Postgame Quotes: Miss State 71, Vols 66

Feb. 3, 2015

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(Opening Statement)
"I said it before the game, Mississippi State is the most improved team in our league, I think everyone saw that that is probably the case tonight. I thought our team played hard to get 20 offensive rebounds, that shows good energy and effort. You our rebound them by seven, that is a pretty good key. We had eight steals, which is a nice number. But we just fouled them too much and put them on the line and that is a great to them, they didn't settle for jump shots, they drove the ball. A couple times we didn't get the post fronted, about four or five times, we don't get overtop of a ball screen and they turn the corner and draw a foul. They shoot 35 free throws and then the threes they took, they only took 11 of them but they were good looks and they stuck them in the goal. So to their credit, they deserved to win."

(On discrepancies on free throws)
"I don't know if I have ever lost a game like that with those type of discrepancies in those two areas but you look back and 35 free throws and we have 17, that is the difference in the game."

(On Josh Richardson)
"The biggest thing is, Josh [Richardson] was aggressive off the dribble and got some good looks which is good, he had five assists, which is good. We had 14 turnovers as a team, which is too many against a team, they press but it is a token press. Then you look at the other numbers with guys not taking care of the basketball, Armani [Moore] wasn't his usual self in that regard, with no assists and three turnovers. We had some possessions late and didn't take care of the ball. Give them credit, they played very, very hard."

(On Mississippi State)
"I think the biggest thing is, they did a good job of not settling. They drove us, again, played off ball screens that we didn't get out overtop of. As they turned the corner guys have to help, they didn't settle, they made the extra pass to get wide open threes or they drew could and got to the rim and ended up shooting a nice percentage from the foul line. Our defensive wasn't what it needed to be, 56 percent overall is horrendous, 73 percent from three is bad but you have to give Mississippi State credit, I thought they played very efficient at the offensive end."

(On three point shooting)
"A third of our shots were from behind the arc, they played probably a third of the game zone, it is kind of a common theme when you look at about half of our losses, we shoot 25 percent or less form the three. You go back to Alabama, Texas A&M, Marquette and now tonight, so when you have a perimeter oriented team like we do and you don't shoot is well from behind the arc obviously that hurts your team."

(On second chance shots)
"We missed some chippys around the goal. We did a nice job, I thought, of trying to rebound the ball but we did covert when we did have the opportunity to stick it in. We missed some easy buckets right there within four or five feet. I can't fault our effort, I thought our kids tried to play hard but we just didn't convert some of those easy put back baskets. Again, going back to the defensive end, just fouling too much."

(On defensive trends)
"I think the biggest thing is like anything through scouting teams find different guys to go at or different actions that can maybe hurt you. You can really tell that teams are trying to ball screen against Josh (Richardson) and Kevin (Punter) up top and try to turn the corner and make plays. We just have to do a better job of getting over those ball screens and getting our shoulders square without fouling."

(On Derek Reese's dunk attempt at the end of the game)
"I thought he attacked the rim. I will live with that. He is trying to dunk a ball off a dribble penetration and we will take that every time. If it goes down it is a tie game with a minute or so to go and you have a chance to win. Again that is an example of a chip right around the goal that we didn't convert."

(On tonight's loss and moving forward)
"It is disappointing because it is on our home floor and we are coming off a good win against Auburn. It is like I have said all year our team's margin of error is so small. We don't have the right mentality and we are not on razor's edge there is no one in our league we can beat. That is just where it is. Our guys didn't have that edge on the defensive end in my opinion tonight. Give Mississippi State credit."

(On Tariq Owens starting tonight)
"It was basically based on Derek Reese having a horrible practice yesterday. Tariq has been practicing much better. I always say to guys you are going to play like you practice, so we went with Tariq. Derek struggled in practice yesterday and he struggled for the most part in the game tonight."

(On Mississippi State knocking down threes back-to-back)
"Two things with that obviously it makes your team kind of drop your head and get down a little bit. Then it gives them (Mississippi State) a great deal of confidence on the road. They are able to answer the bell if you will. To their credit we have been in those situations we have done that a bunch ourselves. To their credit they did that tonight."

(On fouling the players at the three)
"It is lack of discipline at the defensive end. We close out the wrong way. I think they made five out of six. That is the difference between winning and losing a game."

(On Josh Richardson having a career-high night 30 points)
"I always talk about field goals made and attempted field goals. I hope what Josh is looking at is that he only had one rebound and one steal in 39 minutes and turned it over seven times. It doesn't mean that he didn't play hard. It doesn't mean he didn't play well. We don't get hung up on field goal made and field goal attempted. It is those other numbers."

Tennessee Guard Josh Richardson

(On Mississippi State tonight versus in Starkville)
"I think they're playing with a lot more confidence now and they're all putting it together on how to play."

(On Sword's play tonight)
"Craig (Sword) has always been a good player. I think he had something done on his back in the offseason. So he's fully heathy and he's been playing really well lately."

(On Mississippi State putting on pressure on you and taking other options away)
"I just tried to keep attacking them. I knew they were gonna break down somewhere. I just gotta be better next game so we can get a win."

Tennessee Guard Kevin Punter

(On if its hard to not sit back and watch when Josh Richardson is playing well)
"It's not hard. We always just have to continue to stay in aggressive mode, and be ready to shoot when he passes or drives the ball. Tried to get him the ball little bit more because so he had the hot hand. I know I passed up one because he was hitting a few. He was hitting tonight, and we kept feeding the ball."

(On dropping to 5-4 in SEC play)
"Obviously we took a L, but we just gotta keep your head up and keep moving. Keep moving. Next we've got Georgia on the road. We just gotta get back to the practice plan and keep pushing."

Mississippi State Head Coach Rick Ray

(On the difference in the way Mississippi State has been playing lately):
"I think the biggest difference is our veterans are playing like veterans now. Really, what we did was an unfair situation to some of our guys like Oliver Black, Fallou Ndoye, and Travis Daniels being first-time players. They were out there at the beginning in the starting lineups and they really shouldn't have been out there, but I think now our veterans are stepping up to the plate and playing like we think they should. Also, obviously, Craig Sword is back to being the Craig Sword before the back surgery, and I.J. Ready is playing great, too. I think we are probably the only backcourt in the nation that had their starting backcourt out with back injuries and surgery. Our guys are steadily staying the course, but I give a lot of credit to our team because a lot of people would have pitched it in and gave up after our start to the SEC season, but to those guys credit and their character, they still continue to do the things we ask them to do in order to become a better team."

(On Craig Sword's health):
"It's a day-to-day process with him. Sometimes he doesn't practice. Sometimes we don't know if he's going to be able to go in games until he gets out there and warms up, but he's one of the toughest kids I've ever coached, and he goes out there and gives effort every single time, whether it be practice or games." 

University of Tennessee Athletics

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