What Josh Pastner Said After Georgia Tech's 64-58 Win Over Louisville

Opening statement:

“Louisville is good enough to win the national championship. They are really good and I am a big fan of coach Mack; he is one of the best coaches in the game and on top of that he is a really good guy. It would not surprise me if they were here in Atlanta in April and possibly cutting down the nets. Regarding us, it is a great win. We led the entire game and we had a good start. The bottom line is we defended at a high-level. Louisville is one of the best offensive teams in the country. We held them to 33 percent from the field and 12 percent from three. Yes, we had some turnovers but we scored well and in key times. We got a cushion early and got a lead. James Banks hit some big baskets. Moses Wright’s shot-block, to think of where he came from as a freshman to where he is now. He scored a huge basket in the high post. Jordan Usher gave us great minutes and played well as a basketball player. He has a great motor and made some great motor plays. Jose [Alvarado] had some great plays; we are what Jose is when he is playing at a high-level with his toughness and warrior mentality. He is the head of our snake and his actions speak for themselves. Michael Devoe hit some big free throws late and hit a three to put us up seven. This was a big win for the program and I am very happy for our young men and for Georgia Tech, it was a great win for the fans and I am real excited to beat a team that is good enough to win the national championship.”

On facing Louisville after a close loss in the first matchup of the year:

“Our assistant coaches were incredible with their game planning. They deserve all credit on that and have done a great job on our player development. The players get the credit for executing that game plan. For four years we have been a very good defensive team. We have always been good defensively. It is effort and toughness based. We had two sets of three stops defensively in a row late and that is what got us the win. To guard them like we did tonight, if you look at our numbers we have been playing better offensively and scoring better. Everyone here knows we scrapped our offense mid-year. It has been the best thing for us.”

On defending the three:

“We did a great job on Jordan Nwora. We were better on their big guys this game. We executed well and double teamed at times while doing different things to keep them off rhythm. Again, I credit our assistant coaches. The way our players then executed it and were able to follow instructions is what led to our win.”

On both making turnovers and forcing turnovers:

“We had some turnovers and missed some free throws and it was not pretty. We had some tough possessions but we won through defense. I have said this before, we have gotten a ton better since November and December. The comparison is night and day. We are not even the same team. Our guys have gotten better. Our record unfortunately does not show that. We are better than our record. We are right at that doorstep and the next phase to move the needle in the program is get through that door. That is the hardest part. To get through that door you have to win these types of games. We found a way to close it out. We are not fully there but tonight was a great step in that direction.”

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