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2011-12 Kentucky Basketball[/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 5 North Carolina [/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]Lexington, Ky. – Rupp Arena[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]Dec. 3, 2011[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]Postgame Quotes[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[CENTER][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B][U]Kentucky Players[/U][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]#23, Anthony Davis, F[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On if he was nervous before the game … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“Oh yeah, most definitely. I told the assistant coach ‘This is a big game and I’m kind of nervous.’ He told me to settle down and just play. That’s what he told me to do and that’s what I tried to do.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On what they learned from this game … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“We knew that (UNC) were three-point shooters. They came out hitting three’s. They had big time three’s. (John) Henson was in foul trouble, so he sat out most of the game. But, we just have to learn how to chase on ball screens.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On the final sequence … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]Terrence (Jones) was guarding (John) Henson, and I was guarding (Tyler) Zeller. They handed the ball to Zeller in the post and when he shot the ball it came back to Henson. I saw Terrence wasn’t on him, so I just sprinted as fast as I could and got the block and got the rebound. Just like what happened in April of last year when Kentucky played North Carolina. We watched that game on film. Coach Cal stressed that. Even though it’s not their main shooter, to go after it.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]#3, Terrence Jones, F[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On the flow of game… [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I feel both teams played in a late-season-type of game. It was just a real tough fought-out game. North Carolina came to play and they really had the lead almost the whole game. When Kyle (Wiltjer) came in, he really gave us an extra boost on defense. Just coming in and getting the two stops and that lay-up he had was really big. Ant (Anthony Davis)’s blocked shot at the end of the game was really good. If anybody could it, it would be Ant (Anthony Davis). So I was just glad he got over there. I think we did a really good job running offense in the second half by slowing it down and taking away the fast break points. I feel we limited them to about two of those. It was a really good game plan by Coach (John Calipari).”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On Anthony Davis’s blocked shot to win the game… [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I know (Anthony Davis) is a master right now at timing shots to block them. He got there and won the game for us.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On how fun it was to play in this type of game… [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“It was really fun just because it’s so early in the season. It really wouldn’t affect anyone who won or loss. So just to have that competition out so early and for both teams to compete how they did was just great.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On how Kentucky was able to win… [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I feel like we played together and it was a close game. It just came down to whoever got those last couple stops. We made those two stops about the six-minute mark. And Kyle (Wiltjer) came in and Darius (Miller) came in and me and Mike (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) were on the bench. They really stepped up and got about three (stops) in a row. Ant (Anthony Davis) got a hook, Kyle (Wiltjer) got an up-and-under, and it just changed the game around to get us a four-point lead.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]#1, Darius Miller, G[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On his thoughts on the last play of the game …[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I was nervous. Anthony (Davis) came up with a crucial block and saved the game for us. I just knew if he got that shot off it was going to go in, so I was just nervous.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On the impact of the win moving forward …[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“It is a very big win. We felt like this was a test to see where we are at, playing against one of the best teams in the country, and we come out with a W. I think we are pretty happy and proud about it, but we know we aren’t exactly where we want to be. It’s still early on in the season, so we’re happy.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On if he thinks Kentucky and North Carolina will play again in March …[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“Definitely, we know they are going to be there. They are a very talented team and very experienced team. They will definitely be there until the end.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]#14, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On playing against UNC…
[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“(This game) was something special, this is a young team we have this year. We are just getting better everyday. It was really special to be a part of it”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On today’s performance compared to the game against St. John’s…
[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“It was just one of those games (for me) last game, (but today) I just played my game (against UNC). I had a lot of fun as you could see out on the court (today). [/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On Darius Miller’s role and Doron (Lamb’s) second half 3-pointers…
[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“The little things. He (Miller) is a senior on the court and he’s our leader. He is everything to the team. Those two 3s (by Lamb) were big, huge. He just knocked them down.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[CENTER][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B][U]North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams[/U][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]Opening statement … [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I think that, for us, it was a very disappointing last couple of seconds to say the least. It was a big time college basketball game, there were some very talented and gifted youngsters out there really playing hard. I thought two or three occasions during the game both our teams were spent physically. It was such a crazy game, it’s a one point game and we have a chance to win, we miss a dunk in the second half and a dunk at the buzzer at the end of the first half, it would have been nice if those would have gone in but they missed some plays just like we did. I was really proud of my team, we were down four or five and Harrison (Barnes) made a three on an out of bounds play, Reggie (Bullock) made a big three in the corner and John (Henson) made two big free throws that got us right back and gave us a chance to win the game. At the end you just have to congratulate (Anthony) Davis who blocked that shot, it was a big time play on their part. They had the ball with 48 seconds so we knew they were going to take a shot, we hoped to defend it and have one shot, down one as it was, and instead we fouled, it was the right call, we did foul but they missed the free throws so they still gave us a shot to win at the end. The second half was the story of (Doron) Lamb, (Darius) Miller and (Michael Kidd-) Gilchrist, I think they were really focused for them in the second half and I thought all three of those kids hurt us. Darius inside, (Kidd-) Gilchrist taking the ball to the basket and rebounding it, Lamb made two big shots back to back. They are a very good basketball team; we think we are very good as well. We didn’t play nearly this well last Saturday night, UNLV had a lot to do with it, but I cannot fault my team’s effort tonight. We had a silly turnover on an inbounds play down on the end which can’t happen in big time games. Again for us, those guys that made big time plays down the stretch I was really pleased with them but we have to play better, early in the second half, the first three or four possessions we didn’t get what we wanted and we gave them layups. At the 12-minute timeout I told them who was doing the scoring for them and it was Teague and (Kidd-) Gilcrhist and t9he guys taking the ball to the basket so our defense had to get stronger. You look at the stat sheet and (Kentucky) shot 56 percent in the second half but they were a little more patient with it than we were. That’s a reason they were able to come from behind and get the win.