Postgame Quotes: Vols 65, K-State 64

Dec. 6, 2014

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(Opening Statement)
"Let me start by just complimenting Kansas State. I have a great deal of respect for Coach Weber, he is an outstanding coach of that team. That is a team that I said before the game does not and will not beat themselves. They are tough, they are hard-nosed, they are balanced both on the inside and the outside on attack. I thought our kids really competed. I thought both teams really competed. I thought that our home crowd certainly helped us a great deal. As I said before, when our crowd is into the game and they are chanting, `Defense!' and they are on their feet, all those things that come with a home court, it makes a huge difference and they certainly were impactful again today."

(On 22 turnovers)
"I really didn't. For us to have 12 steals against that team and force 22 turnovers is a compliment to how hard our kids played. Again, that home court advantage, being loud and having that extra energy you get on your home floor was certainly helpful as well."

(On the final minute of the game)
"Well, when Armani threw that no-look pass out of bounds, I had a flash that I was going to go to jail for a second. That is what happens, we call those shots `free balls.' It is like an end of the shot clock shot where if you don't get to them they make about eight out of 10 of those because the clock is winding down and there is no pressure on the shot. Well it is very similar at the end of a game, teams are down and they know every shot really, it is not going to kill you if you miss it because they are down anyway, so we call those shots `free balls' and they made three or four deep that they hadn't made for the most part throughout the game. Give them credit, we were there on most of those."

(On Armani Moore's defense)
"I did. That is something that I have talked about with Armani [Moore] since I got the job. He is an aggressive kid, he is always in attack mode, sometimes he probably tries to do a little too much but I can live with that because he does make so many things happen with his aggressive style of play on both ends of the floor."

(On the defensive performance today)
"I think the biggest thing is, we did a little better job of not fouling tonight, although 19 is not an ideal number, it is still better than what we have been doing. I think we had three really hard practices Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, when probably two-thirds of the practice was focused on defense and guarding without fouling and then ending the possession with block outs. I thought for the most part we did a better job with that tonight. Early in the game when we weren't scoring, our defense and our deflections and our steals certainly kept us in the game."

(On the team taking pride in their defensive performance)
"I think so and that is a great example, something I say all the time. When guys miss a shot, they will drop their head and swear and be disappointed or mad and I look and say, if you will act that mad and be that disappointed when you give driven or miss a block out, then you have something. I don't know if we are to that point yet but I do think our guys showed some pride on the defensive end today."

(On freshman forward Willie Carmichael III)
"The biggest thing with Willie [Carmichael] is foul trouble. Once again, we played him 21 minutes but he has four fouls. Ideally, the way our lineup is set right now if he is not in foul trouble he probably plays 26 or 27 minutes. He gets 9.6 rebounds, a couple blocks, an assist, did not turn it over. So Willie, when he is not in foul trouble, he has done some nice things. In Orlando I think he was non foul trouble about every game and obviously that limits his minutes. But he is going to be a nice player, he is a guy that practices the right way, brings it to the practice floor every single day and he got into the game tonight."

(On junior guard Kevin Punter)
"Kevin [Punter] is a guy that certainly isn't afraid to take or make the big shot, a couple of those shots were pretty tough 15-footers of the back of their press which maybe aren't ideal. But he is a kid that wants to take those shots, he is not afraid, he stepped to the line late and I think made most of his free throws, I guess he missed one. So he has that mentality, he is taking and making a lot of big shots in his career, in Junior College, that was his role, I don't think he is hiding from that at this level at all."

(On freshman guard Detrick Mostella's defense improvement)
"He is. He is improving. Detrick [Mostella] had probably his best week of practice since he has been here. He was was very receptive to coaching, he had great energy. We talked all week, I have individual meetings with my guys and I talk to them about just doing other things to help our team. Because as young guys they all get caught up in how many points they scored, how many baskets they made, and that is not it. Detrick is figuring that out, that if he can do other things, I thought he was aggressive in our press, he guarded the dribble a little bit better today. So he is going to continue to grow just like the rest of these freshmen."

