Postgame Quotes: Vols 82, #4 Kentucky 80

Jan. 25, 2017

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Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes

(Opening statement)
"I’m really proud of our guys. I’d think the schedule we played this year finally showed up and helped us break through and get a win against an outstanding team, one of the top teams in the country. I thought our poise was great from the beginning. I thought we stayed locked in with what we are trying to get done throughout the game. I’m just really proud and happy for these guys. Like you guys know, we’ve been in a lot of good ones with teams that we just couldn’t break through, and for them to get this done tonight, I just appreciate them. I appreciate our fans. I thought they were outstanding. It's something we can continue to build on."

(On Grant William’s calming presence at the end of the game)
"Grant is in tune. That’s some of the things Lew (Evans) does, too. Lew is really good in those situations. I thought coming down the stretch, we kept feeling that we were going to need to score because they were so explosive scoring. We still kept putting it on our defense that we were going to need to get some stops. I like to think our guys are growing up. They’ve played 20 games and one of the toughest schedules in the country. I hope they are learning how hard it is to win and what you have to do to win."

(On Grant William’s basket with seconds left)
"(It was) huge. I said to the guys at one point in time, 'We’re going run offenses. I want Grant Williams, Robert Hubbs, or Admiral Schofield to touch that ball.' I thought we got away from it. I didn’t want our guards to start shooting the ball out there without giving those guys a chance. I thought we did a good job. Tonight we shot 10 threes. We wanted to play inside, play off those guys because every one of those guys will pass the ball. We tried to move them all around tonight. John (Calipari) does such a great job with their in-game adjustments. They started trapping Robert and our post guys. So we started moving them around and trying to get some different looks. To do that, Grant and Lew are two guys who can run any position on the floor. I thought a big play; you could feel the momentum shifting, when they started extending their defense. The play where Grant made the bounce pass to Admiral. I thought that was a big play. You could feel the momentum going back and we were kind of teetering right there. After that we got settled a little bit. We knew we had to rebound. We knew we had to get back and try and defend our goal as much as we could because they are so explosive."

(On telling your team that you can play with anybody, but can’t lose focus against lower ranked team)
"That’s been a key this year. We’re 11-9. Not a key, it’s been a problem. We have had some ups and downs. I don’t like to talk about being young because I think there are a lot of teams in the country that are young. I think it’s just about me doing my job to teach them how to win, teaching them what goes into losing. They’ve worked hard for us. They have. I hope they love this feeling because this is where we want to move our program. If you ask me right now what I think, I’d like to think that they’ll come back and get ready against an outstanding team here Saturday against Kansas State, probably the surprise team in the Big 12. I just think there is so much parity in college basketball that if you don’t prepare, you’re going to get beat."

(On the key role Robert Hubbs III played tonight)
"I think it’s important that we know what we have to play through and how we have to do. We think Robert can score. There’s no doubt about it. We want to put the ball in his hands. I think you’d love to have a couple players, but you have to have somebody that can make a tough shot. This time, Grant made a very difficult shot. That was a very difficult shot. Robert can make some tough shots too. He really can. You need that. I’ve said all year that I think that Robert’s leadership is the best. I’m proud of him from that area. I thought Lew did a lot of things that won’t show up on the stats sheet, but we need everybody and for the most part everyone helped us."

(On the double team Hubbs saw in the game)
"With Robert, I’ve seen him double teamed since I’ve been here. There are times when he gets going that I would double team him and coaches have done a really good job of doing that. That’s why we were trying to get it to him from different angles so we didn’t have to play off the block every time."

(On if the loss will affect Kentucky against Kansas on Saturday)
"They put the Big 12/SEC Challenge this time of year to gain some notoriety to it. I think that Kentucky has a chance to win against Kansas. I’ve always said when you go into Kansas, you have to have a great officiating crew and they have to on. Allen (Fieldhouse) is a tough place to play and if they get a fair whistle in there, they’re going to be fine."

(On rebounding, assists and turnovers)
"Obviously, we wanted to take care of the ball. We talked about it and we wanted to move the ball. The biggest statistic in the game is probably the fast break point. They are as good a team as there is in the country when they hit the open court. They really finish. Every time they did tonight, they got there.

