The shot clock went down and I have no problem taking that shot.

We have different personnel than the ’95 team. We have tough, tough guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to win.

We’re trying to carry on something that John Wooden started. Winning this is more meaningful that what it appears. At least to us.

We’d probably lose. That’s what is keeping us on top. Our defense leads to easy buckets on offense.

I was running around celebrating with the rest of my team. But I saw him laying there in tears a little bit. I just felt for him. He’s a great player. There’s really no reason...

Right now, we’re on a mission. There’s nothing individual about myself or Jordan or anyone else on this team.

Obviously it was desperation being down nine with 3 minutes left. But 3 minutes is a long time and nine points is four possessions. We were very fortunate tonight.

It’s no problem. Just approach everything one thing at a time. When you are on the floor, you focus on the floor. Same way for school. I have a new task at hand each day.

They knew how to handle every double-team, they passed out of it great and then they made open shots. They didn’t turn the ball over. Everything our defense is designed to do, they were able...

Defensively, he’s just long. You know, he has the ability to change shots if he’s not blocking them. He plays with a lot of energy.

The tough thing about it is we generally don’t let up. I think our defensive pressure starts to take a toll after awhile and they start to struggle for each and every bucket. And when...

This team is still very good, despite all the injuries, despite all the unfortunate circumstances and obstacles we’ve had to overcome. I still think we can win. All these injuries are tough, but all you...

He’s just so sharp. He’s aware of everything, it’s like he’s whatever age. He just knows so much, and he’s done so much for this school, you just want to listen.

I haven’t (studied) much yet. I’ll do some when we get back from practice.

I have to credit my coaches for that one. We watched plenty of film on (Carney) as a team. Whenever I face a guy who’s the other team’s top scorer, I’m always well-prepared.

We’ve lost three games at home this year. To make up for that, we have to win on the road. We know what this trip means.

He doesn’t play like a baby on the court.

We knew if we played at that pace, we weren’t going to win. We’re a pretty dominant defensive team right now.

It was kind of frustrating watching him bring his team back into it. He was doing a lot of moving and he had three guys screening for him. He was running free wherever he likes.

I knew all along this team could be at the top and remain at the top, because we definitely have the personnel. If we put our mind to it, play ‘D’ and do all the...

Our heart and everything we do on the floor is always a tribute to him, whether he’s healthy or not.

I was just trying to mainly guard the 3-point shot. But, he’s (Steele) so quick, he made a sudden stop and gained enough space to get a look. Fortunately, it just fell short.

It does feel good, at least for a half. But the thing was, at halftime, I really wasn’t worried about me scoring. I had two points, but I’m maturing in a sense I’m not going...

Obviously it was desperation time, down nine with three minutes to go. You’ve got to bring it all out.

I felt for him. He has no reason to cry. He’s a great player who played a great game.

We know how tough it is in Oregon and we know both of them are very good teams. We don’t expect a cakewalk at all. Neither one will be easy.

When you’re on the court, it’s strictly about that.

Yeah, we did hear those comments. That’s just his personality. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything malicious by it. I’m sure he was just trying to fire up his team.

I could hear them yelling to each other to watch out for me. They were matching up with us pretty good.

I wanted to congratulate him on a good year, but I didn’t want to do anything dramatic, like hug him for an hour.

We don’t see ourselves as the favorite. The teams that made it to the Final Four are all good teams, just like us.

It wasn’t just me. It was a lot of guys. …I knew once I relaxed, he would hit three or and get a dunk and it would ignite the whole (Memphis) team. That’d be disastrous.

At home, you’re sort of expected to win. On the road, no matter who you play, the home team can win. We know that, and it helps us get ready, I think.

You’ve got, supposedly, the best player in the country. You’ve got two big winners, two West Coast teams. It will be a treat, especially for all of the TV viewers who don’t normally see us.

Defense wins championships. He (Howland) always uses other teams as examples in every other sport to show that the top defensive team in that sport generally is the winner.

We just needed to execute. We were getting good shots. We were just missing them. What changed was on the defensive end.

He does all the little things — taking charges and defending guys. He’s very good and he improved throughout the year. You can just see it in his confidence and swagger on the floor. He...

Personally, I really don’t try to look back on games too much. That’s the worst thing to do, to get caught up in the way things went last game. I mean, for one, you can’t...

We’re a pretty dominant defensive team right now.

It was great to start out like that. When you get the crowd behind you and you start like that, it tears the other team’s heart out.

They played to perfection tonight.

When we were down nine, it became a kind of desperation time for us. But three minutes is a long time.

This is the second game in a row we came out turning the ball over. The pressure is probably what caused it. When you get in a game like this, you can’t turn the ball...

He mentioned it a lot to us. He gave us a lot of examples.

I definitely think we’re playing our best basketball definitely defensively. We know what’s allowing us to win games right now.

That’s immaturity on my part.

Being turnover-free and rebounding, those are coach’s two main things. And he’s definitely a defensive-minded coach.

You’re down like that, and time is not on your side.

We just played with a lot of energy at the end. Obviously, it was desperation time. We were very fortunate tonight.

My job is to stop the opposing team’s best guard, just limit him as much as possible.