Jan. 23, 2008

Recap | Final Stats | Notes

Columbia, S.C. –

South Carolina Head Coach Dave Odom

“We lost to a team that plays well above their age. It is a very, very young team, and to watch them play, it is clear that they have very high basketball IQ’s. They work very hard, and play extremely well as a team.”

“[Florida has] great poise. Their team deserves a lot of credit. To go on the road like this and be able to win the basketball game, speaks very well for their players and Billy Donovan and their coaching staff.”

“[Florida] has good players, but [Billy Donovan] has put them together quickly, and they really played well together. I’m very impressed by their poise.”

“The game was won, or lost, when we called a timeout at the end of the first half. We set up a last second shot, and then for whatever reason, we went haywire. What was said [in the huddle], we did everything but that.”

“There was a lot of good things about our team tonight. Our team fought really hard.”

“Our fans fought very hard tonight. On behalf of our team, I’m very appreciative of the way our fans fought and the way they responded. They were very much a part of [the game] tonight.”

USC Player Quotes

Devan Downey

“I’m very pleased with our effort tonight. Even though it was rough week, one play here and there and we would have had a win.”

“I’d really like to thank the fans tonight. They were loud and exciting; it was like another person on our team out there. It hasn’t felt that way at home in a while and we know we have to pull one out for them.”

“We really played hard tonight. We came out level-headed and we played hard. I feel like we controlled 36 or 37 minutes of the game, it was just those other three or four minutes that cost us the win tonight.”

On next week’s game in Kentucky: “We know that we are going to go there and they will have a sold out crowd, but we are going to have to come together and just play basketball.”

“I really believe we have proven we can beat anybody. We go out wanting to win every game and we’ve got to do it. It’s very important that we get this thing rolling now.”

Dominique Archie

“I think we did a great job on defense tonight and it showed in our play. We’ve just got to get ready for the next game.”

What happened at the end of the game: “We just went cold offensively, and just could not hit any more shots. Defensively we just weren’t getting back on defense quick enough. It seemed we lost a bit of focus at the end.”

On the Kentucky game: “[We have got to] get ready to handle their pressure defense that is just as good if not better than Florida’s. We also have to protect the boards much better than we did tonight.”

On the fan support tonight: “The fan support was excellent tonight. The fans were really into it, and it showed in our play. They were going wild from the player introductions until the very end of the game. We really feed off their energy early in the game, and can not be more pleased with the support we got tonight.”

Florida Head Coach Billy Donovan

“As I’ve said before, I have strong feelings for Coach Odom. He’s a great man. He’s a great coach and an ambassador for the game. Not only is he a great coach, he has given great ideas. He’s a great guy. If my son was ever good enough to play at this level, I’d want him to play for Coach Odom.”

“This was a tough environment to play in tonight. I knew South Carolina would be ready to play after their big win in Arkansas, and I really thought both teams played well. I’m glad we could find a way to win on the road.”

“(Zam) Fredrick has great range. Devan Downey has great speed. I think his speed took our guys by surprise. Our guys gain a different appreciation for those things when they see it on the court rather than on film.”

“They are guys that don’t have what I’d call great height. They lean back on their jump shot. That helps them get their shot off in extreme duress. They can get their shots off over bigger players.”

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Odom and what he’s done for the game.”