Jan. 2, 2008

Recap | Final Stats | Notes | AP Action Photos

Columbia, S.C. –

Head Coach Dave Odom

“Surely, tonight’s game was not pleasing. I did not like how we came out and throughout the game we stepped on our own feet a lot, especially in terms of things we have talked about working on in practice. The boys have to be able to come out and play.”

“We played hard, although not well, throughout the night and we did get our stuff together at the end.”

“Our problems now are with our big guys. They don’t play with passion and pride. I was going to give them off in the morning, but I promise they will be there tomorrow and they will wish I wasn’t there.”

“Our perimeter guys did well tonight and I think we are scoring a good amount of points”

“We have one week to get ready for the conference game now. I am not overlooking Asheville, but we know how important conference games are and when we go to Nashville, we will be as ready as I can possibly get us.”

“Mike Holmes didn’t play tonight due to the coaches’ decision. Basically, it was a decision made in practice. He knew before the game he wasn’t going to play and our team knew it.”

[On his 400th win] “I’ve listened with great respect as other coaches have accomplished milestones and the resounding theme is that these are shared accomplishments and now this rings home.”

USC Player Quotes

Chad Gray

“Anything that can help us, we need it. Especially getting ready for SEC play next week.”

“The more we play, the more I learn. I learn what to do and what not to do.”

Dominique Archie

“I am expecting a hard practice tomorrow. We have to be prepared for UNC-Asheville and Vandy next week.”

“We are struggling to find our niche, but we will quickly find it. We don’t lack passion but our defense needs to be stronger. When we are defensive, we often lay back.”

Devan Downey

“I think we picked up in the 2nd half tonight. The team needs to find our passion. I don’t know if it was the break or what but we can’t play like this against Vanderbilt. I’m disappointed in us as a team because I don’t think we’re giving it all we got.”

“As a team we’re playing like we’re scared to make plays. We need to play basketball. We have the talent.”

Zam Fredrick

“I think Coach Odom wants us to put more pressure on the ball. We need to turn up the intensity on defense.”

“The prize is at the end of the road. We need to keep working and play for the whole 40 minutes. We can’t have lapses on offense and defense.”

Head Coach Brad Greenberg

“We played pretty well for about 28 minutes and okay up to about 32, when it still was a game. It got to 70-59, at that point we had to make a push to keep it, and we didn’t”

“Devan Downey was a very aggressive defensive player. He was able to pick up steals and disrupt us a bit.”

“Dave is, without a doubt, one of the premiere coaches in college basketball. Even more so, he is one of the best people in the game. He has always been a good friend. I value his opinion. In this profession, you run across three to four people like that who prove to be sound and genuine. He is one of those guys.”