[B][h=1][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]2011-12 Kentucky Basketball[/FONT][/COLOR][/h][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]No. 2 Kentucky vs. South Carolina[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]Lexington, Ky. – Rupp Arena[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]Jan. 7, 2012[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]Post-Game Quotes[/FONT][/COLOR]
[CENTER][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][U]South Carolina Head Coach Darrin Horn[/U][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][U][/U][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]Opening statement … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“We came into this game knowing that it would be a terrific challenge. This is an unbelievably talented Kentucky team. I guess I say that every year, but maybe even more so this year. Their athleticism and their length are just outstanding. We really talked to our guys about taking care of the basketball, making sure that we got get shots, getting to the offensive glass and doing the job on the defensive end. I don’t know that you’re going to hold a team this talented and at the pace they play at and think you’re going to keep them in the low 60s or 50s. They obviously got a few more than we wanted them to tonight. We really thought it was important to eliminate as many of their easy baskets as possible. I think when you look at the stat sheet we did a lot of those things and we accomplished that. We scored 46 points against the best defensive team in the country in the second half. So, I saw some really positive things from some individuals. We were not as aggressive defensively in terms of our activity as I want us to be. I thought we did a good job at matching their stuff on scouting in the first half. We got some great looks. A couple of those shots that Bruce (Ellington) takes goes down, if Carlton Geathers had a layup right at the rim and the ball slips out of his hands. If a few of those goes down then the first half is obviously a little different. Obviously that run they had after the last timeout of the half the deficit was I think seven, and then they ran it out to a double-digit lead. That was very big, but this is a terrific Kentucky team without question. You have Terrence Jones start hitting threes and (Marquis) Teague hitting a three at the end of the game, when they have that kind of stuff going on they’re awfully good.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On his team’s shot selection at the end of the first half … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I don’t know that they were bad shots, but I they may have been bad shots for the time. We were just trying to finish the half. Again a couple of them were probably pretty open looks. The challenge is again, understanding that in that situation we’re trying to finish the half strong it is better to drive the basketball then to pull up and take a three. Those are things that our whole team needs to grow and that are important to us to finish things out against a team of this caliber.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On Kentucky’s Anthony Davis affecting his team’s shot selections … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I’m not really caught up in the number (of 3-pointers his team takes) as much as I’m caught up in the kind. I thought in the second half we took terrific three’s. Obviously, we weren’t too good because he (Davis) had seven blocks. I’m more interested in the kind that we take. I thought (Damien) Leonard took some really good ones in the second half. You talk about a freshman coming in on this stage the way that he did, that’s really positive for the future of our program. Again, the number is not as important as the kind. We are a team that when we take the right ones we showed that in the second half we are capable of making those shots.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On the play of Kentucky’s Marquis Teague …[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“Ultimately, I think he is a terrific player. He is a guy that can get the ball to where he wants it to go. He has terrific athleticism. He finishes at the rim, and he’s going to continue to get better and better. We obviously knew that he’d prefer to drive the basketball, and we tried to keep him in front as much as possible. One of the areas that our youth really showed up today was not coming up on those drives and allowing them to throw the ball to (Anthony) Davis. I’ve never seen a kid do what he can do without getting any post touches.”
[B][h=1]2011-12 Kentucky Basketball[/h]#2 Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Lexington, Ky. — Rupp Arena
Jan. 7, 2012
Postgame Quotes
[CENTER][U]South Carolina Players[/U][/CENTER][U][/U]
Bruce Ellington
[I]On the run Kentucky went on to close out the first half…[/I]
“It gave them a big momentum shift and they run on it. We knew it was a big run because it’s their home court so we knew it’d be big. We just had to keep fighting.”
[I]On if he felt like he had a few rushed 3-point attempts…[/I]
“Some of them, yeah (were rushed). I thought I could make them when I shot them, but that’s not good for the team. I have to just play my role and knock down open shots.”
[I]On not making as many 3-pointers as usual today…[/I]
“Just like Coach said, a lot of them were rushed shots. I’m just going to get back in the gym and keep working on it.”
[I]On how much they take out of the second half where they kept with Kentucky…[/I]
“We just have to go in there and keep playing, and playing for each other. We have to go out there and try and keep winning. That shows us that we can play really good against great teams.”
[I]On the depth on offense…[/I]
“We have a lot of guys on our team who can score. We just have to keep sharing the ball and moving the ball and get people open and knock down shots.”
Damien Leonard
[I]On his performance tonight…[/I]
“I was just trying to get out there and do great for my team and get us back in the game.”
[I]On what they can take out of this game…[/I]
“Well, now we know we can score against anybody and play with anybody. We’ll build on this.”
[I]On Kentucky freshman forward Anthony Davis…[/I]
“On that last shot, he had one foot in the paint and still blocked my shot. I didn’t know he was going to block that.”
[I]On shooting so many 3-pointers…[/I]
“I mean, whatever we could do to stay in the game and try to get a win.”
[I]On the play of sophomore guard Bruce Ellington…[/I]
“I know he’s confident and capable of making those shots. They just didn’t go in tonight.”
RJ Slawson
[I]On facing a front line like Kentucky’s…[/I]
“I just tried to do what’s best for the team.”
[I]On getting so many offensive rebounds…[/I]
“The whole team really focused on getting to the glass. I think we had like 16 offensive boards total. Just focused on going to the glass, getting in position and keeping possessions alive for other people to get it.”
[I]On whether he feels more comfortable in the paint or on the wing…[/I]
“Wherever Coach needs me to play.”[/B]
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