283 Quotes by Steve Alford

As in the past, search committees and interested officials from other programs with openings for a head basketball coach have initiated contact. I'm flattered with the interest and the recognition of the outstanding season we had this year. With that success, comes attention and speculation that I cannot control. I have not scheduled any interviews with any other institutions.

Penn State got our attention at Penn State.

Our guys were just so much more active. We have played awfully good defense all year, but this may have been our best 40-minute effort.

That's what's special about Jeff. He's not going to beat you because he's the strongest, fastest, quickest, highest jumper out there. He beats you because of his will to win. He absolutely loves to compete.

Our first 10 minutes out of the locker room (in the second half) is something we can't do. We let out poor offense - we had seven turnovers in that stretch - affect our defense. If you have poor offense, you need to have nasty defense.

That's why we're the No. 1 league in the country. It's obvious. We respect everyone, and we have to play well. ... We're down to five games, but a lot can change. Teams near the top could be in the middle. Two weeks from now we might be talking about teams at the bottom no longer being at the bottom.

Our three starting guards got outscored (by Iowa State's guards) 48-29. If you look at assists-to-turnovers, which has a lot to do with guard play...that was probably the difference in the game.

That's Jeff. That's his mentality and his mindset. He was mad at me for the four games he sat out. He's not going to change.

Out of respect for me and my program, I hope all questions are directed at this year's team. For those of you that have that incredible urge to go elsewhere, out of respect for you, I have this comment: My entire focus and energy is helping my team win a Big Ten championship and get ready for the NCAA Tournament. This is my only concern.