Kevin Ollie: "(Rakim Lubin) was like, 'I got that guy that's pushing us around.' I like that."

Some postgame quotes and video from UConn's 62-56 win over Cincinnati on Saturday at a sold-out XL Center.

RAKIM LUBIN:



"We have 1:30 practices, and we probably spend about an hour on just defense. We take pride in our defense."

“It definitely feels good, to make a big contribution and hear the crowd feed off of that. It’s fun.”

KEVIN OLLIE:

“It was a gutty win by our team. I’ve got to take my hat off to Cincinnati. It seems like it comes down to a one-possession game every time we play them, we know each other so well.”

“Our defense stepped up in the second half. Now, I just want our guys to play for 40 minutes. But I’m a very, very happy coach.”

“It seems like we didn’t unpack our bags. But, it is what it is. We’re going out to Tulsa and Stanford, and hopefully do the same as we did in Florida.”

(on Omar Calhoun, who, by the way, is officially back)

“He’s doing a great job spacing the floor, and he’s doing a better job not taking the quick 3’s, making a pump-fake and getting into the 15-foot range.”

“Everybody’s coming in and contributing. Now, it’s their jobs to keep making it a hard decision for me when I drive home and I’m thinking at nighttime, who I’m playing. That’s their job. It’s my job to figure out the minutes.”

(on Rakim Lubin)

“He takes the challenge. I know there were a couple of guys out there who were kind of pushing us around. I put Rock in the game, he was like, ‘I got that guy. I got that guy that’s pushing our guys around.’ I like that. As a coach, I like that, taking the point of saying, ‘I’m gonna stop this guy, he’s not pushing UConn around.’”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

“I think we made the statement that we’re a better team than we were at the beginning of the year. Like I said last game, two weeks ago, we probably wouldn’t have won that game. But we’re getting better eveyr day, learning from our mistakes, and we’re winning those games."

(on Lubin)

“He’s been practicing extremely hard. We’ve been staying on him about his attitude, just having a positive attitude, being ready for your time, because you never know when it’s gonna come.”

“I tell him all the time, he’s our bruiser. He’s got the body that we need to be down there bangin’ with those bigs. He’s a little undersized, but he’s got a lot of heart. As long as he can learn what he needs to do, as far as (being) in the team system, knowing the plays, he’ll be on the floor.”

“If you know anything about UConn basketball, we pride ourselves on defense.”

(on Daniel Hamilton)

“He’s gonna be in that situation a lot of times. I just try to tell him to stay positive, shoot free throws as much as you can in your off time. A lot of these games come down to free throws, and you’re gonna be at the line a lot.”

OMAR CALHOUN:

“If you can score in less than three dribbles, that’s what people like to see. Whatever the defense gives me, I can work off -- 3’s, mid-range.”

recently sprained toe in practice, battling that during game, health-wise, around 70-75 percent, altogether.

(on Lubin)

“He played big today. We needed every minute from him. I always challenge him in practice, telling him his time’s gonna come, we’re gonna need him to make big plays. He came up big for us. He got me open for a shot, and he got a big defensive stop. That’s what we need from him.”