(On what junior forward Armani Moore brings to the table)
"He brings a great deal to the table, in regard to, he is a mismatch guy when he is at the four, we do a lot of different things to get clear up situations, pick and pop, when we throw it back to him on the cleared side of the floor and let him drive it and make plays. A lot of times he draws fouls. So at that four spot he is a mismatch, at the three spot he is not quite that much although there are some things that we do to get him to the post when he is guarded by a lighter player and has a chance to post up and get to the foul line. Defensively, he is an energy guy, he gets deflections that lead to steals, as you mentioned. He comes over and blocks shots on the weak side. He is just a complete guy, I wish he was 6'8" instead of 6'4" but he is a pretty good player."

(On both teams struggling offensively in the first half)
"I think the biggest thing was we played good defense, we were active, we had great energy. We shrunk the floor a little bit in our zone, we weren't quite as extended, which led to some extra deflections and steals. And they are a very good defensive team. I thought they did a good job of guarding us and keeping us out of the paint, we only shot two free throws the entire first half. I think that speaks to us not driving the ball or getting inside their defense enough. Then in the second half, I think that just maybe both teams got a little bit tired, we adjusted a few things at half time to get Armani [Moore] some of those mismatch situations we talked about. Fortunately it paid off."

(On Robert Hubbs III)
"Robert, as I've said from Day One, is very very coachable. I think everyone probably forgets -- or doesn't remember -- that he only played in 10 or 12 games last year. He's still trying to knock the rust off. What I love about Robert is that he's very coachable. That drive he had on the baseline tonight where he got fouled was a great drive, and I want to see more of that from him. We talk to him all the time about being more aggressive, rebounding the ball at a higher percentage, driving in and getting fouls. He's showing flashes of that here as of late."

(On playing players in the game with two personal fouls)
"I've always been one of those guys where it seems like -- I've never really charted it like I do a lot of things -- when we take guys out with two fouls then we dig a little bit of a hole in the second half and they end up not fouling out anyway. After my first year at Morehead, I said we were just let the guys play, unless we have a really comfortable lead, until they get that third foul. That's just a personal philosophy. I think everyone has a little bit of a different take on that. I want my best players out there for as long as possible, and if they get their third, then they'll come out. Otherwise, I let them play through."

(On Dominic Woodson's status)
"Dominic Woodson had to follow up with some academic stuff that he had to handle this week. He wasn't at practice the entire week. He really needed some catchup time, and we'll have more of an update on him as we get into final exams."

(On Jabari McGhee)
"He's a guy who plays extremely hard. He's a high energy guy. He's undersized for his position. He's playing X5, which the middle of our zone. We call X5 the center position. He's probably an honest 6-7, 210, and he's matching up with guys who are 6-10, 240 or 250 and I'm on his tail to get the post fronted, and sometimes he looks at me and says, `Coach, I'm trying.' I'm saying, `That's not good enough. Get in front.' In doing so, he gets some holding and grabbing fouls. The biggest thing our rule in our zone is that we look to front from the side. When the ball is driven from the baseline, we're in a position to trap that. Tonight, he got caught on the high side of that big kid, who was a monster inside. Three or four times on the high side, he rotates to get in the baseline trap and that's a foul. There are things he's got to continue to work on and learn in the film room. He's trying his tail off for an undersized freshman, no question."

(On learning to win)
"I just think with such a young team, it may sound corny, but we're still learning how to win. We get the lead and you can almost tell that we're trying not to lose. There's a difference. Guys become a little reluctant. One time, we caught it in the middle. Our rule is, one or two dribbles max and then pick it up because they're back tipping from behind. Kevin dribbled it four times and it led to a steal. We're trying extremely hard. We're competing for 40 minutes, but we just need to learn how to finish games. Hopefully tonight will be a step toward doing that."

