Tommy Amaker Stay Quotations

For us, we know the rivalry, the proximity and that we hadn't won this game in a long time, so we're pleased. The focus for us was to try to stay in the hunt for the conference title.

He's a rhythm guy, and I think he's out of rhythm. We're trying to see if we can get things back in sync, back clicking in the right cycle for him. It's been tough for him to get that back. ... It's waiting to happen for him. We're going to stay with him, we believe in him. He's our guy, he's my guy. I think he's capable of taking of taking us to a different level.

I thought we would have to play a lot of people to stay fresh and play the way we wanted to play against them.

I think for the road we've traveled this is a significant achievement for our kids. The way we've been able to get to this moment has been to stay focused and take things as they come. Hopefully they will feel honored and deserving and keep it in perspective.

We always know the follow-up of an emotional win or loss is critical. We certainly know there's a lot of basketball to be played, and the focus for us is to stay in the hunt for the conference title.

It's a signature win for us because we recognize how good Illinois has been. It was also important for us to stay in the thick of the Big Ten race.

It's a very tough league and the way our teams have played all year and now with everyone beating each other in conference play it will only stay that way. This league has shown its mettle over the long haul.

I told him prior to (the Northwestern) game - in front of the team - that it was important for him to stay aggressive, and I wanted him to listen to me and not worry about anything or anybody else, to be aggressive on the floor. Whether or not he listened to me, he looked like he was playing pretty well.