University of Tennessee Athletics

Buzz Peterson Weekly Press Conference
January 26, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2004
Comments from Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson from Monday's weekly press luncheon prior to Wednesday's game against Mississippi State (8 p.m.-EST).
BUZZ PRESS LUNCHEON |
VIDEO
1. What are the positive messages that can be gained from narrow losses during the last week to nationally ranked Kentucky and Louisville?
A - "The aggressive attitude we took into the game was helpful. If we could pack it in a bag and take it on the road, I'd be very pleased. But it's like we are missing a senior out there who'll will the win for us. We need somebody like Ron Slay and Jon Higgins were last year, somebody who can get us the win."
2. How does a team's predominantly youthful makeup play into the outcome of close games such as recent outings against Kentucky and Louisville?
A - "Sometimes younger guys will go out on the limb and take a chance. We need to have somebody say, `I'll take this shot' or `I'm going to get this steal.' That's what we're missing right now, somebody to take the gamble."
3. How does playing non-conference games in the middle of the SEC schedule affect your opportunities to be ready for more league action?
A - "I'm not really in favor of playing these kind of games in the second part of the season. But that's what TV demands. National TV exposure is important to our recruiting. The Tennessee-Louisville series draws a big audience."
4. Does Mississippi State, Tennessee's opponent Wednesday (7:00-EST) at Starkville, deserve its national ranking?
A - "Mississippi State is a very good ball club, led by Lawrence Roberts, who transferred in. Rick Stansbury has everybody playing on the same page. They're winning games and deserve the national attention they're receiving."
5. Comment on Edwin C. Huster, longtime head of the Vol Network, who died Saturday.
A - "We'll all miss Edwin. I'll miss him coming by my office with that smile and picking at me just a little bit. Everybody loved him. He did an awful lot for this university and for the Knoxville area."
On Mississippi State:
I think they are playing as well as anybody in our conference and they're one of the better teams in the country. I'm sure they will move up a lot n the rankings after that win in Gainesville over the weekend. Lawrence Roberts is have a tremendous year. He's very hard to guard one-on-one. I just don't know if there is anybody who can guard him one-on-one, so we're going to have to help out on him as much as possible. Rick (Stansbury) has done a great job with his ball club of putting them together. They lost a couple of guys to the pros, but the other guys have really stepped it up. They defend you very well. They have a lot of energy going in their gym now with the way they are playing and the kind of year they are having. We're going to have to control the tempo as much as possible."
On Scooter McFadgon
"Scooter's hand is banged up and it's tough on him right now. We need C.J. (Watson) to be looking for his shot a lot more. We need Brandon (Crump) to get some inside touches. We were having a tough time scoring, and so were they (Louisville) except for Garcia, who was able to hit some baskets.