they play, they play really hard. They're very well coached. So we just have to try to match their intensity.
Q. Oregon as a program in general, what have you guys made of their ascension as a program since Dana Altman arrived in 2010?
GRAYSON ALLEN: Yeah, he's done a great job. You can tell they're a very well-coached team and they're very talented as well. It's a credit to him doing a great job recruiting. Look at the team they have, they have a combination of young guys. Dorsey is a really good freshman and older guys as well. So to have that combination, I mean, he's doing a good job there.
MATT JONES: I think what really impresses me is how hard they play. They play together. You can tell that they're comfortable with each other, and that's a credit to their coaching.
Q. Could you just talk about what you've seen out of Oregon, and is that a team that as the season went on they moved up the rankings as you've seen them? Have you seen much of them coming through?
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: We don't watch -- you know, we watch our own neighborhood. And even then you don't watch your own neighborhood unless you're going to play them, so you watch your conference. I know -- actually, Josh Jamison who is on the staff used to work with Kyle Singler, so we've known the Oregon program.
Dana, obviously, is an outstanding coach. What I have learned a lot in watching them now is just how athletic they are. They basically have seven starters, and they play off each other really well. They rebound. They play with a great verve. They're a unique team because they don't necessarily have that traditional low-post presence. One of their better three-point shooters is their top shot blocker, and I'm not sure that anybody has that. So they're unique in that regard.
But they share the ball well. They play hard, and they won an outstanding conference. To win the Pac-12 this year, the Pac-12 was really good, and for them to win shows just how good they were for the whole season.
Q. Talking about Oregon, now that you've had a little chance to look at them more, is there any team with their athleticism in the ACC or on your schedule that they remind you of at all?
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: A little bit of Miami. Miami has that depth of athleticism and old and a little bit. But they're unique. Jekiri doesn't shoot threes. Boucher and Bell, they can score and they protect the basket real well. There are not many teams that can be wide athletically where you can do that and play up and down, too. In other words, they block shots.
So that's one of the things that makes them so tough is they can be so athletic going side-to-side, and if they do get beat, they have two guys who protect the basket really well. So it makes it more difficult to score against them.
Q. Coach, can you talk a little bit about the challenges that Dillon Brooks should present?
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: Yeah, well he's, I think, their best player. Probably as versatile a player as I've seen. I'm not saying "the most" because Brogdon we've seen a lot. But he's in that category of just really versatile because he does everything. He rebounds, he defends, he can hit threes, he gets fouled. He does everything.
He's the match-up that I think a lot of teams have had problems with, and Dana does a great job of putting him in a position where he can take advantage of match-ups. I think they do a really good job of that. He's a tough match-up for us.
Player questions:
Q. I don't know how much you guys have had a chance to watch Oregon at all. I noticed a lot against Saint Joseph's they pressed a lot and that's kind of what you struggled with against Providence. How much have you seen and what is your takeaway with their athleticism?
GRAYSON ALLEN: Well, we've definitely watched a lot of film on them. We don't get to see as much of them during the regular season because of West Coast and East Coast, but we have seen a lot of film. They're a very athletic team, and that's what makes their press good. They have athletic guys. They have a lot of size out there on the court with four guys around the same height. So for us we just have to be sharp and handle the press. Like he said, we didn't handle it well against Yale, but hopefully that will be a learning experience and we'll be better.
Q. This is basically a follow-up to the last question: What challenges either in terms of individual match-ups or tactics does Oregon pose for you individually and collectively?
GRAYSON ALLEN: They're a very athletic team. You look at them and you could argue they're one of the most athletic teams in the country with a combination of size and just athleticism they put on the court. Their guys attack you. So offensively they can really spread the floor, at times go five out, and that's tough for most teams to guard the way they can take guys off the dribble, kickout, and almost all their guys can hit threes. It's a tough team to defend.
Then defensively with the lineup that they do have out there, it allows them to switch a lot of stuff because they all can guard similar positions. That's a tough team when you have versatile players like that.
MATT JONES: Kind of like what G says. They can attack us, like we try to attack others with four guards, and very athletic big men. Like G said, their athleticism can really affect people, and the way they play, they play really hard. They're very well coached. So we just have to try to match their intensity.
Q. Oregon as a program in general, what have you guys made of their ascension as a program since Dana Altman arrived in 2010?
GRAYSON ALLEN: Yeah, he's done a great job. You can tell they're a very well-coached team and they're very talented as well. It's a credit to him doing a great job recruiting. Look at the team they have, they have a combination of young guys. Dorsey is a really good freshman and older guys as well. So to have that combination, I mean, he's doing a good job there.
MATT JONES: I think what really impresses me is how hard they play. They play together. You can tell that they're comfortable with each other, and that's a credit to their coaching.
