NCAA Final Four
NCAA Final Four
Locker Room Player Quotes Friday, March 30, 2012 LOUISVILLE
Freshman Forward Chane Behanan On playing on a raised floor and in a dome stadium: “I like it. I feel comfortable out there. It’s a big place, but we will have fun tomorrow. It feels the same as a normal court. We started inside and worked our way out (shooting) in practice. We have some shooters on this team and we liked it.” On the rivalry with Kentucky and the meeting earlier this season when he got into foul trouble: “I got caught up in the moment, and I won’t let it happen again. I need to just keep my cool. Hopefully, the results of last time won’t happen again. It’s a serious rivalry and people take it to heart.” On being recruited by both Kentucky and Louisville: “I was very close to going to Kentucky. I’m happy I made the choice I did and here we are.” On Kentucky’s defense: “They are pretty tough. They have Anthony (Davis) down there and he blocks everything that comes through. They have a great point guard in Marquis Teague and then they have (Michael) Kidd‐Gilchrist. Their defense is unbelievable.” On the hype surrounding the Final Four: “I definitely feel more comfortable today. We all feel more comfortable. We have confidence.” On sophomore center Gorgui Dieng: “He plays his heart out. Not being from the United States, he’s done well. He deserves a lot of recognition. To come in here from Senegal and play at the Division I collegiate level for a Hall of Fame coach is just great. He’s done well in the tournament. He did a great job on Michigan State’s big man and he did a good job on Patrick Young of Florida, which has given him a lot of confidence. We need to take advantage of it.”
Senior Guard Chris Smith On if the pressure is on Kentucky: “They’re probably a little tight right now. Us, we’re having fun, relaxing, going through our normal routine, game‐planning and focused on the task, and having fun at the same time.” On does it hurt that no one is picking you to win: “It doesn’t hurt at all. It actually feels good, because the underdog most of the time comes out on top.” On what are some of the keys to winning on Saturday: “The backboard, keeping them out of transition and for us to get into transition. Our press is going to be the main key of the game.” On being outrebounded by quite a bit in the first game and how to turn that around: “You turn it around by putting a body on somebody. You got to put your body on a man, drive him out of bounds, get a high outlet (pass) and run it.” Sophomore Center Gorgui Dieng On what do you see in Kentucky’s Anthony Davis: “He’s a great basketball player. He blocks a lot of shots and he converts on a lot of alley‐ oops.” On what were the things that you learned in becoming a great shot blocker: “I was working on timing my jumps and my ability to get stronger. People are going to come challenge me so I can block the shot, so if I’m strong enough, I can take the heat and block the shot.” On understanding the significance of being a part of an epic battle in the paint on Saturday: “I’m just trying to play for the defense. It’s not like I’m a shot blocker. I couldn’t care less if I break records. I care more about winning tomorrow and the next game on Monday. If I break a record, it doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. I just want to do the little things to help this team.” Junior Forward Jared Swopshire On what feels different about facing Kentucky in the Final Four: “I feel like we have a better grasp of them because we’ve played them so many times. The guys are just ready. We’ve watched so much film on them and I think we’re going to be better prepared.” On Louisville not expected to be at the Final Four: “No one expected us to be here, but that was always a goal for us. We expected ourselves to be here. We knew the hard work we put in over the summer when we went down to the Bahamas and we just always had that focus of wanting to do well and wanting to win a National Championship.”
Senior Guard‐Forward Kyle Kuric On the differences of playing in the Mercedes‐Benz Superdome compared to the Carrier Dome: “You’re in that one little corner of the Carrier Dome where one side looks pretty good. Here the court is in the center and you’re all surrounded so it’s a lot different.” On going into a game like this with Coach Pitino: “He’s been here before. He knows what to expect. He knows how to win here. It helps us do well through his confidence.” Junior Guard Peyton Siva On the game: “It’s going to be an up‐and‐down game. Kentucky likes to run and we like to run. It’s going to be a very up‐and‐down game. We just have to do a good job of turning them over and hitting the glass. They killed us on the rebounds last game, and it’s going to be that type of game. We just have to help our big men on the glass.” “We’re both great defensive teams. Obviously, they’re No. 1 in defensive field goal percentage. We’re both going to try to play great defense and limit each other to easy buckets. We’re out there playing hard, that’s just how the game goes some times.”