"We moved the ball, shared the ball. We wanted to get the ball in Grant’s hand at times when he could pass because he will pass it. He had six assists tonight. We took pretty good care of the ball. We knew we were going to have to fight hard. I thought our guards did a great job of getting in there on the glass to help us. That was one of the things we talked about. We wanted to see whether we were great at it. We wanted to see that improvement tonight. When you look at it, they did a pretty good job too coming to rebound the ball."

(On Tennessee deserving to win)
"We were good tonight. We were by far the best that we played all year. There’s no question. You all know how much respect I have for John Calipari. First of all, I know how big of a competitor he is. I will tell you in this business you do hate coaching against friends. When he shook my hand, he said 'I’m happy for you,' and I know he meant it. We walked in the building together tonight and he told me I was crazy to play the schedule that we played. The fact is that I do think our guys deserved to win the game tonight. I do and I’m happy for them. I actually thought that there were some other games that we deserved to win but if you don’t win them, you don’t deserve them. From start to finish, I thought our mental side of it was just as important as what we were doing physically."

(On playing to Kentucky’s level)
"I’ve talked to our team many times about Kentucky and the great programs that are in the country. It’s a year round job at Kentucky and they have the perfect guy coaching them. Everywhere they go, there’s a big bullseye on their back. I think that’s the reason they are where they are. They’re not going to back down. They’re going to go in there and they’re going to play and deny.

"We made sure early that we were not going to come out and start shooting a bunch of threes and let them get out in the open and break our back like that and get the momentum. We said we’re going to go and play. We told Kyle (Alexander) if he catches the ball in there, he has to score. We’ve had games where we’ve made 16 threes and we’ve had games where we’ve struggled. We just really wanted to go inside and start from there and see where it would lead us."

(On how big it was that Lew took advantage of getting to the bucket)
"Lew does a lot of things. When we got Lew, we talked about him coming in here and helping these young guys understand winning, and if you watch them throughout the game, I think people have probably always looked at him as an offensive player. What we have learned about him is that he is a terrific defensive player because he knows exactly what needs to happen and he’s great out there. Our coaches do a great job at scouting, and you get calls and Lew is out there calling plays when he hears it and talking to the guys. He can handle the ball and he passes it and sometimes he breaks out of the offense early in terms of wanting to go and make things happen too quick. He has gotten better with that, but it is what he does. He, Grant (Williams) and Admiral (Schofield) certainly give us a level of physicality on the defensive end."

(On how this game was different than the game last year, and what it does with the confidence of the players)
"You know you have to ask these guys. We have had a couple of games where we did not compete from the beginning, but for the most part these guys have competed and they have worked hard. The difference is tonight our guards did what they were supposed to do, opposed to just starting to jack shots up, and trying to do too much. We went through a period where they did and I saw Lew and Grant tell them both to calm down, tell our guards to calm down, and start playing the way we needed to play. Still, we have to get consistent with guard play. It is difficult because we actually got way down, but from the beginning we stayed in the game, and I thought for 40 minutes it’s the best we have played all year."

(On forcing the ball inside and the key to dominating the points in the paint tonight)
"Our perimeter guys put the ball in there. At the end, we were really trying to play to Robert (Hubbs) and Lamonte (Turner) missed him on his cut twice. That’s where we talked about the guards needing to be ready to give the ball to guys when he gets it, as supposed to getting it and waiting. I thought tonight we did a better job of establishing that inside game by getting those guys the ball earlier as opposed to later.

Tennessee forward Lew Evans

(On the atmosphere in Thompson-Boling Arena)
"It’s awesome. It’s something that you live for as a college basketball player, games like this. It was really fun, and I really enjoyed it."

(On Kentucky head coach John Calipari saying Tennessee was the better team)
"We played hard for 40 minutes and I think that’s the first time that we’ve actually played hard for 40 minutes, and playing as a team."

(On being prepared to win a close game game now versus two months ago)
"I think, for us, it was playing 40 minutes. We would have lapses in the games that we played earlier against South Carolina, Gonzaga, and those top-ranked teams, where we’d go away for four or five minutes. They’d go on a run, and we couldn’t come back from it. So I think tonight we just played a full 40 minutes, and we played as team. We knew what we had to do to win."

Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield

(On the feeling after the win)
"It feels good, but we’ve got to take care of business on Saturday. We came in and did what we said we were going to do. We were going to execute on both ends. We were going to limit them in transition. The biggest thing is we rebounded hard. We turned them over more than we turned it over. When you win the turnover battle and win the rebounding battle, you get a win."

