(The rebounding) speaks to our stick-to-itiveness. And on a day when our defense really didn't play up to its potential, our rebounding margin really carried us. |
[At the start of the game] we played with a collective focus and energy. We talked about getting off to a good start, and, to our credit, we did. |
[NC State] runs a much more advanced version. They're not as patient because they don't have to be; they have very good offensive players and they're not looking just for back-cuts. I think they're just looking to make sure the system gives them the best shot that they can get. |
A large part of our success has been obviously on the perimeter, and specifically with Sean, with a guy that has at times carried us on his shoulders. He's a tremendous, not only physical, talent but as I keep saying, he's got a tremendous desire that keeps showing itself. |
Al Thornton is one of the best frontcourt players this league has. |
All year long, we've been trying to get better at the intangibles. In order to do that, it takes maturity. What I have told them from game one is that you have to get that in the gym every day. Because we've had up and down practice days, it shows itself on the road more than anything else, where you have conditions going against you. You have to rely upon something inside, a collective energy, and I don't know if we can rely upon that yet when things are going against us. |
As a coach, any time you get a win, it's good, because the other option is losing. Based on that, you have to walk away with your head up, understanding that when you don't play as well as you want to and win, that's a good thing. |
At our core is where we work extremely hard at it and have certain principles that we don't stray from, like staying in front of your man. We have to almost be a chameleon at times and change on the fly. Sometimes you have your fastball working and other times your curveball has to work for you. We've been fortunate enough that some of our adjustments have worked. We've caught a good rhythm with it and hopefully we can continue to do that. |
Because we're new to this whole thing and relatively inexperienced in dealing with everything that comes in front of us, it's equally as challenging to bring a team back from a victory and an important victory as it is from defeat. So we've got to continue to challenge our guys in that way to remain focused and understand the job at hand. |
Because we're not whole as a group, sometimes we have to be a little bit like a chameleon and change on the fly. |
Both teams from an energy standpoint battled each other pretty hard. I had a notion or thought we would have a sharper edge because we had played yesterday and they had been off for the last few days. Maybe that's why we got off to a good start, but they kept coming after us and coming after us. |
But these guys have worked their tails off ever since then and that's when I thought we could get better. They've continued to get better, especially the two guys we named captain [Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds]. They've given to the point where it hurts them. Sean is as banged up as anybody, but he never wants to admit it. |
By coming back this, he's really made it worth while and we all need to sit back and admire because it really won't happen for a long time after this. |
Drew has a really good understanding of the game. I thought his ability to hedge, to play his man and play help defense were really good. He just played a really good floor game. Those minutes were needed and really helped us. |
Enthusiasm in this game is a tremendous thing. We just have to contain and harness our enthusiasm and also understand that it is part of the growth process to know how to handle success just like you can handle failure. That is what good teams do. You don't make an excuse for winning; you just try to win the next game. |