Mike Brey Notebook: Duke
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey spoke following a tough 88-70 loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament.
On the loss:
"They're just such an explosive offensive unit, and tonight we had no answers. Overall, I liked our offensive rhythm, but we just couldn't get enough stops. We had some key turnovers in the second half when we had it to about 10, that was the difference, and Bagley was just the first pick in the draft. He made a couple, and I just said to myself, wow, he's really good.
"I'm very impressed with what our guys did here to get to this point. We have emptied the tank, and we'll see what our fate is down the road. Whatever it is, we'll be accepting and proud, and we're actually getting healthier, so I look forward to playing in the postseason because we're feeling a little better."
On feeling at halftime down by four points:
"I told our guys we're in a lot better position than we were the night before. You know, I mean, we were laughing, like this is -- we're in great position. Even at the 15-minute mark when we made our run, we kind of made a reference.
"But that's a different animal out there tonight when they're in an offensive rhythm like that. You know, you're darned if you do, darned if you don't. They made all these threes early, we didn't want to help in the post because we thought we could maybe absorb twos, but then Bagley was just unbelievable."
On the starting lineup together again:
"I loved seeing this group play together for three games, and really four games when you add Virginia, where he played his 33-35 minutes. You know, we're excited about what the next challenge is in the postseason, whatever it may be because we're feeling a little better about ourselves physically."
On Marvin Bagley III:
"I mean, he's really impressive. I mean, it's -- he's a can't-miss star, in my opinion, just watching that tonight.
"They rebound at a level above the rim that I haven't seen in college basketball. I don't remember some of the rebounds above the rim like that with their size and their athletic ability. It was interesting to be floor level and see how they explode off the court."
On NCAA Tournament:
"This has been a really mature group. They have taken their punches, and we're prepared to go wherever they send us. You know, when you lose seven in a row, and you're under .500, you're talking and dreaming about making a run to get to the bubble, which I'm very proud that we did, but you're also talking very realistically with our seniors that if it's the NIT, we'd be honored, and let's come back to the Garden. None of these guys have played in the Garden.
"We know exactly where we're at. I'm just glad we're going to keep playing with this group and that he (Colson) gets to play some more college games."