University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Duke Quotes
March 8, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2009
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Coach Roy Williams:
"A big time day for us, I've always tried to put pressure on the underclassmen to make sure the seniors go out the right way. I challenge those guys to make sure the seniors do have great feelings about their last game."
On Duke:
"Duke is a big time basketball team; we really had trouble guarding them particularly in the first half. In the second half we got a little bit better but they also missed some shots. I think we always have to understand that when they miss some shots its not just our defense and we were very fortunate then. Our work on the backboards was big for us. The first half we had seven offensive rebounds and they only had three but we had the same number of points. I thought we were better the second half; we shot the ball pretty well.... Five guys in double figures, they had three in doubles and that was the game."
On Ty Lawson:
"I was extremely concerned about Ty. I did not know until I came over here today if he would be ready to play. He banged his toe big time on Friday. Yesterday he tried to jog up and down the floor and that's all he could do. If we had played the game yesterday he would not have played at all. I told Chris, our trainer, that he had to say he was 90 percent or he wasn't going to play today. He wasn't the Ty we've seen all year long but 9 assists is pretty dawg-on good and 9 out of 10 free throws was good for us. He has been so big in close games and he's played so well since the first two games. I am extremely proud of our team, we started off 0-2 and a lot of people were abandoning ship and criticizing our team a great deal and I told our team at Wake Forest that it was a long year and that we had to play today but we still have chances and I think that was the important thing and since those two games I think Ty Lawson was sensational."
On Tyler Hansbrough:
"I have never coached anybody that has had to face as much on the court as he had to face and he is awfully impressive."
On player of the year:
"If you go past those two (Lawson and Hansbrough) I find it hard to believe."
On trying to start all seven seniors:
"One year at Kansas I did that and its kind of tradition of mine. In this game, also, we alerted the officials and sent all seven guys on the court. It was important to show those guys how important they are to us."
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski
"I thought both teams played really well, I know our team played well. We had an opportunity to win the game. You put yourself in this environment with the caliber of team that they are. They're a terrific team. It got down to one possession in the last few minutes and they had 3 huge plays. Our kids can make plays and their kids can make plays and their kids made them. I thought the 3 point play by Thompson, 3 point shot by green and 3 point play by Lawson. Those 3 exchanges were what won the game. But you get it down where there is some pressure and you need a stop and we weren't able to get the stop.l and in fact they scored 3 points on us. In fact, that's really the story of the game. Our teams getting better, I thought we played really well. We did not shoot well. We had some shots inside, you hope you would make and some things that went in and out. The key thing is those 3 plays, and their kids made them, and that's why they won. That's the story."
On improvement from last game against Carolina:
"We played better defense. I thought we had better shots. I thought we competed better. I just think we are a better basketball team than we were a month ago. But they're really good. Ya know, if theyre not the top team, they gotta be one of top 2 or 3. I'm good with where my team is at. We just would like to get Nolan back and more and more adjusted to the lineup that we have. The game was a big game for us, because of that lineup, it was a huge game. Although the 4 that we won before this were a bit bigger, a little bit different. So you get to see. Like I thought Elliot performed really well. And Jon had a great game, not a big game, a great game. So, I thought Lance, he didn't practice, so his frist half wasn't as good, but I thought second half he battled like crazy. And they did too. I mean that's a hell of a game, that's a real good basketball game."
On Scheyer
"Jon has really performed well in that new role. And to do it in this situation was again,he had to guard Lawson. The way we were playing, I thought we got good stuff."
On Henderosn:
"G can play better. We're fine with G. You know, Green is a good defender. He's as tall, maybe a little bit taller and he's very strong. When you bump them, you're bumping with a guy that is just as strong as you are. Not fouling, just the normal contact that's in a game. Ya know, Green's a heck of game. I think green had a lot to do with it. And they're gonna look to stop Gerald. There's not gonna be as many lanes and stuff like that. They had a well conceived defensive plan to go against him."
On Singler:
"I wish he would have shot it a little bit more to be quite frank with you. We're getting a didffernt type of shot now in the last couple weeks than we did before, we're getting better shots as a result of how we're playing. Our team has gone through something you would go through in novemenber and December. Just getting accustomed to it. By playing with this level of competition, I mean, we don't have much time. But again, that's where we're at. He could have taken a bit more. I'm okay if they take them and they miss, just there are shots. Its okay if you miss 5 in a row and take 3 more, ya know what I mean."
On Hanbrough:
"He's one of the best that has played, not just here, but in the ACC. I think when you think of tyler you're gonna think of warrior. You would never say that there was a possession that he did not play. And he's really good. And it puts them in a really elite class in the history of this conference. He deserves all that he gets. I mean he's earned it. He's been a great representative for North Carolina as a kid. Never heard him not represent this university in a way this university should be represented."
On Rivalry:
"My feelings are the same wherever I compete. If I didn't then I shouldn't' compete. Florida State is a big game for us, at Maryland, wake at home. So I think you try to compete at that lefvel every game. I think there is an immense amount of respect. Not just now, but over decades. That duke and nc players have for one another. In some respect there is a kind of brotherhood there. I saw Michael right before, and we're unbeleiveably good friends. But that doesn't mean you don't wanna beat them. But there's a tremendous amount of respect because of the excellence that each program has."
UNC Players
Tyler Hansbrough
On His Family Being At His Senior Night
"I'm very, very close with my brothers, you know especially when I talk about my older brother, Greg, and the things that we've been through together. It's tough; it was really tough. I love my family and it's hard to talk about everything we've been through."
On His Emotions on Senior Night
"It's a hard game to play. First of all, you're thinking about everything. You're thinking about your after-game speech and you're thinking about `oh man, this is my last game in the Dean Dome.' You start to think about that your college career is coming to an end. And all that, and you're still trying to focus on this game and get the win. It's just difficult."
On Ty Lawson Stepping Up Through Injury
"First of all, Ty stepped up and showed some toughness by even playing. I think everybody kind of knows that. He came through in the clutch when we needed him. And he wasn't 100-percent, but you know when the time was called for him to step up and make big plays, he did."
Danny Green
On His Emotions on Senior Night
"Before the game started I got a little choked up, not going to lie. When I went to give a rose to my step mom and went to hug my father, it was an emotional moment. But when we won, of course, I was really happy but I was like, `here comes to speech.' And I was thinking, `don't cry, just don't cry.' So I tried to make it to where I said some things, things to people that I knew to thank and try to, you know, make it as brief as possible. I think I was really nervous, too, at first so I think that's another reason why I didn't get as emotional as I was in the beginning before the game started."
On His Dancing After His Speech
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to dance. But you know, it's my last game here on this floor and I figured I'd do it one more time. And you know my teammates, they always get me going. Mike [Copeland] came out and he had me dancing, so you know, I figured why not?"
Bobby Frasor
On Marcus Ginyard Not Being Able to Join His Teammates on Senior Night
"I don't know, but I can imagine how tough it is for him to see us out there today and not be a part of it. Marcus will always be, in my mind, graduating with us."
Wayne Ellington
On Five Carolina Players Getting Double Figures
"It makes it a whole lot easier when everybody is contributing on the offensive end of the floor. It makes us a lot more effective as a team. Guys can't just focus on one player; they have to stop on all five of us. It just makes us a much better team."
