Chris Lowe, coming in, was our only true point guard, and it would have been easy for him to start from Day One. But I didn't allow that. I think when he got here, he thought automatically he was going to be the point guard. We wanted to make sure he earned everything he got. We wanted to make sure he was mentally ready as well as physically ready. |
Fifteen minutes (at halftime) wasn't enough time to cover all the things we needed to cover. It wasn't screaming and yelling. It was more pleading. |
He was ready to play. |
He's a physical beast who gets where he wants to get and does what he wants to do. We couldn't do anything with him. We're moving on. I'm not spending too much time on that game. |
He's one of the best players in the league. They have four guys that can score 20 points or more each night, so you can't really concentrate on just one guy. But, obviously, Collins is their leader. |
I don't think there's any question Temple will be in the NCAA Tournament. |
I don't think there's any question that Brandon is going to get back on track. I put him in a tough spot at point guard, and I take full responsibility for that. |
I've always been a big believer in transfers -- I understand the mentality, ... I've always believed transfers have an axe to grind. They come in with an incredible hunger, and I love the year they sit out, improve their academics and their game, and learn the system. And for us, these are really, really, really good basketball players. |
In order for us to stay in the game, we had to figure out how to slow them down. The first thought was defensive transition. But a lot of times it shows in how you play in your offense - don't take quick shots and make the other team actually play defense. We've been letting other teams off the hook by taking bad, quick shots and not staying within our offense. |
It was kind of something we preached the last three days, kind of a grudge match on the boards. Who's going to come out ahead? |
It will be interesting to see what kind of year he has, ... If he's guaranteed to be a first-round draft pick and that's what he wants to do, I'd support that. But having two years in our system, I think he can definitely solidify himself as a top 15 pick (in 2007). |
Last night we challenged him in front of the whole team because I think in the last few games he didn't give us the games he should have. He responded and that's what I'm excited about. Some guys can't take getting called out in front of the team, but the guys that can use it as a motivational factor come out with games like he had tonight. |
Physical teams rebound well, and you saw two good rebounding teams going at it. We definitely have to be the two best rebounding teams in the league. And they won (that battle). |
Playing on the road isn't easy. We've run into some tough situations on the road, but we just have to stay focused and keep plugging, and hopefully get one [win] to give us some confidence. |
That's just Kentucky basketball. You could be sitting 25-6, and they'd want to know, 'Why did you lose those six? |