March 16, 2007
Texas A&M coaches and players met with members of the press on Friday in Lexington as the Aggies prepared for their second-round NCAA Tournament game against Louisville.
The game tips at 2:40 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday and will be televised by CBS.
Audio links are available to the right. Quotes are posted below (courtesy ukathletics.com).
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH BILLY GILLISPIE
"We're glad to be back for another day and that's all you try to do in the tournament - survive and advance. We were able to do that. We've got a very, very tough opponent tomorrow and are going to have to play our best to have any kind of chance to win."
On being a No. 3 seed and having to play in Louisville's home state... "We're not worried about any of that stuff. We have played at a lot of places where there was a very hostile environment and I'm sure it will be that way tomorrow. Any team that's lucky enough to be in the NCAA Tournament, if you waste your time and energy being concerned about where you are playing and who your opponent is, you're wasting energy that could be focused in a positive direction towards trying to win a game."
On facing Louisville head coach Rick Pitino... "He's a great coach and a soon-to-be Hall of Famer whenever he decides that he's had enough. That will be a long time down the road, hopefully for college basketball. You prepare for their teams. It's fun to watch great teams, like Coach Pitino's teams, and see the way that they find the formula for winning. It's great to watch their schemes and how they recruit and play the games offensively and defensively. It's always a learning experience for an inexperienced head coach like myself."
On the traits of Acie Law that make him able to be strong in clutch situations... "Everyone asks about how good Acie is at the end and what makes him that way. The first thing is talent. He has an enormous amount of talent. The next thing that he has an enormous amount of is confidence. Great players like him that have the ability to finish games like he has aren't afraid to miss. He's missed some shots, it doesn't seem like he has and, hopefully, he won't anymore. He's not afraid to miss. His last shot does not affect his next shot and so his talent with his experience and the amount of confidence that he has is the reason that he has been so good for us all season long."
On the formula he has used to turn around the Texas A&M and UTEP programs... "Any time that you have a turnaround - and our turnaround is not complete - it has to do with two things. You have to have good players to have a turnaround and the next thing you have to do is those players have to possess great character qualities. I have been very fortunate that guys that we have inherited and recruited have really worked hard to develop themselves as individuals, but also as a team. In this situation as well as at UTEP, both the schools were very, very committed to winning."
FRESHMAN DONALD SLOAN
On tomorrow's game against Louisville... "I know it will be tough game. They are a great team. I think we practiced well today, I think we have a good chance going into tomorrow. We just have to play a full forty minutes. We'll be ready. They were quite impressive when we watched them yesterday. They are really physical."
On if the crowd will be a factor in tomorrow's game... "Our fans will always show up, they are dedicated. I feel like it will be even, our fans and their fans will both show up. It's going to be a dogfight tomorrow."
SENIOR ANTANAS KAVALIAUSKAS
On tomorrow's game against Louisville... "We're going to prepare in practice today. We will watch the tapes. We'll have to play really great to have a chance to beat those guys tomorrow. We watched a little bit of the tape. We watched them before our game yesterday for a little bit. They have size, really good guards and are a really good team. I don't think we preformed well yesterday. Yesterday is over and we have to put that game behind us."
On the potential match-up in the paint with Louisville's David Padgett... "He's a great post player. He's strong and can do lots of different things. I'm going to need to play my best for us to win."
SENIOR ACIE LAW IV
On Louisville's pressing defense... "They like to pressure the ball and get up into you. They force you to speed up and get out of your game. They did a good job of that yesterday. We haven't faced anyone that pressured the ball like that this season. They play extremely well defensively."
On enjoying the experience of playing in the NCAA tournament... "I just try to relish every moment. I'm always talking to (my teammates) that I want to end my career on a high note. I enjoy being around them. At the same time, it is an important time. We've got to stay focused and try to get some victories. But, I'm enjoying it. I love each and every one of the guys."
On his mindset in tight game situations... "Being the leader of this team, I feel that in a situation where we need to make a play, I need to be more aggressive and assert myself. Not only just try to get a basket, I feel like I need to put pressure on the defense. I just feel like I have to make a play for our team."
JUNIOR DOMINIQUE KIRK
On the team's disappointment if they don't reach the Sweet 16... "Well, like Acie said, we don't put pressure on ourselves. All we can do is go out, play hard, and try to get the victory."
On the confidence the team has in Acie Law when in a close game, or needing a big shot... "We have a lot of confidence in him. He's our leader and captain, and we know that he's very clutch. We just look to him when we need something big."
On trying to wear down Louisville, as they do other opponents... "They've got a great team, and great players, so it will be tough. We just need to play our defense, and hopefully we'll do a good job at that."
On the opportunity to shoot over the Louisville zone... "We like to play our offense getting the ball inside and out with Joseph (Jones) and Antanas (Kavaliauskas), and if we can get good touches inside, then play off those two and hit the outside shot."
JUNIOR JOSEPH JONES
On Acie Law... "Like Dominique (Kirk) said, he's our captain and leader, so we have a lot of confidence in him. He controls the game and gets other people shots, but when the time comes to take over, he gets his shots, and we have faith in him to hit them."
On the crowd noise in support of Louisville yesterday against Stanford, and how it will affect the game tomorrow... "A lot of us had headphones on, so we couldn't really hear it. Down on the court it was loud I'm sure, but we can't worry about it too much."
On the excitement at Texas A&M now compared with a couple years ago (when they finished last in the Big 12 standings)... "Basketball's just exciting now. Fans come out and like to see us play. Everyone says it's a football school, and it is, but people now come out and get excited to see us play too."
