McCaffery on the win over Cincinnati

FRAN MCCAFFERY: The one thing that I think has been consistent with this group, they have really done an amazing job of sticking to the game plan. Taking the information, every game. And they did that to a 15 point lead. We got away from that in that one stretch. This is a proud and storied program. They're going to come after us. They're quick. They're -- they have athletic power. They're going to be in the gap. They're going to be in the passing lane.

The X is going to be on the O. It's going to be heat. If you have it, there's going to be heat, and if you're trying to get open to get it, all right? So we worked on V cuts to get open, keep your dribble, keep your spacing, flare screen them in. And we just kind of got a little bit casual, and we just kind of, we were just passing the ball to the next guy. There was no purpose to it, and that's not like this group. So give them credit. We -- they forced us into 24 turnovers. But again, we did all those things before that to get a 15-point lead. So we were still right there.

Now somebody's got to step up and now we've got to get consecutive stops, which we did. The zone was really good, the press was good, but you say, okay, you turned it over 24 times, how do you survive that? Well, you survive it by going 48, 31 on the glass and holding them to 34 percent from the field and make 11 threes. So there's different ways to win a basketball game.

And truth of the matter is, these games before Christmas, you watch, and I don't care which ones you watch, they all have a kind of a strange flow to them sometimes. How much practicing did Cincinnati have? How much practice did we have? We had two guys get operated on Thursday and Friday. We got a guy that didn't make the trip because he's sick. Everybody's going through the same thing. That's a team that has some new bodies that they're trying to figure out, and they had a really, I mean, special season last year, 28 wins. A lot of guys back, but a lot of new faces and they're trying to figure it out too. They have a freshman point guard, we have a freshman point guard. We need to get him a new pair of shoes, apparently. But he'll be great moving forward.And the bottom line is, when somebody's out,somebody else has to step up. We had guys step up. Bakari, he went tonight and was absolutely spectacular.

Q. I was going to ask you about Bakari. Is this sort of the kind of moment that you were expecting for or expecting looking for when you brought him into the program a fifth year senior?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: Well, you know what, I've been saying this since he got here, and I think you guys think I'm just saying it. I'm only saying it because I'm seeing it. You heard what Luka said. Since the summertime, he's been a really good player, okay. He can play the point, he can play the 2, he can make threes, he can make plays, he's good in ball screens, he defends, he plays the 3 spot, he knows all 3 spots. He did make one mistake tonight, but he hasn't played a ton of point, and we have had J-Bo, Joe, and Connor in that position. Tonight he stepped up and was huge. We're going to need multiple ball handlers against that pressure. That's why we tried -- there was times we wanted to go big, but we felt like we needed to have four handlers out there. I think a lot of teams, moving forward, are going to have to make those decisions against this team, the way they press. They really had a lot of success with it against Tennessee, who is a really good team, and they had success with us. So, fortunately, we have multiple handlers that ultimately got the job done.

Q. Obviously, this isn't the first time you've brought your team into this building. You come here annually yourself as part of media day. Talk about the atmosphere every time you bring your team to Chicago?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: We have, obviously, a tremendous amount of alumni that live in this area. Hawk fans respond every time we come here. Let's go Hawks cheer at Northwestern is as loud as you're ever going to here it. We come to this building, it's the same thing. We when we started talking about this game, this double-header, didn't know at first who we would play, didn't know how our fans would respond, and, boy, were they huge, especially when we gave up the lead. They hung in there with us and helped us get the big win.

Q. I know you have a lot of history with the Fredrick family. You coached C.J.'s uncle. What's it been like coaching him and what's made him so effective so early?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: Well, I will tell you, he's a blessing to coach because he's zero maintenance. That means on and off the floor. What do you need me to do, Coach? Got it. And he goes and does it. You don't have to keep reminding him, you don't have to push him, you don't have to challenge him. I've got to come up with something today to challenge him.His uncle was the same way. They're both gamers. Big shots, big plays, excel in the moment. And that comes from being smart and tough, and it also comes from preparation. He really works hard. Came out of a great high school program, Covington Catholic, played for a great coach and just is a guy that keeps working, and I trust him. So I wish I could tell you that it was something miraculous that I'm doing. It's not. It's him.

Q. (No microphone.)

FRAN MCCAFFERY: Well, they're a team that I think, really, runs good man stuff, you know, pitch, pitch, pitch, run off the ball, screen, iso the post, iso Cumberland at the elbow. There's all kinds of stuff, I mean, we've watched every game they played, sometimes twice, all right. So you can prepare your team for what might come, but they run so much good stuff, you can't predict what's coming. But if you play zone, they're all right there in front of you. Where's Cumberland? He's right there. Okay? We don't have to worry about him coming through and coming back to the elbow, and they clear everybody out, and he's got an iso drive right. No, he's right there and we've got people in the gaps, so there's nowhere for him to drive to. Now, you're going to live with some open 3s. We pushed up on both Cumberlands and we lived with the other folks. I thought we did a good job defending the high post because Scott's really good there. He hurt us last year in the tournament from that position, so we really paid attention to him there.

Q. What was -- was Joe too -- was it just nerves, do you think? Do you think he was a little too amped up tonight?

FRAN MCCAFFERY: Well I mean he fell the first three times he got the ball. I mean, he's quick, but like I said, he went and changed his shoes at halftime. And then he was in foul trouble and then BK was playing so well and we went with Connor, C.J., BK, with those guys. I really wanted to get him back in, but he'll settle down, he's a really good player, this is all part of the growth process. He's really, he's young, but he's a competitor, he'll have an opportunity in the next one.