Chris Collins, Tre Demps and Alex Olah talk after Northwestern's 65-54 win on Senior Day over Nebraska

EVANSTON -- Sunday afternoon's 65-54 Northwestern win over Nebraska was the final home game for seniors Alex Olah and Tre Demps. The pair combined to score 36 points in the regular season finale . That made for a happy but bittersweet postgame press conference from the home team, and a frustrated one from the Cornhuskers:

Nebraska coach Tim Miles

- On what happened in his team's loss: "You miss that many shots and turn the ball over 13 times, you've got a real problem on your hands."

- On how good his team is with the regular season over: "We're not as good as I'd like us to be...We had some unfortunate circumstances, but the fact that we haven't been able to win or to play better, that's disappointing."

- On the technical foul he was called for in the first half: "Everybody's grumpy lately, including the stripes."

- On Chris Collins and his team: "Chris has done a tremendous job with this team...Chris and his staff are first-class guys, they do things the right way."

Chris Collins

- On his team's resiliency this season: "For us to be in the top half of this league for what we've gone through, I'm just really proud. It was important for us to get this 9th seed."

- On his seniors: "I can't say enough about Tre and Alex; I love those guys. They will always be a part of a core that's really special to me...For those guys, along with Drew Crawford, JerShon Cobb and Sanjay [Lumpkin], they accepted me from day one." Collins was visibly emotional as he talked about Demps and Olah in recounting their time with the program.

- Collins was very happy with how his team defended Nebraska star Shavon Shields, who was limited to 11 points on 2-of-12 shooting.

- On his team moving forward: "You never want to take steps back. There's no one more competitive and impatient than me. I want to go to Final Fours and win championships, but to build that here, it takes time."

- On Olah playing in front of his family for the first time in college: "I was worried about him...For him to go for 19 [points] and 8 [rebounds], that was incredible."

- On Nebraska's second-half run: "I think we got a little winded...They were driving the ball, they were getting calls...I think we've learned [from the Ohio State and Michigan losses]."

- On Michigan, who Northwestern will play on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament: "[Coach John] Beilein is an incredible tactician...They're such a prolific three-point team, you have to pick and choose how to go after stopping them."

- On the atmosphere at Welsh-Ryan: "The crowds this year were fantastic...They've been a big reason we've won five home games in the league. Kudos to all the fans."

Tre Demps

- On his team's strong finish: "Winning those last three games put us in a great position going forward to take the next step."

- On handing his emotions on Senior Day: "I tried to stick to my routine, not get out of character."

- On the program's outlook: "I think this program is in a really good place."

Alex Olah

- On playing in front of his family: "I was really emotional. I tried not to think about it all day...I'm so proud they could make it and watch me play for the final time here."

- On what he will take from his time with Collins: "I try to be like him. He's a great leader and knows so much about basketball...Every time we lost, I felt bad for him. I wanted to win every time for him."

- On the coaching staff: "The best coaching staff in the whole country. I'm so lucky to have had them."