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On what Kentucky was trying to do on offense… [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“They have the ability to score at every position, John (Calipari) has a better answer to this than me, obviously, but I think they are trying to get one of their good players an advantage and then be a basketball player. The lateral screen underneath is tough to handle, the flat screen out front; I thought we did a nice job with that. Davis’ big time blocked shot at the end. We were pretty good defensively, they made some big time shots and it’s hard for a coach to say we were good defensively when they shot 56 percent in the second half but they’re willing to run some clock also, it’s not just throw up the first bad shot, so for me, I’d like it a lot better if John would let them take bad shots but I don’t think they did that today so I think what he was doing offensively is what they work on every day. If they take some bad shots it usually helps us and I didn’t see many.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On the Kentucky-North Carolina series continuing… [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“I’ve been asked this question a lot and I’m sure Cal has been asked it a thousand times more than I have, I love these kind of series but everyone has to understand the landscape of college basketball is changing. We’re sitting here at 16 conference games and maybe the next year we’ll be at 19, who knows. I love games like this but North Carolina and Kentucky didn’t play for about eight or nine of ten years, I wasn’t at North Carolina at that time but both schools survived. Am I interested in continuing to play Kentucky? Yes. Am I interested in making a concrete statement up here? No. John and I should have an opportunity to talk about that and see what else we have on the schedule and I think that’s what John has been eluding to this week, I think he has more questions about it then I do. Regardless of what the Kentucky fans say about who they’d like to get rid of we have to save this thing too, it’s a two-way street kind of thing.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On what he was looking for on the last play of the game…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“We ran a screen at the top of the key and then we tried to post Tyler (Zeller) up and then we had a screen coming for a jump shot behind that and we had Kendall (Marshall)’s penetration so we had three good options. We threw it into Z(eller) and it looked like a good decision but we’ll look at the tape and see if it was as good as I thought it was and I think Kentucky got a hand on the ball and it deflected up. Luckily for us it went to John (Henson). I’ve always said if the score is tied or it’s a one point game then you are better off taking it to the basket but not many people can block a jump shot from John Henson, it takes at least 10 or 12 feet. Before the game if you’d say, ‘one of your guys are going to have a 10 or 12 footer at the end to win the game,’ most people who come into Rupp Arena would probably take that. They’ve won 38 in a row because, I don’t know that Kentucky Wildcat fans believe in leprechauns but something got down there and got Mr. Davis to jump up there and make a big time play.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[CENTER][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B][U]North Carolina Players[/U][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/CENTER]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]# 40, Harrison Barnes, F[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On whether UK is tougher this year versus last year…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“It’s kind of hard to compare. Last year, they were a different team from the first time that we played them to the last time. The second time, I think the other team was better. We’ll see and compare later to see where they are.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On whether he thinks his team can forget about this game and just look towards the next one…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“Not at all. This is a very good team. This would have been a very big road win for us. That fact that we couldn’t execute down the stretch is kind of alarming.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On what happened during the stretch in the second half where UNC struggled…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“We hung in but we took some tough fade aways. I took some shots that were a little difficult for myself and I know some of my teammates did too. We just have to work on getting better shots. [/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On what UNC needs to work on if they face UK again this season…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“Boxing out and rebounding. That’s what it came down to. You could see that both teams are good at moving the ball and getting good shots but at the end of the day, second opportunities made the difference.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]#31 John Henson, F[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On the game against Kentucky…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]
“Games like this get you ready for March and that’s all that matters right now.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On Anthony Davis blocking his shot to end the game…
[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“It’s funny because I do the same thing to other guys and he did it to me for the game, it was a great play by a great player…(Davis) was guarding (Zeller) too which means he came from the other side of the lane, it was a great play by him.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]On battling with Terrence Jones throughout the game…
[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“(Kentucky) kind of went away from him in the second half, but credit to him, he was playing within his team, he was trying to help his team win and that’s what he did, that’s what you have to do sometimes when you’re a great player like (Jones).”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][B]#44, Tyler Zeller, C[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]Difficulty taking shots, with so much length….[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]“The only difficult part was if you didn’t have the right position. Length wasn’t a huge problem for us. We shot well from outside, so I don’t think it was a huge problem for us.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]What you learned from today…[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]“[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]I think we got to be able to play 40 minutes. We had a couple of lapses throughout the game and the younger guys are getting better at it too.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]Did they get a good job of not letting you go up with the ball straight up?[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow][I]“[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial Narrow]They did a great job of getting there, almost before I got the ball. So it was tough, normally you have half a second to a second to see it coming, so they did a great job of getting there very early and getting me in tight traps.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
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