LOUISVILLE HEAD COACH RICK PITINO
Opening statement... "We are really excited to be able to be playing in the next round. In all my years of coaching, Texas A&M is one of the most statistically overpowering teams that I've ever seen. I have not seen a plus 13 team in terms of field goal percentage. If you are going to shoot 48 percent and hold your opponent to 40 percent, you are going to have a great team and a great record. They are almost a plus 13 in three point field goal percentage and the way they defend it. They are the most overpowering team that I'veseen from a statistical percentage since I've been coaching in terms of field goal offense, field goal defense, three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goal defense. They also have, after watching all this tape, the best point guard in the nation (Acie Law). He is a great basketball player."
On playing so close to home... "It was something I really tried not to talk about before the tournament. We were happy to not have very far to travel, but we don't worry about the crowd positively or negatively. I think where the crowd helps you in certain games is when momentum is going the other way. Sometimes teams can give in and the crowd stops you from giving in. They help you fight. While the crowd was great yesterday it wasn't a necessity because of the run we went on early."
On preparing for Texas A&M with only one day in between games... "I think any young team you coach has it tough preparing with one day in between. Any veteran team you coach would have a major advantage. Our goal is to watch as much film as possible in the next 24 hours and come away with the most information as we can."
On Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie... "I'm very impressed with the way he coaches, but I don't know him personally. Our paths have never really crossed while we've been coaching. I'm very impressed with his offense, defense and his ability to get his players playing great at both ends of the floor."
On when he knew his team would be an NCAA Tournament caliber team... "I think the physical response was when we got healthy. We also turned it around when Terrence Williams and Edgar Sosa started making other players around them better. The third thing was the development of Derrick Caracter. The mental aspect was that I felt we never showed a negative attitude."
#3 JUAN PALACIOS, F
On maintaining a positive attitude despite the injuries Louisville has faced... "It is a very long season, and you can't get frustrated or discouraged if you're hurt or not playing well. Everything that happens has to be turned into a positive. Because so many of us were hurt, the freshmen have had a chance to step up and gain experience. Now our whole is team is very experienced, so that is one positive that we've taken from this situation."
On the impact of Louisville's crowd... "The crowd doesn't rebound for you or make shots, but it does give you confidence. It helps you play harder, and it's good to know that so many people are pulling for you and wanting you to do well."
On Texas A&M's defense... "We have to be very aggressive on offense, because they are going to be one of the most aggressive teams we have played all season. We'll need to pick up our intensity to stay matched with theirs."
#4 DAVID PADGETT, F/C
On the game tomorrow... "It should be a fun game. The further you go in the tournament the more fun it gets. They [Texas A&M] are an extremely good team and they have been ranked in the top 10 all year. It is going to be a fun game and I am looking really forward to it."
On different styles... "They are an extremely good team. They play in the Big 12 and they are in the top three in the Big 12. They are just extremely talented and they can play slow or fast. Acie Law is one of the better point guards in the nation and he does a really good job of controlling their team. It is going to be a great game and we are all really excited about it."
On Louisville's gameplan... "We have to do what we have been doing. We are not going to change anything too drastically. We have to do what got us here. We can't come to the tournament and change everything because of one certain team. We just have to keep playing the way we have been playing and see if we can get a win."
#10 EDGAR SOSA, G
On the match up with Texas A&M... "Texas A&M is a great team with a lot of great players. We are just going to go out there and listen to coach and work hard to defend their plays."
On defending Acie Law... "I am looking forward to it. He is a great player and he has a great game but I will just have to defend him as hard as I can. I want to make him go into my big men and get my big men to help. "We are going to try and keep the ball out of Acie's hands. We know when he has the ball he creates a lot of opportunities for his players. We just want to keep the ball away from him and let someone else run the show."
#1 TERRENCE WILLIAMS, F
On defending and stopping Acie Law IV... "We're not just playing against Acie Law. We're playing against the whole squad. For forty minutes, we're going to have to play like we know how to play, going out and play like coach (Rick Pitino) tells us to play. I don't know if it will be difficult or not, but I think we're up for the challenge."
On if Texas A&M reminds him of any other teams... "I've only seen them against Texas in double overtime and last night. But I don't know if they remind us of somebody. They remind of us of a lot of teams we've played because they're a great basketball team and we've played a lot of great teams this year."
On the problems Acie Law presents... "Acie Law is a different type of player. He's the best point guard, I believe, in the country. It'd be hard to stop him, for one person. But the game is not against Law. We can't just game plan for one person, otherwise the game would be one against five. It's the whole team we have to worry about, not just one player."
On keeping a positive attitude during all the injuries... "You have to turn everything into a positive and make it into a blessing. When Juan (Palacios) and Derrick (Caracter) got injured, they told us that it wasn't season-ending. So we knew at some point that we would be getting them back. With that said, the guys that were playing, you've got to turn the freshmen into sophomores, make the sophomores mature into young men, have the upperclassmen still lead the way and have everyone follow. And that's just what we did. Everyone came back from injuries."
On Texas A&M's defense... "From watching the game yesterday, I think they'll be the most physical team that I've played while I've been in college so far. With that being said, you've got to do all the little things, the things the people tend to go away from, to try to compete with them and win the ballgame. They put a lot of pressure on you."
How the crowd can spur momentum... "It does a lot when the crowd is behind you when you score a basket or get a defensive stop. It does a lot, but someone commented that the crowd can't win you the game. You can't really put too much into the crowd helping us win the game. It helps you through the hard times, but the crowd can't score you a basket."
On getting the ball into the post to Derrick Caracter... "It's in my mind a lot because I like to get assists, I like for other guys to be happy, to score. So when you've got Derrick Caracter in the low post, I feel like there's nobody that's going to stop him. I feel he stops himself sometimes."