USC Head Coach Henry Bibby -
We had a nice run to start the second half and we were fortunate to be able to come in and win. We had nice play from more than a few players and they were missing jump shots. They're still a very good and very well-coached team.
Did you ever imagine this game as a blowout?
We came here wanting to win a basketball game. You don't think about a blowout. You think about coming in and playing hard and putting yourself in a position to win.
Do you think your half-court defense rattled Stanford?
We played tough defense. We tried to do some things that we've been working on. I think our defense [spurred our second half run]. We knew who was supposed to be getting the ball [for Stanford]. We focused on Casey Jacobsen, Julius Barnes and Curtis Borchardt because those are the guys that can burn us.
How did you adjust when Sam Clancy and Brandon Granville got in foul trouble?
We didn't change our game plan when Sam and Brandon got in foul trouble. That's why we have success because we don't shift out of our style.
Stanford Head Coach Mike Montgomery -
There wasn't much mystery to that game. The better team won. The team that wanted it more won. The right team won. They were more physical, they got after loose balls and they played really well. That's a very good basketball team. The start of the second half was critical. We were lucky to be down by one and when we came out, we had no energy and then we went into a bigger deficit. USC is a smart veteran team. We'll find out what we're made of now.
What happened to the energy level at the start of the second half?
I don't know. It wasn't anything tangible. They came out and made shots and we didn't. When you go 5-of-13 from three-point range, that is usually a clue about how the game is going. We missed nine free throws. We only had four offensive rebounds during the game.
Is this loss going to make a big impact on the season?
It's only one loss. It counts as one loss. If you lose by one or by 20, you lost one game. USC was the better team. If it holds us up mentally, then yes, the loss can carry over. We just need to get back for a very good UCLA team on Saturday.