University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes
March 2, 2006 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2006
Roy Williams
UNC Head Coach
Opening Statement:
"It's a great night for us. I am so pleased that David [Noel] and Byron [Sanders] particularly, and Thomas [Wilkins] and Will [Robinson] also, can go out what I consider the right way. I thought that David was sensational for us to say the least. He set a career high [in points with 26]. Basically everybody that came into the game gave us good lifts. Reyshawn [Terry] didn't play very well in the first half and the start of the second half. I had a little discussion with him and then he did some big things--offensive rebounds, hit a couple of threes. I think Q gave us a lift off the bench. It was important for us to get that kind of play. Basically I think we did a much better job defensively than we did when we played them up in Charlottesville. It was one of those nights that sort of snowballed on Dave's team. But it was a great night to be a Tar Heel and theres not too many things I can be disappointed about to say the least."
On how much the team has improved since the meeting in Charlottesville:
"It depends on what you rate the next guy. I think we are much better; I think this team is done something that every coach wants to do and that is gotten better as the season has gone along--each and every day and each and every practice. They've put the effort and the concentration in to make that happen. I do believe we are a lot better getting some of these teams the second time around. Watching the tapes of when we played them the first time, we were really ugly at times."
On getting contributions from so many different players:
"I don't think there's any question I've always been a coach that plays a lot of people and give you opportunities. If you screw them up, I still give you opportunities so you might as well go ahead and play well to get me off your back. I do think that has been important to us. The last two or three games we've had 8, 9, 10 guys score and do some good things for us."
On David Noel's final game:
"I think he's had a sensational year. I told him one day at practice that he did something that is really hard to do. He had a down stretch of four or five games there where he really struggled and usually guys let that snowball on you and he bounced back from it. It showed how tough mentally he is and what kind of competitive young man he is. Off the court he has been sensational. During practices he's been sensational. Even when he's been having rough times, he's done a nice job of keeping everyone focused and telling everybody that everything is going to be okay. He's been sensational as a leader and also gotten that way as a player as well."
Dave Leitao Quotes
Virginia Head Coach
Thoughts of the game:
"[The game] got away before the jump ball today. We were not prepared. We were not prepared physically, mentally...team-wise we were just not prepared."
On how they can improve in the games to come:
"I've said it many, many times. When you get an open shot, you make it or miss it based on where your mind and your body and your heart is in the game. If it's not there, then you're going to miss many more shots then you're going to make. And we haven't done that."
On if this was a better Carolina team than Virginia saw in January:
"[They] were a thousand times better. The stats prove it. Obviously their play proves it as well."
On David Noel's performance:
"From when the game started, we gave him two open jump shots. He made them; it's senior night. He probably felt like he could conquer the world. The rim got larger for him, and we just didn't defend him. That's what good players do. He's what college basketball is suppose to be about; [He] started as a walk-on; He's the senior, captain, leader of a team that's going to do very well in the NCAA Tournament. That's all you can ask of him."
On what Virginia is going to do next:
"We are going to get back in the gym and figure out if we have any confidence left in us."
On what was going wrong with Virginia when Carolina went on an 18-2 run:
"Everything--the same thing that went wrong the last game; it's the same thing that's been going wrong in practice. We've given, and given, and given. And we've tried to draw more from these guys, and right now they are just not giving it."
On if fatigue is playing a role in Virginia's play:
"I don't know if fatigue is apart of it or not, physical or mental, but obviously, this is not the same team that it was a week ago, and we need to get back in the gym and try to correct that."
UNC PLAYERS
On David Noel's performance:
"I thought it was phenomenal. He deserves it, that's for sure. He's been through thick and thin around here and for him to go out like this in the Dean Dome is big. We wanted him to get off like that and we're glad he did."
On whether this was the team's best game this year:
"You know, I hope so because we would want to have our best game today. We want to have a better game on Saturday. But, you know, I think we did some really good things tonight. I guess that's up for other people to decide, whether that's our best game or not."
On Carolina's huge margin of victory:
"We definitely wanted to come out and dominate like that because they spanked us real good up there. When you have an opponent that's already beaten you coming into your house, you don't want them doing the same thing they did at their house. Plus, it was senior night, so me and Byron wanted to go out with a bang and coach told everybody else to make sure we went out great."
On Senior Night:
"Man, it was a blast. I'm glad I was here for it. I know a lot of those guys like Ray [Felton] wish they could have been here. Ray actually called me earlier today and was like, `man I wish I could be there with you. That's definitely something I'm going to miss.' So, I got a chance to experience it and some other people don't. It was a blessing from God."
On David Noel's leadership this season:
"When we hit a stretch where we lost to Virginia and we lost to Miami, we were all just sitting around in a room and just talking about what's wrong with us. He stayed positive with us and told us, `nothing's wrong with us. We've just got to get our heads up. So, he really kind of picked us up and talked with us there."
On what David Noel has taught him:
"Communication and being able to talk. That's a big part of being on a team, is being able to communicate and talk, on the court or even in the locker room. Dave is always talking around the court, off the court, just helping guys out, being a great leader."
