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University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-UVa Quotes
January 16, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2009
Postgame Quotes
#5 North Carolina 83, Virginia 61
Virginia Head Coach Dave Leitao
Opening statement:
"When you give an excellent team a reason to batten down the hatches, and clean up some things, and gain some time to practice on it, it was going to take a monumental effort to withstand that. At the start of the game, we had to come out and be ready. The first four minutes were critically important. We battled, but we got down 10-2. We couldn't make a shot, and as a result, we were a little tentative. We had a chance to fight back. It has been a disturbing pattern in that we leak a little oil toward the end of the first half and got us down double-digits. Essentially, that was part of the game. I'm not sure I've seen a better-dictated, orchestrated game from a point guard as I did today from Ty Lawson. We didn't play against him last year, but the way he managed the game, the way he pushed the ball every time, had us on our heels. As a result, we took ill-advised shots, off balance shots. We talked about it. We showed it on film, but he was better than advertised today. The rest of the guys filled in from there. Obviously, Hansbrough was a factor, but I thought it was as much Lawson taking care of the game, which helped Hansbrough and the rest of the guys get what they needed."
On Sylven Landesberg:
"He had two drives very early in the game where I thought he went in there more to draw contact than to make a shot. He didn't get the call because there was no call to make, and as a result, missed an off balance shot. Then it got to be two or three blue shirts around him when he tried to make a play. It's very difficult when you look at it as a team that has experience and a reason to play. They're gearing their defense to stop a guy who has played 14 games of (college) basketball. It's a difficult position, but to whom much is given much is expected. It's a chess match, and he is going to face that. He is going to have to continue to grow in his game and make adjustments, and figure out other ways to get the ball. He is not just going to be at the rim for the rest of the year."
On three-point field goals:
"Anytime you go 4-27, I can tell you a number of those are not in rhythm. Rhythm is a lot of different things: whether a guy was open or not, whether a guy was balanced or not, whether it came at the appropriate time in the possession. I can tell you that a number of them were not the best shot that we could get for each possession."
North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams
Opening Statement:
"Well, needless to say this feels better than it did in Winston-Salem the other day. I think in the first half were pretty doggone good. In the second half we didn't rebound nearly as well as we wanted, nor did we make the shots. At the same time, we were up 14 at the half, and in the first few plays, first few minutes of the second half as well we got up to 18 or 19 ahead. But when it got up a little higher than that we got a little complacent, a little lethargic, and weren't moving as well as we did; but again, this feels so much better and I do believe that it was good basketball particularly for us in the first half."
On Sylven Landesberg:
"He's going to be a complete player, there's no question about that. Right now his game is more driving to the goal, but we were trying to make sure we cut off his driving lanes. Like we tried to do on Jeff Teague last Saturday; we just didn't do a very good job of it. We've had more practice at it the last couple of days at practice. He's going to be a complete player. He's had a heck of a year."
On Tyler Hansbrough:
"We tried to make a quicker move with the ball or get it out. He got caught in the first half waiting until he had the double team or triple team. Tyler's going to get a lot of attention and rightfully so. He is able to get in there, and everyone is going to talk about the 28 points, but I like the 12 rebounds and fiveoffensive rebounds."
On the win and team morale:
"It's a long season, and who knows now. I never said that we were the best team in the country, that's what everybody else said, and the last three games everybody has acted like we're falling off the end of the earth. Somewhere in between is probably where we are. We've got to try and get better each and every practice and try to get better each and every game. I don't think the season is over just because we won today and I didn't think it was over because we lost on Sunday, but it was disappointing. It's disappointing when you lose to Boston College. It's disappointing when you lose to Wake Forest, but at the same time we're not going to anoint anybody right now."
Virginia Forward Jamil Tucker
On how the team can recover from a loss like this:
"I mean, UNC is a great team. We have a lot of things that we can take away from film. Just having that to go over in film will help us in a lot of things for the future."
On what made UNC such a difficult opponent:
"Transition--definitely. Coach (Leitao) stressed every day in practice that they are going to get out there and run. We weren't able to stop that."
Virginia Guard Calvin Baker
On how the team can recover from a loss like this:
"I think it's tough. I think we really have to work on our transition defense. We thought we were a good transition defense team but when we get up against good competition like that, it kind of exposed us. I was just talking to the guys and in league play you have to learn how to put games like this behind you because you can't dwell on this. You have to do that as a captain of the team and get ready for our Tuesday game against Maryland."
On the team's recent struggles in the end of the first half:
"I can't really say there is a specific reason. I guess that's just how it has been happening. I think we have to be more careful with the ball. I think we tend to get lazy towards the end of the half, trying to preserve things. Everyone just has to still play their game and be aggressive like they were. When players stop paying attention that's when they start making mistakes."
North Carolina Guard Ty Lawson
On mentality:
"We wanted to come in with a fresh start and a new attitude. We wanted to get everyone involved and take good shots."
North Carolina Forward/Guard Danny Green
On team play:
"One of the main reasons we have turned the ball over is because of carelessness or selfishness. We wanted to cut down on turnovers. In order to do this, we had to cut down on the selfishness which led to a better effort as a team."
On hostile environment:
"We are not new to this. It is something we are used to now. We know every time we go out, everyone is going to give us their best shot."
North Carolina Forward Tyler Hansbrough
On win:
"This stretch has been frustrating. Tonight it was us playing like we know how to play and doing something things defensively and coming together as a team."
On game:
"We have to understand that when there are people around us, there are other people open and that is what we did better tonight, find open people."
On environment:
"Coach Williams always says act like they are cheering for you and turn it into positive energy. It is the ACC, anywhere you go on the road you are going to get hassled."
On Ty Lawson:
"I think Ty shot the ball really well tonight. He is one of those players you can't leave open."
On Ed Davis:
"He always finds a way to get that block in or play defense. He has come along way defensively for this team."