Locker Room Player Quotes Friday, March 30, 2012 LOUISVILLE
Freshman Forward Chane Behanan On playing on a raised floor and in a dome stadium: “I like it. I feel comfortable out there. It’s a big place, but we will have fun tomorrow. It feels the same as a normal court. We started inside and worked our way out (shooting) in practice. We have some shooters on this team and we liked it.” On the rivalry with Kentucky and the meeting earlier this season when he got into foul trouble: “I got caught up in the moment, and I won’t let it happen again. I need to just keep my cool. Hopefully, the results of last time won’t happen again. It’s a serious rivalry and people take it to heart.” On being recruited by both Kentucky and Louisville: “I was very close to going to Kentucky. I’m happy I made the choice I did and here we are.” On Kentucky’s defense: “They are pretty tough. They have Anthony (Davis) down there and he blocks everything that comes through. They have a great point guard in Marquis Teague and then they have (Michael) Kidd‐Gilchrist. Their defense is unbelievable.” On the hype surrounding the Final Four: “I definitely feel more comfortable today. We all feel more comfortable. We have confidence.” On sophomore center Gorgui Dieng: “He plays his heart out. Not being from the United States, he’s done well. He deserves a lot of recognition. To come in here from Senegal and play at the Division I collegiate level for a Hall of Fame coach is just great. He’s done well in the tournament. He did a great job on Michigan State’s big man and he did a good job on Patrick Young of Florida, which has given him a lot of confidence. We need to take advantage of it.”
Senior Guard Chris Smith On if the pressure is on Kentucky: “They’re probably a little tight right now. Us, we’re having fun, relaxing, going through our normal routine, game‐planning and focused on the task, and having fun at the same time.” On does it hurt that no one is picking you to win: “It doesn’t hurt at all. It actually feels good, because the underdog most of the time comes out on top.” On what are some of the keys to winning on Saturday: “The backboard, keeping them out of transition and for us to get into transition. Our press is going to be the main key of the game.” On being outrebounded by quite a bit in the first game and how to turn that around: “You turn it around by putting a body on somebody. You got to put your body on a man, drive him out of bounds, get a high outlet (pass) and run it.” Sophomore Center Gorgui Dieng On what do you see in Kentucky’s Anthony Davis: “He’s a great basketball player. He blocks a lot of shots and he converts on a lot of alley‐ oops.” On what were the things that you learned in becoming a great shot blocker: “I was working on timing my jumps and my ability to get stronger. People are going to come challenge me so I can block the shot, so if I’m strong enough, I can take the heat and block the shot.” On understanding the significance of being a part of an epic battle in the paint on Saturday: “I’m just trying to play for the defense. It’s not like I’m a shot blocker. I couldn’t care less if I break records. I care more about winning tomorrow and the next game on Monday. If I break a record, it doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. I just want to do the little things to help this team.” Junior Forward Jared Swopshire On what feels different about facing Kentucky in the Final Four: “I feel like we have a better grasp of them because we’ve played them so many times. The guys are just ready. We’ve watched so much film on them and I think we’re going to be better prepared.” On Louisville not expected to be at the Final Four: “No one expected us to be here, but that was always a goal for us. We expected ourselves to be here. We knew the hard work we put in over the summer when we went down to the Bahamas and we just always had that focus of wanting to do well and wanting to win a National Championship.”
Senior Guard‐Forward Kyle Kuric On the differences of playing in the Mercedes‐Benz Superdome compared to the Carrier Dome: “You’re in that one little corner of the Carrier Dome where one side looks pretty good. Here the court is in the center and you’re all surrounded so it’s a lot different.” On going into a game like this with Coach Pitino: “He’s been here before. He knows what to expect. He knows how to win here. It helps us do well through his confidence.” Junior Guard Peyton Siva On the game: “It’s going to be an up‐and‐down game. Kentucky likes to run and we like to run. It’s going to be a very up‐and‐down game. We just have to do a good job of turning them over and hitting the glass. They killed us on the rebounds last game, and it’s going to be that type of game. We just have to help our big men on the glass.” “We’re both great defensive teams. Obviously, they’re No. 1 in defensive field goal percentage. We’re both going to try to play great defense and limit each other to easy buckets. We’re out there playing hard, that’s just how the game goes some times.”
