On their final stretch of games:
“I have not looked at it since it came out, because this time of year, I think that your objective is to get your team playing as best as possible. It does not matter if it is front-loaded or back-loaded; it is about being the best you can be. I do not give it that much thought.”
On Kentucky’s PJ Washington:
“I think he made the right decision to come back to school and work more with those guys. I honestly think he is a much more improved player from a year ago.”
On the Kentucky defense:
“I am pretty much locked into what we do, believe it or not. I have so much confidence in what we do. The scouting that we put in, I do not think there is anybody doing a better job.”
On the significance of Saturday’s game:
“Our guys know that, but we are focused on what we have to do to go in there and play good basketball. They are a different team from a year ago. They are starting a group of guys that it is hard to pack it back in there. Regardless of all the outside things that people want to talk about, it is about us keeping focused on what we have to do.”
On what he learned from the Kentucky-LSU game:
“We play totally different from LSU. We are a different team than them. We all know each other this time of year. There will not be any surprising. We have a pretty good feel. They have a pretty good feel. It is going to get down to execution.”
On the benefit of having veteran leadership:
“We have been in some big basketball games over the last few years with these guys, and they have grown. They will be ready for it. There is no reason to think of why they will not be. They have handled some tough situations, even this year. Experience is a good thing, but this Kentucky is a totally different team. I hope that we are too, and I know both of us have a chance to get better.”
On if the team likes being on the road:
“There is probably less distractions on the road, because once we get there, we have been doing the same thing for four years now. We go to practice, have a meal and then have a meeting. They would rather be in a hotel than at home. When they are in a hotel, they spend time together. I do not know if that has anything to do with it, but I know we are an older team. What matters the most is locking into what we have to do.”
On defending transition:
“Every game, you are going to look at something, but you have to give South Carolina credit for playing faster. They were getting it out and putting it on top of us quickly. The first thing that goes up on our board every game is transition defense. We will have to do a good job with it tomorrow. They are great. When you turn it over or take bad shots, they are really good at capitalizing.”
On Yves Pons’ minutes on Wednesday:
“He is working his way back after missing a few days. We are going to need him, Jalen Johnson and all of them tomorrow.”
On how sharp the team is heading into a tough stretch:
“I do not know. I think they are all close games myself. We will see. I do not think we go into any game and expect to win by big numbers even though we have been able to do that some. I know we have respect for our opponents, this league and how good this league is.”
On how critical rebounding is and how it keeps the team out of foul trouble:
“It is important as a team that we rebound the ball. I would say that whether we were playing Kentucky or anybody. We have to rebound the ball better, and our guys know that. We are going to have to do that, and they are really good at keeping the ball alive. They have one or two guys that fight and get it. We are going to have to be concise with all five of our guys going down there and rebounding.”
On the novelty of playing games and if it has worn off with this group:
“I like to think that we have seven or eight games left in the regular season, and you should be used to a lot of different things. I know they see the hype around this game, and there are going to be bigger ones. I do not think this game is going to define our season or Kentucky’s season. There is too much basketball left to play. It is a big game because it is the next one on our schedule, and it’s a big game for them because it is the next one on their schedule.”
On if the guys are in a better position to know to treat it like another game:
“A year ago at this time, we were pretty much locked into what we had to do. Last year is when we started playing really good basketball together, and everybody seemed to find their niche. I think our guys are locked in, and we would not be where we are if they were not locked in. I have no reason to say they aren’t locked in.”
On what is keeping Derrick Walker from playing:
“Sometimes, it is hard to play a lot of guys. What Derrick has done is continue to keep himself sharp for when we do need him. If you go back to the South Carolina game, him and Jalen had not played very much and did what they needed to do for us. Some nights, you will get called on and some nights you might not be. What continues to make him a great teammate is he has continued to work in practice. We will need him. We have a lot of basketball left, and we need all of these guys. They know that, and I respect them for how hard they work. The guys that do not play as much and how hard they keep themselves game ready.”
On building up leads in recent games and losing focus:
“I do not think there is any question. It is something we talk about, and it only takes two possessions for a lead to go down from 18 to 12 or less. It can be a bad pass, not getting back in transition defense or it could be a lot of different things. The game can swing that quickly. Whether you want to call it focus or taking things for granted, those things happen and that is what you are always battling as a coaching staff. Those guys understand the importance of fighting for every possession and doing their jobs.”
On the first top-five matchup in over a decade in the SEC:
“I think it is great. I think it is great for our league. I am hoping we can get eight or nine teams from our league in the NCAA Tournament. These next two or three weeks are important for everybody. I do not question that our league is as good as it has ever been. When you think about the two teams at the bottom, they lost two guys that were first-round draft picks. If you threw those guys into the mix, even Texas A&M, this league is a terrific basketball league. I know how far we have come in four years, and I know how far this league has come too.”
