Mike Brey Notebook | Boston College Loss
Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey spoke following the disappointing loss to Boston College on Saturday.
On the loss:
"I thought the team who deserved to win, won. I loved that we made a run at it. I thought we played the first half kind of feeling sorry for ourselves, so you're digging out of a hole. I think Boston College was really good and hard to guard."
On team not being able to get over the injury to Robby Carmody:
"I think it was my worst week as a coach at Notre Dame. Absolutely my worst week. I told them that. I didn't do a good job preparing us for Maryland and even in the game. Then we come back on Thursday and we're moping a little bit because we got our butts whooped and we have a guy down.
"I didn't push at it or address it. I don't think I had a really good week helping our guys. There's some leadership from within and everything, but God, we turned it over 15 times. We were throwing it all over the place.
"Nobody cares. Nobody cares if you lose a guy. Nobody cares."
On if he should have been harder on the team:
"I'm not sure I was plugged into the vibe enough to feel that on Thursday. We rested because we got back at 1 in the morning and we didn't do a lot. I don't think I sensed that until shootaround this morning. We practiced pretty good. I thought we played that way.
"I don't want to take anything away from Boston College. Boston College came out loose, playing, shooting and they were hard to guard because they had quick guys out there. The big guy was gone. It was tough matchups for us at times.
"The zone saved us. We went zone because we couldn't guard them. I'm disappointed I couldn't be more plugged in. I told them I have to be better."
On positives from game:
"I loved how we fought to come back. It was almost having a Toledo feel and we were going to steal it again. We did a really good job at that.
"The whole first half, we were just kind of hanging. I should have addressed it more. I have to be better."
On a short bench:
"We didn't get as much off our bench. Those eight guys are all going to play. Night to night, it's going to be different stuff. That's who we are and they're going to have to play.
"On a tough afternoon, we figured out how to almost put the thing into overtime. We had no business being there. The Toledo game was the same way. I give our guys credit for that, but 11 turnovers at halftime, I'll have to go watch it. I don't know where we were there."
On where he can coach the team up:
"There is a tendency to put the weight of the world on themselves. Those are the kind of kids we get here. We have nothing to lose. We're 0-2 in the league. This was one where they felt it a little.
"It's fragile. We don't have much time to dwell on it or overanalyze. I just don't think I was as plugged in as I needed to be on Thursday. I kicked myself for that."
On team knowing they had to be better in league play heading into this year:
"They are hard to be found. I would defer to our leadership on that question. I've answered enough today. They're going to have to lead and do it - our three seniors and I think they will."