Jan. 29, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Green’s Photos 
Arkansas 89 Vanderbilt 78
January 29, 2011
Memorial Gymnasium
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Comments:
“Congratulations to Arkansas. They were phenomenal. They beat us at every turn and certainly deserved to win. We’re disappointed. I don’t think we played very well.”
On Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke and Michael Sanchez:
“They got into a comfort zone against us and thought they could score every time they got the ball… They were both phenomenal and had really great games.”
On Vanderbilt’s Defense:
“Our defense wasn’t very good. It was made to look worse by an offense that was very good.”
On Vanderbilt’s Rebounding:
“[Arkansas] rebounded harder than we did.”
On Whether Vanderbilt Took Arkansas Too Lightly:
“I hope not, but obviously I’m not enough inside their brains… Arkansas has a good team and we respect their team. [We] respected them the minute our game at Mississippi State was over.”
On Lance Goulborne’s Injury:
“I haven’t checked it.”
Closing Comments:
“We just got outplayed and we got outcoached. We got beat.”
Vanderbilt guard John Jenkins
On losing at home:
“It’s definitely different. We’re not used to losing at home at all. We’re used to winning and shaking the crowd’s hand afterwards and that’s something we didn’t get to do tonight.”
On their offensive performance:
“I don’t know if it was there offense or our bad defense, but they were definitely hitting shots either way.”
Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli
On Arkansas’ Mark Sanchez:
“He just attacked me, he attacked me on the drive. I should have been better with that. He started in the first half and it was working so they kept going to him.”
Arkansas Head Coach John Pelphrey
Opening Statements:
“We feel very fortunate to win today. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Stallings and his program. They could easily be the best team in our league. That’s how hard they play. Especially at [Memorial Gymnasium], as a coach I know and respect how hard it is to play here. Given that, I am very, very proud of our guys. They came in with some toughness defensively. We wanted to add some rebounds to our game and we did… Our goal was to not get frustrated and we did that.”
On the Play of Michael Sanchez:
“Mike has worked extremely hard. He hasn’t had the chance to have an impact for us, but has been getting closer and closer. It’s what he expects to do… Tonight I thought he was terrific. He had a lot of finishes, and finishes when we needed them… Mike is what we want to be about. He played 11 minutes at Auburn, my decision. He stands up and cheers for his teammates and stepped up today when called.”
On the Play of Rotnei Clarke:
“He has made big time shots the last two games. He has gotten better at moving… I thought the guys found him in a couple of scramble situations… and allowed him to catch the ball in the lane… I have been telling the guys that if we can find a way to add some way to rebound the ball, we will be better. It will keep us out of foul trouble, limit the plays the other teams can make, and allow us to play in transition.”
On Arkansas’ Shooting:
“I don’t have an answer to that. It’s a funny game. People need to understand it is still a game. I think tonight it was good across the board. You guys see that with [John] Jenkins when he inspires his team. Tonight, Rotnei [Clarke] started well and that inspired our team. I would also say Michael [Sanchez] was an inspiration. In the second half, we kept attacking. Our mindset stayed the same as they threw a lot at us… It was a team effort.”
On Beating the 19th Ranked Team on the Road:
“We are obviously happy when we win. The losses hurt more and we enjoy the wins. But, this is already over and done with. I anticipate my team, like myself, already has concerns about what we are going to do with Georgia.”
Arkansas forward Michael Sanchez Sanchez
On his game and coming back from his injury:
“I think of it as a team thing. I feel like everyone was executing their roles on the offense and spreading the court out to help me have opportunities to score”
On whether this is the best he’s felt since the AU season after his junior year in high school:
“I’ve been feeling that way like coach said right before the season. Before the season, I was feeling that way right before I got hurt. Like I said, I’m just trying to get back in shape.”
On beating a ranked team:
“It’s definitely a blessing to be out there and play like that and have the confidence they gave me.
Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke Clarke
On his game:
“I want to thank God first and foremost, but it’s a team thing like Mike said. None of that would have happened without my teammates. And coach put me in a position to set some cuts up and come off some screens and my teammates found me. It’s a team game and they found me and it’s all about them.”
On getting open:
“I just did whatever I could to create a little space to get open. Like I said when I came off some screens, I had a good amount of room from some screens that were set by my teammates. On some of the stepbacks I realized that they were playing me so close that they gave me some space to drive the ball.”