University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC 67, Georgia Tech 66
March 1, 2003 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2003
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Head Coach Matt Doherty
"I'm proud of our guys for hanging in there. We got down 10 points ... and we just kept battling and battling. We talk about breaks and how eventually breaks should go our way and at the end they did. I thought it was ironic that we won the game on a couple of foul shots after not shooting them well the last game."
"On top of that, I feel bad for Paul (Hewitt). Paul is a friend in the business, a good guy and he's got a good young team. It's a hard game for him to lose. I'm proud of our guys for gutting it out. ... Our players found a way to win the game."
On taking good shots at the end of the game ...
"I love the look Raymond got to Melvin (for three). ... We picked up our defensive intensity. ... We hung in there and it could have been easy for our guys to check it in and they didn't. They found a way."
On Jawad Williams and Raymond Felton pacing the team down the stretch ...
"Those are two guys who are capable of scoring and I like when the ball is in their hands."
On what this win means to the team ...
"I think it's huge and I think (the players) are relieved. It's not like we're dancing in the locker room. I think that we are just relieved because the (N.C.) State game was a huge emotional investment. ... I was so proud of the way we came out. I thought our defensive energy was great. We probably had too much energy for the offensive end."
On Rashad McCants playing sparingly in the second half ...
"I thought that Melvin's (Scott) defense was very good. Jackie's (Manuel) defense was very good and I felt comfortable with that defensive unit out there. We really needed to get some stops."
On playing pressure defense late in the game ...
"I thought they were getting the ball inside too easy and we needed to extend a little bit. ... We doubled the ball a little bit and their offense was out a little bit farther."
On Georgia Tech ...
"They are a talented young team and they are going to be one of the better teams in the league over the next couple of years."
UNC Player Quotes
On their "never quit" attitude...
"Everything counts now, going toward the ACC Tournament. That should be every team's attitude. You can't ever give up at the end of the game. We'll never give up at the end of a game because we always have a chance to come back."
On deserving a bid to the NCAA Tournament...
"I think so. Going with our schedule and the teams we've played and the young team that we have and without Sean May, it's a much needed bid. I feel that we're prepared to go into the tournament with the games we've played and the experiences we've been through. We definitely deserve it."
On the upcoming game against Wake Forest...
"I think we're a whole lot better than we were when we played them last time. We know what they do, we know what their strengths are. I think we know how to approach this game and be a little bit more aggressive with them. It will be a new game for us."
On their sentiments being down by 10 points...
'I figured we could pull out a win. We continued to fight through it. I think everyone has to step up at times and make big plays for our team. I think Raymond and some of the other guys stepped up to the challenge."
On the free throw shooting...
"I missed three, and I had two shots. I figure if I'd have hit those free throws we probably would have been one of the games but I guess it's back to the drawing board."
On the upcoming games against Wake Forest and Duke...
"One game at a time. We play hard like we did against Wake when they came here, then everything's fine."
On getting a bid...
"With our RPI rating and the things we've been through this year, losing Sean May and the schedule that we have, I think we deserve it - especially if we get at least one good win."
On what it was like in the huddle...
"Everybody still had a positive attitude, saying that we know we can win. I was trying to build that into my teammates' heads. I got them in the huddle, and I said 'we can win, we've just got to believe,' so that's what we did."
On taking the two point shot...
"I knew I had to do something to get my teammates in the position to take a great shot. In the play before that, I had great penetration, kicked it out to Melvin, he was wide open. He just didn't knock down the shot. Things go that way sometimes - but we just kept our confidence and tried to fight hard. I figured we had enough time on the clock to go ahead and try to get a two...just play great defense, and try to get the ball."
