On the seeding:
Pleased. Pleased with the seeding we are and getting ready to go home and watch four or five Morehead games then I can fill you in a little better.
On practice:
They wanted to do some things, so we had an offensive practice yesterday and a defensive practice today. Not long, just kind of going over some things but it’s hard when you don’t know who you’re playing and what you’re trying to do. Just tried to kind of refresh them on some things that we had done earlier in the year that I thought would be good for us now.
Derek Culver’s health:
He’s doing good. He’s running well and we’ve got to get him to be more assertive around the rim again.
Things they’re trying to improve heading into the Tournament:
Score more than they do. You know, instead of less. That keeps you guys happy. That’s it. We’ve missed free throws; we’ve turned the ball over. We’ve kind of kicked ourselves in the tail more than anybody has kicked us in the tail. We just haven’t done a very good job of one making free throws down the stretch and two taking care of the ball.
Differences in the NCAA Tournament this year with the bubble:
The thought is, whatever it is 67, and then there won’t be that many and then it’ll get cut again after the second round and as those people are cut the thought is, they’ll go home right away. So, it’s going to open up more space for the people that are there. We want to be one of the ones who get to stay longer.
Plans:
We don’t know anything other than we’re playing some time on Friday. We don’t know when we’re leaving. We don’t really know anything. I think we’re leaving tomorrow but we don’t know what time yet. We need to find that out so we can plan to work out here before we go if possible. We don’t know a whole lot. We’re just happy to be going. Yeah, because we’ve been off a while. We’re kind of anxious to play again.
Knowing Morehead State’s coach:
I don’t know. I don’t know him, and I don’t know if he was with John Calipari or not.
Looking at the rest of the bracket:
Obviously, I looked at who else is in our bracket and we’ve played San Diego State before, we’ve played them in Las Vegas. We’ve played Syracuse a bunch back in the old Big East days and those two guys I know very, very well.
The schedule they played this year:
I think the fact that we struggled a bit down the stretch, and we lost nine games and we’re a three seed. I think that bodes well for who we played. I think we played as good of a schedule as virtually anybody has. When you start looking at teams in the NCAA Tournament and where they’re seeded. Obviously, our league helps a lot with that. We had so many ranked teams. I think we’ve played a very competitive schedule; a very well-rounded schedule and we’ve just got to kind of go over some things that we need to do and do better, but I feel good where we are.
Difference in regular season games and tournament games:
It’s the finality. When you lose in the NCAA Tournament your season is over and you don’t play again for another two or three months. I think that’s the biggest thing.
Close games getting them ready:
I think it’s got to help. Maybe help more if we won more of the close ones but I think it’s a big help for us.
Gauging how his team can play:
No. I think we can bring up the fact that the last time we played Morehead they had an NBA All-Star, I think the second pick in the Draft. Fortunately, we had JC to guard him. Everybody in there can beat you. As it’s been seen in recent years, everybody can lose including Baylor and Gonzaga, who everybody acts like can’t be beat, but I certainly don’t think that’s the case.
Introducing Morehead State to team:
As soon as I find out when we’re leaving tomorrow and what time I can schedule practice. Right away. I think the more familiar they are, the more prepared they will be for whatever it is they throw at us.
Special meaning after last year was canceled:
I think for everyone it’s been a long year. It’s been a long year with a lot of starts and stops and so forth. I think for the most part these guys have been really good. We had a couple let downs, but I don’t see how that happens in the NCAA Tournament. The time you reference, our guys just totally took them for granted and we got behind and they did a great job not letting us catch up. I think these guys will be ready to go and they’ll be chomping at the bit to be able play in the NCAA Tournament. We don’t have a lot of guys who have played in the NCAA Tournament. We were going to have a lot of returnees from last year that were going to play last year, but we never got the opportunity to play. I think they’re going to be excited about playing in the NCAA Tournament.
On Morehead State being 19-1 in the last 20:
First thing that comes to my mind is that they didn’t play in the Big 12. Bit of a difference. When you look at that bracket and you look at the respect our league got. How many teams we got in, seven teams in, but more importantly than that look at the seeds. I’m sure they’re capable, but I don’t really know anything about them right now. I will, but I don’t know anything about them right now. I don’t know if being 19-1, if you’re taking things for granted or 19-1 means you’re really excited and fired up to go. I know with our guys we want to keep playing. It was a really disappointing thing that was a hard loss to Oklahoma State because we wanted to stay around Kansas City longer. It may help us.
