Marshall Strickland Quotes

"All of the fans were excited, but we expected to win. We are No. 11 in the country (in the USA Today/ESPN poll as opposed to No. 13 in The Associated Press poll) and we feel like we are a top five team."

"We got off to a slow start but played hard on defense and tried to take the fight to them. They're a tough team. They have so many weapons, inside with Brunner and outside with their shooters. They stretched us out and got some open looks at the beginning of the game."

"I have a lot of confidence in my team. I think we can win the Big Ten. We're playing really well right now, and we're getting better. That's the scary part -- we're improving every game."

"This gives us a lot of confidence going into Michigan. Losing on the road was weighing on us early. Lately we've flushed everything out. It's been a great experience."

"Coach Marsh has really been on us a lot the last couple of weeks. That's carried over to the games."

"Now we can move on. We still have our goals in mind."

"They are a real physical team, more than most people probably realize or give them credit for. Batista is the main guy but they have others who also crash the boards. We're small. We can shoot. But when Marco is out, we don't have a lot of options."

"I feel like he really helped me grow up. I came here young, fresh out of high school and he really tested me."

"I felt like I was in high school again -- just going through the lane, being athletic and finishing."

"I was shooting with confidence. I felt good."

"Our team has grown close. We're having fun together, having fun with the game, and that's a key."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. We have fun in meals, on the bus. We're just enjoying each other, enjoying the time, enjoying our season and enjoying winning games."

"I think it's been really important. As a team, we feel closer. We have fun together and we have fun with the game, and I think that's a key at this point."

"This team isn't afraid to make plays. We're not afraid to take chances and to play basketball. When we get aggressive, I think we're one of the best teams in the country."

"We don't mind watching him. We have confidence in him."

"I was shooting with confidence. I felt good. All the shots, even the ones I missed, I felt like they were going down. When I get like that, I just feel like it's flowing for me."

"As a team we've grown closer. We're having fun together. We're having fun within the game. That's important at this point."

"We started making harder cuts and concentrated running our plays correctly. That's probably the key to ball movement and getting better shots."

"It was difficult trying to get use to their defense, especially with Northwestern's zone trap. The trap was really tough and it took us out of our rhythm. It was my job to try to throw that trap off."

"I've been with coach four years and he's helped me grow up. I came here, I'm fresh out of high school, he tested me and brought great things in me."