Feb. 26, 2008
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings:
Opening statement:
“That was a weird game. I’d congratulate both teams on their effort. It was a hard fought battle by both teams that lacked any rhythm because of all the fouls and trips to the line. It wasn’t a game of particularly good shooting. We had a lot of missed foul shots, but the game was what you’d expect when these two programs play each other.”
On Andrew Ogilvy’s foul trouble:
“We went from a team with low-post presence to a team without as much of one. Alan [Metcalfe] came in during the second half and gave us a lift. We’re not as deep as [the Volunteers] are.”
On defeating a top-ranked team:
“Any big game is special, I think, if you win. The Florida game last year was special for me not just because we won, but because in the final minutes of the game, our guys played as well as any team I’ve ever coached. Tonight is big, too.”
On playing in a big game:
“Your job as a team is to find ways to win. If our main guys are in foul trouble, someone has to come in and win it for you. We needed the win, and it was also a big game for them. You want to win games any time you play them. Bruce [Pearl’s] orange coat designated it as a big game for them. UT handled us at its place. Tonight, we played better and only had eight turnovers. That’s why we’ve started winning. We’re taking care of the ball. I’m pleased because they’re the best defensive team in our league.”
On closing out games:
“We work on a lot of late game situations in practice. Our seasons have come down to our ability to be effective in close games. Since I’ve been here, we haven’t blown any league teams out. It’s something we drill home and, with good play and good players, we can execute and win.”
On Jamie Graham’s play:
“He’s been terrific in practice. If he can do what he does in practice, I have to play him.”
On Tennessee’s shooting percentage:
“I thought a lot of their shots were contested. I thought our defense had a lot to do with that. I think both teams missed some open shots also.”
Vanderbilt Players:
Forward Shan Foster:
On facing the No. 1 team in the nation:
“It’s an honor. Coach Stallings told us that people go their entire career without facing the best team in the nation, so we knew how important this game was. We prepared well for the game.”
On expectations going into tonight’s game:
“We expected to win. The first game was indicative to how we were playing at that time. Today was an indication of how we are playing right now, which is much better.”
On gaining redemption after losing first game against Tennessee:
“The first time we played them, I struggled and never want to play like that again. Tonight, I was able to knock down some shots and my teammates did a good job of looking for me at certain spots.”
On winning tonight’s game in comparison to beating No. 1 Florida last season:
“Tonight was different. Last season, we were facing the defending national champions. This season, we lost to Tennessee by a big margin at their place and wanted to win badly. This season’s game was more important.”
On the choppy tempo of the game:
“The tempo of the game made us focus on details throughout. They did a great job of attacking the basket and getting us in foul trouble.”
On the current winning streak:
“The four games that we’ve lost have given us an opportunity to see what we can improve on and get better. We practice hard and try to make ourselves better everytime we’re out there.”
Guard Jermaine Beal:
On beating the No. 1 team in the country:
“I’m happy that we got the win at home tonight. Everyone was happy in the locker room after the game and I was happy to get this win for the seniors.”
On Shan Foster’s play:
“I’m happy when he’s shooting well. I tell him to shoot it all the time.”
Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl:
On how big of a factor fouls were:
“I thought we put ourselves in a position there in the second half, on the road, to be able to gut one out again. And they got a period there in the second half defensively where we just fouled and sent them to the foul line a boatload of times. I thought that was a real difference because I thought both teams were having a real hard time scoring. We just sent them to the line too much.”
On Vanderbilt’s defense:
“Offensively they were able to do a really good job of disrupting us. We really struggled with three-point baskets. We could not finish at the rim. As a result, offense was a struggle. We did not turn the ball over – we did not want to turn the ball over on the road – and we did a good job with that, but obviously we didn’t score.”
On his team’s defense:
“Defensively we couldn’t turn Vanderbilt over. They have a done a really good job the last four or five games of not turning the ball over. I thought we came close a bunch of times, but we just couldn’t get them turned over.”
On whether his team was fatigued:
“It wasn’t a factor. Tyler Smith played with such passion and such energy and Chris Lofton played well for us. But we play best when everybody contributes and tonight we just did not get a lot of contributions from a lot of guys that normally do.”
On his technical foul:
“I felt like Vanderbilt shot more free throws when they came to Thompson-Boling Arena than we did, in a 20-point loss. We’re a good basketball team. We’ve beaten Xavier, Mississippi State, Memphis on the road. We’ve beaten three top 25 teams on the road.”
On how big of a factor free throws were in the game:
“Free throw shooting is always a factor in close games. We had a stretch in there where we did miss some free throws. Obviously free throws were a definite factor in this game. And we got there a lot. It was a physical game. If we make some of those free throws in those stretches where we had some dry spells then the game is a little bit closer. I thought the kids battled and we come here every year with a chance to win. It comes down to a last possession situation and we almost got that steal at the end with pressure and we just kind of ran out of time there.”
On his point guard play:
“We have got to get better point guard play, I can tell you that. Without a leader because it’s difficult from the bench to try set the table too much. Those guys have got to do a better of leading the team.”
On Shan Foster:
“Foster is a great player and a great shooter. He had six threes and got to the foul line obviously. He stepped up in a huge way.”
Tennessee Players:
Guard Chris Lofton:
On the game:
“I can’t say we didn’t play well. Vanderbilt deserves all the credit. They came out with passion and had more intensity in their eyes. They wanted it more than us tonight, and it showed. They got the win, and they deserved it.”
On the pace of the game:
“We were fouling. We put them to the line and they’re a great free throw shooting team. We can’t just panic and foul late in the clock, and that’s what we did.”
On Tennessee’s second-half run:
“I felt like it was a little turning point. It took them a minute, but they came back and fought hard. They extended the lead a little bit and just kept it up.”
On looking ahead:
“That’s what we talked about after this game. These next three games we need to win the SEC outright, something we haven’t done in the last 41 years.”
Forward Duke Crews:
On the game:
“We played a good game. We fought all the way down to the end. You’ve got to tip your hat off to them. Down the stretch they were able to execute a little bit better than we were.”
On the physical nature of the game:
“Every game at this point, going on into the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, is going to be like that. And that was something we came into the game expecting.”
On Tennessee’s recent four-day stretch:
“The whole No. 1 thing, it was good for the program and made our school look good, but that wasn’t our main focus. Our main focus is the win the SEC Championship. Going into the Memphis game, win or lose, this is a bigger game for us. This is a lot harder than if we had lost to Memphis and won here. We’re trying to win the SEC Championship, so now we have to get these next three games against Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina.”
