Jan. 22, 2011

Recap | Final Stats | Notes

SOUTH CAROLINA VS KENTUCKY POST GAME QUOTES (1/22/11)

SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH Darrin Horn
Opening Statement
I hope that our young team learned a lesson today. We told them that the team that we were playing today would come in and have our backs against the walls. They played the way that they did. We knew that we were going to have to rebound and we did not do that in the first half. In the second half we did alright, but we dug ourselves too big of a hole in the first half. Sam Muldrow was terrific. He played like a senior. He played well enough to not let his team lose, but we only had one guy playing like that. It is hard to do your best when the whole team is not doing that.

On the competitiveness of the entire game
That hole that we dug ourselves was as much mental as anything. When you let a team that is coming off of two road losses come in and get ahead, it changes the mood of the game. Obviously it was a two-possession game with a minute left, so we thought we still had a chance to win. Our kids fought and gave us a chance to win there at the end, but the game started with a bad tone and a bad mood so it was tough to overcome that.

On what it took to come back at the end of the game
Well we got a few stops and made a few shots. I don’t think that it was any magic, but we just made a few plays where we tried to make a run during that little stretch of five minutes where we would make a shot and attack the basket. But, when you are working your way back from a deficit you have to make free throws and get a few stops and we just didn’t meet that challenge today.

KENTUCKY HEAD COACH JOHN CALIPARI
Opening Statement
We’re getting better, but we may be a little different team than I think. We may be an execution team that has to grind it more than I would like, but if that’s how we have to play, that’s how will play. When I think back about what we did at the Alabama game, we needed to play more like this. The other thing is guys played better; guys preformed. I felt we played well today. I didn’t know how South Carolina would play, but I felt we would play well.

On South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington’s early foul trouble
The foul trouble that Ellington had really hurt them. (Sam) Muldrow, we did a fairly good job on him. I thought we did a pretty good job in pick and rolls. We were good defensively today and that leads to some of our offense, but then again I thought our execution in the first half to get up 10 was as good as its been for this team.

On Darius Miller’s performance
He was aggressive; that’s all I’m asking him to do. You don’t have to make every shot. I will say this, he had four turnovers and about three balls jerked out of his hands. At the end of the day I want everything, I want him to grab all those balls (and) be tough with it so you don’t turn it over and then play aggressive and the reason is; I think he’s that good. Now today he looked like one of the best players in our league.