(On the final minutes)
"I told our guys after they game, we didn't finish it exactly the right way, but we did a lot of good things for about 38 minutes prior to that. It'll be more accentuating the positives, but we'll certainly cut up those last couple minutes. Give Kansas State credit. They made some tough shots in the last minute and a half, two minutes."

(On games ahead)
"Well, it certainly helps you enjoy your Sunday brunch a little more tomorrow. We have a week to grind your team, get better for a team in Butler that has already beaten two powerhouse teams, North Carolina and Georgetown, and they're ranked 22nd or 23rd in the country. We know we're going to have to play every bit as well or better against Butler. Then on the road to North Carolina State, who's an NCAA tournament team. I've messed with Jon Gilbert since I got the job and said this schedule is ridiculous, but it is what it is, and we'll keep grinding through it."

Tennessee Guard Josh Richardson

(On getting the win to start a tough stretch)
"It's a tough stretch. Every game is a big game now. We'll have to be ready to play Sunday [vs Butler]."

(On the energy late in the second half)
"I was just hyped up. I thought we had good momentum and I felt like we were playing good on defense. When a team is playing good on defense its hard to beat them. "

(On other players stepping up down the stretch)
"It was good to rely on my teammates to hit big shots today. A lot of different guys stepped up."

Tennessee Forward Armani Moore

(On importance of getting everybody in tune defensively)
"I think it is always very important. Whatever I can do to get my teammates going Im always willing to do."

(On team's defensive play)
"I feel like we did a great job of playing on the defense side of the ball tonight This week of practice was one of our best, locking in and focusing on our defense and our press because we knew they were going to be a little weak in the press. I felt like we came in and played really well on the defensive side of the ball."

(On not taking a minute off during games)
"It's nerve racking man. When you have some good basketball players they are bound to make some tough shots. That's just part of it. It's all about us staying composed and coming together as team and saying "Look we can't let this guy get this shot off."

Tennessee Forward Jabari McGhee

(On difficulty playing in the post)
"Sometimes its a struggle. As the years goes on ill find better ways to do it. It'll get better, I'm sure."

(On adding to offensive game)
"It's always better to do things that the defense is not ready for. I know who the guys are on the team that just whatever they need me to do, just finish around the rim pretty much, all we to do to attack is finish around the rim. "

Kansas State Head Coach Bruce Weber

(On game)
"You have to give credit to Tennessee. They play hard, and we told our guys that. They don't let you run your stuff. You have to play basketball. You can't win games on the road with 22 turnovers. We missed some shots early, but I thought we guarded well early. I think our offensive struggles got to us mentally, and the we broke down. In the second half, we started well by cutting it to two. Then we broke down again. You have to give our guys credit for continuing to play. They competed, but we have to play better to beat a team like that on the road."

(On struggles with hitting 3-pointers in the first half)
"I thought we had a few wide open looks. We didn't move the ball. They close out the shooters well. You have to use shot fakes and pass fakes to get some open looks, but we didn't do that."

(On Marcus Foster's performance)
"He can score. He is an explosive scorer. He has been one of our leading turnover guys, though. He makes plays, and he will have a few turnovers. Five is too many, though, when you don't handle the ball."

(On where to go from here)
"We have to beat Bradley. That is all we can worry about right now."

Kansas State Guard Marcus Foster

(On running out of time at the end)
"If we had a few extra seconds, we could have won the game. It started in the first half, though. That is where we should have gotten it done at."

(On Tennessee's zone)
"I felt like we weren't hitting shots that we should make. Their zone was something that I had never seen before. It was a very good zone, but in the second half, I think we figured out how to attack it."

(On worrying about the loss)
"It worries me a little bit. I think we will just keep getting better and better on into conference play. I am a little sad because we really needed this one. I feel like we will bounce back, though."

University of Tennessee Athletics

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