That confirmed what I thought might happen. They were much more physical. Somewhere along the way we were going to be exposed. I was hoping it would be a little bit later (in the season).

It was locked up. Nobody had a key to it, so I had to get a locksmith to come in and unlock it.

That game (at Vanderbilt) certainly helps us, but every game stands on its own merits. Kentucky is a much different team than Vanderbilt. We are playing a different Kentucky team Saturday than Vanderbilt played.

We are delighted to be playing in the finals for the second consecutive year. That is a big thing for our team, school and our state. Madison Square Garden is a great place to be...

It doesn’t wear on you in that first game. It might not wear on you in that second one. But about halftime of the third one, it begins to get to you.

We don’t have that person who is strong enough to get us to the foul line or get a basket when we need it most.

Discouraged is not a good word. Disappointed is probably not strong enough. I really thought we’d play well today. Discouraged? No. Disappointed? Extremely.

He’s got all the ingredients. In a very good way, he’s nasty. Unlike most players, he’s not worried about style points. He’s more into substance.

Three games going now we’ve turned it over a total of 22 times. As much as anything other than the wins themselves I’m very proud of that.

Randolph Morris has to be more and more comfortable every time he plays. The further into the season he gets, I think he’ll be better and better. The other thing is that I think a...

The biggest job I have as a coach is keeping our players’ feet grounded and their minds clear and on Kentucky, because there is a lot going on.

I don’t know quite as much about Cincinnati as I’d like. I think we know enough to know that defensively, we’ve got to stop them in transition.

The best part of their season lies ahead. There may be a more talented team in this league, but I’m not sure.

I’m terribly disappointed right now. Our team is not playing as well as it needs to play. Our team is not playing winning basketball right now.

You play it out and give your team a chance to win it and we did. All you want is a chance. We had that chance. I have no regrets.

Obviously we have today to get ready but Georgia does too. We have to get our minds on Georgia quickly.

I certainly envisioned at the beginning of the year we’d be able to beat anybody in the league and that would include all of the good teams.

He’s got a personality that, sometimes, he speaks his mind. And, sometimes, it doesn’t come out right.

I can’t imagine a team having a more rigorous non-conference schedule than S.C. State. Having not played a home game yet … I’m just blown away by that.

Our team came back and stayed together and that game helped us get better. They really played well against us with a small lineup in the Rupp affair.

What I have tried to impress on the team is that if they buy into the premise that the hard part of the schedule is over … and that’s going to make everything OK, they’re...

I’m tremendously proud of the way we played tonight and the performance we gave. Now I’m trying to get them focused on the next game.

I have a lot of faith in them. I have a lot of confidence in them. They have done what we asked them to do in the summer. They have done it willingly.

First thing, we need some rest. I’ve always felt like you’re not in a tournament until you win your first game. We’re in. Now there’s something to talk about.

The plan from the beginning was to try and make it as much a 94-foot game as we possibly could. I think we did a really good job of that, particularly in the first 10...

I think the bigger cause for them is their coach at this point. They’re trying to give him that job permanently.

It was a much-needed win for us. What this win does for us, only time will tell. It couldn’t come at a better time for us and it couldn’t come at a better place.

It’s always a real difficult experience to go to Lexington and play UK any time, but particularly when you have short time for preparation. They have an extra day (of preparation) coming off a Tuesday...

This gives us a little more credibility with the public and those in the know. But it also gives us confidence and gives our players reason to come to practice every day.

We’ve been able to instill a championship atmosphere in our locker room. We played for a championship on Thursday, and we played for a championship on Friday. We’ll play for a championship (today).

You’re not going to be fatigued in the first 10 minutes (when South Carolina was missing shot after shot).

We didn’t make free throws; they did. We had them down by eight points and didn’t build on the lead at a time when we had a chance to do so. We let them back...

It’s almost like by impulse (that) tells you it’s not your day. They kept trying. But they didn’t do it with the kind of energy and the confidence that you got to have to win...

It would be foolish to go to sleep on the Big Cats. They are a dangerous team, especially when their coach [Tubby Smith] is mad.

I don’t know that I’ve seen him play a better floor game than he played tonight.

Every coach makes a schedule that they think is right for their team. I’ve always believed that the fans deserve a good schedule, and I think to be the kind of program that Carolina fans...

I know when you look at the annals of college basketball, he was truly one of the best. Even today, he’s revered. Those teams he coached when you go back and look them up could...

I’m tremendously proud of our team and the effort they gave. We beat a very good team that was playing its best basketball. To be able to be able to beat them speaks volumes about...

I don’t know how you explain that, particularly in light of the fact I had personally lost to them eight straight times. I don’t know how you explain two in one year when we couldn’t...

We’ve been on the road 16 of the last 21 days. I would have to say that they were 16 days well spent.

You could tell that Kentucky had the bit in their mouth and we didn’t. They were out to win the basketball game.

My guess is if we win all three games, we’d still have some work to do. But if you win all three games, you certainly are going to be in better shape than you are...

There’s no ceiling for this team. They can go as high as they’re willing to put effort into and prepare. I’m not going to sit here and say they’ve got one more game in them...

We’re certainly struggling for points right now.

We did not play as smart as you have to play playing a top 25 team, suffice to say. You’ve got to play smart and you’ve got to play well on every possession. You cannot...

Very, very difficult loss for our team as you might imagine. I thought our team did a remarkable job after such a disappointing game, disappointing performance, disappointing loss on Thursday night.

I told the guys that when you’re 5 years old, 10 years old, you dream about playing on a Sunday afternoon in a conference tournament. They dream about that. To have a chance to do...

I asked them to chisel it down and we did. Right now we need to get back home and correct and get ready for our game with Florida in Gainesville Wednesday.

What he did here certainly deserves recognition. I don’t think there’s any honor greater than being acknowledged for your contributions by your peers, particularly those you played with and played for.

That took a big chunk out of their offense and their ability just to play in rhythm. But you have to take the breaks as they come.