(On outscoring Kentucky 42-28 in the paint)
"I wouldn’t say it’s a tougher mindset. I would just say that’s just the make-up of this team. We’ve always had that mindset that we’re bigger than what we are, especially the big guys. We took it upon ourselves to really get on the guards and confront them to elevate their guard play. Tonight, we stayed on them. When things got kind of loud, when things got down, when they made runs, we’d just tell them 'Stay in it! Keep your emotions in check when big plays come. Get focused back on the game plan.' I think we really put 40 minutes together tonight. I really do."

(On leading with so many young guys on the roster, as a sophomore)
"I think I do. I think I’ve been here about a year and a half. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve been here for a losing season. I saw the ups and downs. I kind of know what it takes to win. What it takes to win is just listening to coaches. At this point in the season, like Lew Evans tells us, we’ve got to listen to the coach in this time of the season. They know what’s best. Tonight, I feel like everybody was locked in on the game plan. We knew what we had to do. Coach (Rob) Lanier did a great job with the scouting report on this team. But the next focus is Kansas State on Saturday."

Tennessee guard Robert Hubbs III

(On if he thinks they deserved to win)
"We just came out and played the game. We didn’t get caught up in all of the emotions and the hype and we just played Tennessee basketball."

(On when Kentucky had a late run)
"Lew and I were telling the guys to calm down because the game is never over and you have to play until the clock hits zero."

(On having six unanswered points in the second half)
"We had guys make shots—Grant and Admiral—so whoever is hot that is who has to get the ball. It’s not a one-man show."

(On confidence going in)
"We believe we can win every game. We go in with the mindset to be tough and aggressive."

(On playing close games night-in and night-out)
"We always talked about playing high-ranked teams and not being able to finish out so this was an example of us moving forward. So we have to take this and keep climbing that ladder."

(On believing you can win every game)
"We give all our credit to the coaching staff. They prepare us every day in the film room and in practice, so if you don’t believe you can win every game you should not be playing basketball. We had our guys focused tonight. We went out followed the game plan and executed. We listened to the coaches and did what we had to do."

(On beating Kentucky in TBA)
"They are a good rival. They are a good team every year so I think the future of Tennessee is on the rise. Five or 10 years I won’t be here, but this just shows how great we can be."

Kentucky head coach John Calipari

(Opening statement)
"I have got to give credit to Rick (Barnes) and Tennessee. Wow, what a game they played. We tried to come back a little bit, but it didn’t work. Congratulations. What a game. Great environment."

(On beginning of the game)
"Tom Brady made a statement and I told it to them last night: 'Doing what’s right for the team sometimes may not be right for you, but that’s how you win.' You do what’s right for the team, not necessarily what’s right for you as an individual player. I am not getting through to some guys. I told them after, they will continue to lose. I have done this 30 years. You cannot do this stuff that they are doing and win basketball games. You cannot do it. I do not want to call guys out but I could go right down the line, 'Here is what I am asking you to do and you refuse to do it.' We’re all freshmen. We may need to lose a few games in a row and then have them come to my office en masse and say, 'Coach we surrender; tell us what you want us to do. We can’t win now but we think we can. We thought we were playing out in Vegas, but we’re not.' We have all young kids. It is growing pains."

(On last year’s outcome)
"I did not remember we were up 21 (last year) until someone told me and then they came back and beat us. No, I didn’t. Every team I coach is so different. That game, the way it happened, had nothing to do with this. Tennessee led from the start of this game until the finish. We did not turn them over. We had no active hands. We were more concerned about what we were going to do on offense. We would not throw Bam (Edrice Adebayo) the ball until at halftime I said, 'That’s it. You either throw him the ball or you’re coming out.’ Again, let me say this, doing what’s right for the team isn’t always what’s right for you personally. It is an area we are going to have to work on. Now we have a Kansas team coming in. We have Georgia at home and they are playing well. I cannot remember who the next game is, I know those next two, but I hate to lose. But sometimes it is good. Everybody who has watched this team, do you know what we usually look like? Pass, pass, pass, pass, in, out, drive, kick, go. Want to know what everybody is doing right now? Whoever has it holds it as long as they can until they make a pass, and the pass they want to make is the 'hero-scoring pass.' We are not playing how we were two weeks ago. Maybe we got arrogant. It comes back to what I am accepting as a coach and obviously, I am accepting this kind of play from young kids. I have got to do a better job and I will."

