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University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Long Beach State Quotes
December 11, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2010
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CHAPEL HILL -
December 11, 2010. UNC vs. Long Beach State
UNC Head Coach Roy Williams' Opening Statement:
"It was a widely different performance in both halves. ... The first half they're three for sixteen from the three-point line and we shoot fifty-six percent. In the second half, they shoot forty-seven and we shoot twenty-eight.
"I was disappointed in our defense. We've been living off our defense for the last four or five games and I think if you watch the game, or games, and you know anything about basketball you would agree with that. We haven't shot the ball very well and today in the first half we made a bunch of shots, probably emphasized the three too much and never got them in foul trouble and never got Z [Tyler Zeller] involved and things like that inside, but then in the second half defensively we were not very good.
"They made shots, you gotta congratulate them, I mean T.J Robinson was three for four from three point line and he had made four all year long. And, some of those shots, they shoot and you say well that's ok because it's him but he made it and you gotta congratulate the young man there. I think the thing that killed us, T.J. was really a tough matchup for us. He was preseason all-conference for them so he's a good player. And he averaged double figures rebounds for the entire year last year but he was a heck of a scoring machine for them today.
"Then the other thing we had a difficult time keeping Casper [Ware] out of the lane. They got way too many points in the lane. It's uh, unusual for us with the kind of team we have to go an entire game and not have an entire block on any shots, and I think in fact we were going for too many blocks and then that was opening up the offensive board. A lot of times John [Henson] may go for a block and Z would go for a block on the same shot and it would leave the weak side rebounder open and so we talked about that and put J[Justin] Knox in and the very next play he did the same thing but uh, you gotta congratulate them. This morning I watched the tape of their game against Boise State, at Boise State. Uh, eight minutes to go in the game their down 10. 4:29 to go in the game they're up five and so they have some toughness and some experience and they can make shots. And they did it against us.
"Other than our defense, the other big thought in my mind is how pleased I was with our poise and toughness on the offensive end. We made shots. You stop somebody's run by making shots and Larry [Drew II] made shots and Harrison [Barnes] made shots. I think both of those guys were big for us offensively. They cut it to two and I think Larry made the first one and they go back down and cut it to two again and then Harrison made one after that. We got some good execution, a couple of set plays that got us a dunk and a lay-up and, again I was pleased with their poise down the stretch on the offensive end. We just didn't have it defensively today.
"[We've] been studying very, very hard for exams. We had six guys that had exams today. And we had a bunch of guys that had exams yesterday. That's no excuse -- I've always said during exam period it's harder to be the home team because there's more stress and pressure on you than it is the road team because they don't have an exam four hours before the game and they don't have one the next day. ... We didn't play very well defensively and I was pleased with what we did on the offensive end, which is needless to say a change."
Long Beach State Head Coach Dan Monson
General thoughts on his team's performance:
"I'm really proud. This has been a long preseason. This is, I think, our seventh road game here in about two and a half weeks and we were pretty fatigued on the trip. And I thought our guys really reached back and had a lot of energy today, for [having] come across the country yesterday. And offensively [we] really played well together, as good as we probably have all year. You've got to credit [UNC]. We just never could solve them offensively."
On team success offensively with three different players recording career highs:
"I didn't really notice anybody standing out. I thought they scored because their teammates looked for them. And like I said to T.J. [Robinson], you know, he just laid it up off of Casper [Ware's] penetration. And I thought Casper was really a key for a lot of those guys."
North Carolina Player Quotes
Sophomore guard Leslie McDonald
On finding open shots in the first half...
"It was just how the offense went. I was finding the holes, the open holes. They were playing zone, so my teammates just found me."
On the difference between now and his freshman year...
"For one, I'm more confident now, confident in my shot. Last year, I really wasn't that confident. I was brought into a new environment, of course the college level. This year, being a sophomore, I'm more confident in my shot and the things I do and my role onto the team. My main thing is to come out there and play defense and give everything I got. You can't worry about being nervous."
On facing a zone...
"Honestly, when teams play zone, I love it. It opens up the spots on the floor, so when teams play zone, I'm ready to shoot. Once I'm able to hit shots - or me and Reggie to hit shots - then they play man and that gets the big men open."
Junior guard Larry Drew II
On his increased scoring role...
"I always want to stay aggressive and look for my shot. Coming into the second half, I think I had only scored two points, but we were up 14. They started making a run, and it didn't really seem like our inside game was where it has been in the last couple of games. We were trying to get the ball into Z (Tyler Zeller) and Justin Knox, but they were doubling down, so I just took it upon myself just to try to be more aggressive."
On the bench's production and the team's offensive production...
"It's always good when guys come in (and score). It seems like the last couple of games, our defense has been our strong point. Coach said they shot like 54 percent in the second half, so that's pretty disappointing for somebody like me who prides themselves on defense. Our offense, it seems like, hasn't really been there, but it was the opposite tonight. It's like that sometimes; that's why it's a game."
Freshman forward Harrison Barnes
On the team's performance...
"I think tonight we were definitely clicking on all cylinders on offense, but we need to step it up on defense. I thought we lacked it at times. That's what allowed them to make the run they did. We made some big plays offensively, but as the season goes on and we play better competition, we're going to need to play more on the defensive end because we allowed them to get some easy buckets and the good teams will capitalize on all of our mistakes."
On the play of Larry Drew II down the stretch...
"Larry runs the show. He's got the ball in his hands, he's the point guard, so we just go on his call. He got me involved, he got Leslie involved, he got Tyler Zeller involved at the end there. So he just did a good job finding people and finding his own shot."
