Lofton got hot, but we just didn’t get enough inside.

Tonight was a game I thought we could get. So we’re real disappointed.

I love his passion and his energy. He’s a one-man press. You talk about the one-two-one-one, he’s just the one in front of that press with his length. He compares favorably with a lot of...

They did a great job of taking the three-point line away, but to his credit, (Lofton) takes it off the bounce and scores.

For the first time our confidence has got to be shook a little bit. We were disrupted by South Carolina.

We’ll be back. I’m very, very proud of these young men. I can’t tell you how many people have written or called and said how much they enjoyed this basketball team. This Tennessee basketball team...

I promise you I’ll cherish that win for the rest of my life, but not right now because of what’s next.

All season we’ve talked about getting better. I thought we got better in the first half, but in the second half, we didn’t. How much that is a setback, I don’t know.

I am very disappointed, but Kentucky played a terrific second half. We must focus on playing better. Every night we have had intense games, and there is no margin of error for this team.

I told every kid I’m recruiting to make sure they’re watching (last night) on CBS. Phillip wears the same color shirt as I do. We’re on the same team.

Mississippi State’s been to four straight NCAA (tournaments) and (had) four straight winning seasons, so we look at this as a big win for our program. Road wins are wins that separate you in league...

I think this team showed a lot of character tonight. Vanderbilt played awfully well, and we were up against it.

Lofton did more than just get back on track. Lofton was the man. He got ready to play. He had that look in him, and Florida saw that look. National television and everybody saw that...

Those runs that we went on, they got us in range. If we had been in range, those runs could have got us close.

What Major did tonight was no surprise. I almost predicted it if I could have.

I am concerned with our second-half defense. We must focus on playing better. There is no margin for error with this team.

Biggest win of the season. Most important win of the year was winning at South Carolina. It was the first league game, and we were down 15. It was a road game. It was the...

It’s tough to win on the road in any league. If you can get one and especially in some of the places we have to go to, it separates you because not many people are...

Let’s face it. If it weren’t for Tennessee, Texas wouldn’t even exist. It would be Little Mexico if Davy Crockett and the boys hadn’t gone down there and saved their bacon.

We played with great passion and great energy in the second half.

It’s going to be hard to keep an Arkansas or Alabama out. LSU and us might not be as strong as some Kentucky teams in the past, but I will be surprised if there are...

And he looked at me, and he put the whistle in his mouth like I was coaching and he was going to give me a technical. I said, ‘What, are you going to throw me...

I wasn’t calling them out. I just remember some of coach Mears’ teams, and the great games with Kentucky.

It was great. I’m hoping this is just what we need to recharge our batteries. As you know, this has been an amazing season for these guys. My basketball team has been tired the last...

I think the body of work and the fact that we had such a tough schedule was respected here tonight.

Give Auburn credit — they didn’t pack it in. They are well coached and they will be good down the stretch. They made their shots and did not go away. It does not happen very...

That’s when we can separate and get on a run. Chris Lofton is a great example. I can’t believe how open he got. I can’t believe he made those shots. Had I called timeout, I...

I think a lot of times, you find your (conference) tournament champion being somebody that underachieved.

It’s the greatest sound in college basketball. The crowd makes this noise, like ‘ oh no ‘ when a guy who’s hot gets the ball and has an open look. Even before he shoots, before...

Some search committees are saying, ‘Who’s out there that’s the next Bruce Pearl?’ Gregg Marshall is one of those guys. So it’s kind of dangerous. It’s like (Alabama coach) Mark Gottfried sat down with me...

Each played really well, with a sense of urgency.

I did not know how many victories would be left in it after all she has had.

I think a lot of people thought that was it. We’ve done everything we could do, and I think that would be a fair assessment. I saw more than I thought we had. It was...

It’s certainly a huge part of any offensive or defensive game plan. You must be able to shoot it and defend.

At this time, we are dealing with discipline internally.

I’ve been talking to this team all year about seeding. A good seed gives you a better opportunity to advance.

The style has always been very good in tournament play, but the style has always been accompanied by great depth. In the past, I’ve had teams with 10 guys playing double-digit minutes. This year, for...

The difference was Andre Patterson. He was in foul trouble early the first time we played (South Carolina) and wasn’t able to be as aggressive underneath as he was this time.

It was a real gut check for both teams.

Obviously, the [SEC] Tournament means more to the teams that have a chance to play their way into the [NCAA] Tournament. But I like tournament play. It creates excitement, but the big picture is the...

This thing is wide open. There is a lot of parity in this league and any team is capable of winning it.

This is what March is all about. Alabama is a very good team. They’ve made four straight NCAA tournaments and reached the Elite Eight last year. But we represent a [high] level of basketball as...

We’ve got to learn how to handle it with our crowd control and understand the responsibility that we have to the safety and well-being of our guests. If this fine draws attention to that fact,...

A big part of March madness is that there are going to be upsets. If Winthrop looks at the No. 2 seeds, they would be thankful they’re playing Tennessee instead of some other two-seed.

I think Major needs to be challenged, and he needs to be a leader. He’s capable of it. He knows how I feel about his abilities.

This is a great win for Tennessee. This game meant a lot to us. We hadn’t played against this type of competition.

Give C.J. Watson credit. (Sparks) was a no-leave guy. We worked him up the whole game.

The good news is that this is a talented class, the bad news is half our team is freshmen. It’s like having two first years as a head coach.

I have to believe they liked Coach Mears. He had the teams and the gumption to compete with Kentucky. Like fighters, there is respect for each other.

You can’t control what’s happened but you can control what happens from here.