(On effect of 3-point efficiency)
"They (Tennessee) had not been making threes but I told my team before the game they will make them against us. Everybody does. They did a great job of driving the ball. They made some tough baskets. We had 14 turnovers and only 14 assists. We were getting 30 assists. We are at 14. Net week it may be seven. You have got to pass the ball to each other. You have got to make it easier for each other. Then you’re making it hard for the other team. We are doing it the opposite. We are making it hard for us and making it easier for the other team. I do not want to take away from Tennessee and what Rick did. Their game plan of getting back, we didn’t get much in transition. They played more physical. They were grinding it and then trying to drive it. On the fourth pass we stood straight up and they were just driving by us. We kept saying at every timeout, 'Do you know what they are doing? They’re going side to side with the ball and then someone’s going to try to break somebody down on the bounce.' Again, when you are coaching young teams and starting four freshmen, and playing a couple of sophomores, you get this sometimes. Now we have got to go back and hopefully this grabs their attention and we get back to how do we have to play as a team to try to beat one of those teams? What we were tonight, we are not. A lot of that credit goes to Tennessee."

(On the play of Edrice Adebayo)
"You must do what is right for the team even if it isn’t what is right for you. Tom Brady said it best. You may want to do this and this, but that isn’t what is right for this team. I don’t know if you saw me laughing, but he walked up to me and said, ‘You may want to tell them to throw me the ball.' And I just had to laugh and at halftime that was it. It wasn’t that we were being selfish, it is that they are just playing instead of thinking about what they need to do each trip down. So we will see. This is going to be a tough road ahead and it’s a tough learning thing and the good news is that it’s still January. This isn’t college football. This is get your team right. Last year we came up here and had a big-time lead and they came back and beat us and then I think we did okay after that."

(On when Malik Monk slipped and turned the ball over late in the second half)
"I asked one of our guys to wipe the floor. He let the guy with the thing just move the water around so I asked our guy to clean that up and that’s why I went crazy. I said specifically, 'Go get that,' because I saw that so if he slipped then we lose."

(On Tennessee’s Robert Hubbs III)
"He really is a steady player for them. He knows where he can score baskets and he gets in those areas to score baskets so he is not trying to do stuff he can’t do. He gets to where he can get pull-ups, 15-footers. He had 15 at half time and ended with 25 so we have had a lot of guys do that to us."

(On the play of Isaiah Briscoe)
"He just gave up the basketball and he wasn’t being scrappy. We just needed him to be scrappy. I am happy that at the end he started to play better, but what he did was come up with every tough rebound. And when he missed a breakaway layup, I asked if he was okay because I had never seen that. Like I said, this was a great learning experience and I would rather do it in a close win than a loss like this, but sometimes it takes you to get knocked in the head to say, 'Please, can we come together?' Here’s what it is with coaching: I can sit here and say what I want, but if they are playing a certain way it is because they are allowed to play that way because I have accepted it. So this all comes back to me. I have got young guys in there that either don’t understand how I want them to play or they are not accepting it. And if they don’t accept it, then I have to do other things to get them to understand. Sometimes a loss gets them to understand and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you will make excuses. We have good guys, we have a good team and we have depth and good guards, but Tennessee was better than us tonight. They deserved to win the game. It would have been a shame if we had done something crazy and won the game or maybe he hadn’t slipped and we won the game. They had a great start and they deserved to win."

Kentucky forward Edrice "Bam" Adebayo

(On the importance of the second half)
"It was really big. We just wanted to win, but we came up short so it doesn’t really matter."

(On what went wrong)
"We just weren’t playing hard enough, we broke down a lot and we didn’t talk. We missed shots we should have made."

(On if the team got caught looking ahead to Saturday’s game vs. Kansas)
"Coach tells us to take it game by game. So Kansas isn’t an excuse. We slipped up and let this one get away from us."

(On what Tennessee did well)
"They are a good team, they are going to play aggressive and they played hard and it showed."

(On losing at Tennessee last year)
"Coach talked about us losing last year and we didn’t listen and it cost us the game. We thought we were a better team than they were and we came up short."

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