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University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Wake Forest Quotes
February 15, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2011
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Postgame quotes
UNC Head Coach: Roy Williams
Opening statement:
"Okay, it's a win. We were pleased with that. I was afraid it was going to be a difficult game. Everyone has talked so much about that four game stretch [in 10 days]. I believe our guys thought that was a mountain that they could not climb because we were so happy about trying to climb that mountain that we forgot to have our intelligence and intensity level as much as we needed it tonight.
"We had a couple of good stretches, we really did. And Wake [Forest] came to play and played very well. I think they were frustrated by the way they played Sunday against North Carolina State. They were a little quicker to loose balls and more effective than we were. But we had a couple of really good stretches. I thought we were good for a good portion of the first half and then made two big, dumb defensive mistakes [in] the last couple possessions of the first half. We should have had a five-second call, [but] instead we give them a three-point basket on the last play.
"And then in the second half, we're all right out there and then [Wake Forest] makes some shots and we're not getting it inside--not finishing. And then, my gosh, we had some open looks and didn't make them. So I told [our team] what great shooters we were at half time and then I yelled and screamed at them during a timeout because telling them what great shooters we were didn't work. So I was willing to try something else and that didn't work either. Then we had a little spurt there and Harrison [Barnes] had the dunk off of a pass from Kendall [Marshall]. Then Kendall makes a three. Then [Wake Forest] had some good things and I think cut [the deficit] to eight. Then we [answered] with an 11-0 run I think it was at that point.
"But all in all it's a `W'. We have got to get better though. I think we took too much of a deep breath. I don't mind catching your breath but we have got to be more focused than we were. And yet again, give Jeff [Bdzelik] and his crowd--I know they had a very disappointing game at home on Sunday--they came in with a good plan and milked the clock and got it down a couple of times early in the game and made us play defense longer."
Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelik
On what was going right for them tonight, especially since North Carolina had been on a real roll lately:
"When we cut it to eight I think we went four minutes without a basket. We had an opportunity there I think in the open court we turned it over. You know, we just tried to be really active. We just all year long we've had a hard time just culminating finishing defensive possessions with defensive rebounding. Once again tonight we out shot them from the floor and the arc. We just give teams double digit more possessions because we allow them to just really... their best offense is on the offensive glass."
On what it's like to come up with a defensive strategy to work the way it did and still not be enough:
"You know, part of defense is finishing. You know, all year long, how many times have I sat up here and we've held teams to, you know, when we played Duke, we held Duke initially to almost 29 percent from the floor, but then they just killed us on the offensive glass. And there's been many times that we've held teams in the thirties and even high twenties, but then they just get so many extra opportunities off the offensive glass. Believe me, we were not blocking off. But we can't simulate the size in practice that we encounter in the game and when we block off, we need to do it with force to carve out space so we can nullify their length. We don't do it very well. We're just not a very physical team inside."
On how tired the team is getting of losing:
"You know what, you can't feel sorry for yourself. Yeah, it hurts. But, hey, it's a big boy league. It's a man's league, let's phrase it that way, it's a man's league. You know, in life, you don't always get what you want. We've talked about that before and you have to earn it, and no one's feeling sorry for yourself and that's the way it is and sometimes you need to take your lumps. I remember talking to Coach K, his first, what his second or third year they didn't win very many games and got beat pretty soundly. And others too when they first came into the league, especially freshman, but if they stick together and they keep battling. Sometimes, yeah, they get down on themselves and that's why sometimes it doesn't appear we're playing hard, but it's my job to keep them focused, and encouraging, demanding, accountable, and they'll grow up. And when they grow up, they'll be dishing it back out one day."