Pleased. Pleased with the seeding we are and getting ready to go home and watch four or five Morehead games then I can fill you in a little better.
On practice:
They wanted to do some things, so we had an offensive practice yesterday and a defensive practice today. Not long, just kind of going over some things but it’s hard when you don’t know who you’re playing and what you’re trying to do. Just tried to kind of refresh them on some things that we had done earlier in the year that I thought would be good for us now.
Derek Culver’s health:
He’s doing good. He’s running well and we’ve got to get him to be more assertive around the rim again.
Things they’re trying to improve heading into the Tournament:
Score more than they do. You know, instead of less. That keeps you guys happy. That’s it. We’ve missed free throws; we’ve turned the ball over. We’ve kind of kicked ourselves in the tail more than anybody has kicked us in the tail. We just haven’t done a very good job of one making free throws down the stretch and two taking care of the ball.
Differences in the NCAA Tournament this year with the bubble:
The thought is, whatever it is 67, and then there won’t be that many and then it’ll get cut again after the second round and as those people are cut the thought is, they’ll go home right away. So, it’s going to open up more space for the people that are there. We want to be one of the ones who get to stay longer.
Plans:
We don’t know anything other than we’re playing some time on Friday. We don’t know when we’re leaving. We don’t really know anything. I think we’re leaving tomorrow but we don’t know what time yet. We need to find that out so we can plan to work out here before we go if possible. We don’t know a whole lot. We’re just happy to be going. Yeah, because we’ve been off a while. We’re kind of anxious to play again.
Knowing Morehead State’s coach:
I don’t know. I don’t know him, and I don’t know if he was with John Calipari or not.
Looking at the rest of the bracket:
Obviously, I looked at who else is in our bracket and we’ve played San Diego State before, we’ve played them in Las Vegas. We’ve played Syracuse a bunch back in the old Big East days and those two guys I know very, very well.
The schedule they played this year:
I think the fact that we struggled a bit down the stretch, and we lost nine games and we’re a three seed. I think that bodes well for who we played. I think we played as good of a schedule as virtually anybody has. When you start looking at teams in the NCAA Tournament and where they’re seeded. Obviously, our league helps a lot with that. We had so many ranked teams. I think we’ve played a very competitive schedule; a very well-rounded schedule and we’ve just got to kind of go over some things that we need to do and do better, but I feel good where we are.
Difference in regular season games and tournament games:
It’s the finality. When you lose in the NCAA Tournament your season is over and you don’t play again for another two or three months. I think that’s the biggest thing.
Close games getting them ready:
I think it’s got to help. Maybe help more if we won more of the close ones but I think it’s a big help for us.
Gauging how his team can play:
No. I think we can bring up the fact that the last time we played Morehead they had an NBA All-Star, I think the second pick in the Draft. Fortunately, we had JC to guard him. Everybody in there can beat you. As it’s been seen in recent years, everybody can lose including Baylor and Gonzaga, who everybody acts like can’t be beat, but I certainly don’t think that’s the case.
Introducing Morehead State to team:
As soon as I find out when we’re leaving tomorrow and what time I can schedule practice. Right away. I think the more familiar they are, the more prepared they will be for whatever it is they throw at us.
Special meaning after last year was canceled:
I think for everyone it’s been a long year. It’s been a long year with a lot of starts and stops and so forth. I think for the most part these guys have been really good. We had a couple let downs, but I don’t see how that happens in the NCAA Tournament. The time you reference, our guys just totally took them for granted and we got behind and they did a great job not letting us catch up. I think these guys will be ready to go and they’ll be chomping at the bit to be able play in the NCAA Tournament. We don’t have a lot of guys who have played in the NCAA Tournament. We were going to have a lot of returnees from last year that were going to play last year, but we never got the opportunity to play. I think they’re going to be excited about playing in the NCAA Tournament.
On Morehead State being 19-1 in the last 20:
First thing that comes to my mind is that they didn’t play in the Big 12. Bit of a difference. When you look at that bracket and you look at the respect our league got. How many teams we got in, seven teams in, but more importantly than that look at the seeds. I’m sure they’re capable, but I don’t really know anything about them right now. I will, but I don’t know anything about them right now. I don’t know if being 19-1, if you’re taking things for granted or 19-1 means you’re really excited and fired up to go. I know with our guys we want to keep playing. It was a really disappointing thing that was a hard loss to Oklahoma State because we wanted to stay around Kansas City longer. It may help us.
