I’ve been really pleased with actually how we’ve played as a whole on the road. Now, it’s just that fine line of getting that big road victory.

Everybody’s situation is different. If Tim Duncan stayed in school another four years it didn’t matter what Tim Duncan did his senior season. I think there are some guys that are NBA guys… I think Ronnie is definitely a guy who could play in the NBA. It doesn’t matter if he stays or whether he...

They really honed in on him. When he got a little bit open, they would rotate on him pretty good.

Gary has been a positive influence. He always simulates the other team’s point guard in practice, and in many cases he’s a better player.

Our team played very well at Alabama. That was one of our better road games. We could have made better choices. Where do we go from here? We go to Auburn and get a win.

Our team can play with anybody. The question is, can we beat anybody? Other teams are going to make runs. We have to finish plays, make free throws and do the other things we were doing early in the season.

We practiced this morning at the University of Dallas.

They make you play to your weaknesses.

A lot of veterans back from an experienced team last year. Obviously I know when you have an experienced team like that what kind of damage they can do in the tournament.

I knew we had lost two games by not very much, but played hard doing it. I told the guys I wanted them to play hard, but I also told them to have fun.

We talked about how much the game hurt, but we don’t want it to break their confidence. The next couple of days we have to find out how hungry we are. Are they going to make sacrifices and put their heart out there to get the job done?

Silly me. I probably should have had him in there more getting shots 70 feet away from the basket.

There are a lot of things Steven can do, but he’s reluctant to do them in games. He needs to not worry about missing shots.

All of our energy and focus is now on the 2007 class.

Part of his growing process is he’s got to learn to play through sickness and illness. I expect him to be 30 percent better by [today ] anyway, but he’s got to learn to play through that and he’s got to learn to be effective while he’s not feeling his best.

When we can get in transition, we’re a dynamite team. We’re fun to watch.

The thing that got them over the top was Rondo’s penetration. Time after time, where the shot clock was winding down with five or six seconds to go, he came up with the play. That’s what great players do.

It would be a big boost. We lost the first two and dug ourselves a hole. Winning is contagious. We want to get on a contagious winning streak as we go down the stretch.

Maybe three or four years ago (eight wins) was the plateau and then maybe three or four years ago the Big East had some teams at 9-7 that didn’t get in. Since then, I think there has been a little insecurity.

Ole Miss is always a war. Both teams are going to battle and be physical. I’ve quit watching all their road games. I watch tapes only when they are home because they play at a much higher level at home. I’ve got to make sure our players understand that.

I thought Vincent was huge for us off the bench. He gave us a nice lift. He gave us momentum when he first came in the game.

He tends to be in the right place at the right time. That’s a typical Vincent practice, but when you don’t get minutes you sometimes don’t get into a rhythm. But he knew we needed him today.

They get it to each other very well. Second in assists in the country.

They’ve had some similar situations that we’ve had. They’ve had some close games that didn’t go their way.

Let me emphatically state that no inducements or improper offers have ever been done to any recruit at the University of Arkansas. I believe the source of the claim has a lack of credibility, and I believe it was intentionally done to harm our program.

Auburn is a difficult team to play because they have so many different defenses. We wanted to make sure we had a high energy level. I thought we responded pretty well in the second half.

I said, ‘I’m going to give you one more chance,’ and I gave him one more chance. And he responded.

There are some tough guys on this team. They’re definitely getting there as far as physical play. It’s bothered me that we haven’t had that persona, but our inside guys are maturing. Rebounding is a toughness trademark.

Georgia is a better team maybe than we saw today. I think their guards are going to rise. They still have the possibility of the NIT [UGA is 15-14 overall] in hand.

Georgia was fighting for their lives. They wanted to get to the NIT. I think a .500 record is enough (for that), but they may feel they need a few more wins.

We want to continue to play well and hopefully win on the road. From now on, there are no more home games and all games are on the road.

We’re finding a way to win at the end of games. We’ve been locking up on defense, making more plays at the end.

We haven’t exactly been killing people on the road, so a win against the best team or the top two team in the league is really a credit to our team. I’m just really proud of the way they never quit, the way they never stopped fighting.

Awesome! Somebody is looking over us. We never gave up. One of the best games I’ve ever been a part of. The fans were incredible.

For 39:30 we outplayed them and had the game in hand. It’s a game that set us back.

Very possible. We’ll see what happens. But I do expect him to be more of a veteran player than a rookie.

The start is a key. We have to be prepared for a rough game that goes down to the last two or three possessions and find a way to win it.

I?m tired of free throw situations where we?re not getting the rebound. And he?s been a culprit. But in fairness, he had six rebounds today. I gave him one more chance and he responded.

Ole Miss went on a 14-7 run and that was a turning point. They got some momentum going and we could never get the lead.

I’m not paying the money. I understand the safety factor. We try, we have a good system in place, but there is only so much you can do. A win against a top-ranked team, at home, I probably would have jogged out there too.

It’s going to be a nagging thing. Steven had it some last year, too. He just seems to always get hit on the same place on his arm, like a magnet.

We tried to get after them defensively without Strawberry. McCray did a good job handling the pressure.

This probably is a smart thing. Ronnie wants to play in the NBA, and this rule is made for guys like him. He wants to find out exactly where he is. We all support him. He’ll continue to work toward his education.

He wants to play in the NBA. He knows that’s a big part of his future. In order to do that the rule was specifically made for guys like him, guys who aren’t really considered in that realm of a first-round draft pick. Ronnie is going to make sure he doesn’t do anything to jeopardize...

Steven always guards the other team’s best front-court player. He relishes that role. But he’s got to defend without getting in foul trouble.

They’re playing with more confidence and playing the kind of basketball Kentucky’s been known to play.

I was really proud of the way we closed out each half.

It’s early in the season. It’s a very important game. I don’t think the season’s over if you don’t win it. But it’s a very important game to get, and protecting home is so important.

Georgia is a very aggressive team, and we had to be careful not to get out of our rhythm. At halftime I encouraged our guys to have more patience if the transition (opportunity) wasn’t there. But our defense really picked up in the second half and created some offense for us.

When you start getting single-digit turnover numbers, that’s phenomenal, especially since we’re doing it by committee at point guard. We’re doing it by committee, but we’re getting it done.