Gary Williams Team Quotations

I was really upset that we didn't finish early, because we had a chance to really jump them early. ... When a team stays close at halftime, they think they can beat you.

Percentages can be misleading. We weren't good with the ball. We had 23 turnovers. You have that many against a team as good as Gonzaga and you're in trouble.

What you have to try to do is put yourself in as good a position as you can put yourself into. Probably, we didn't get into a real good position this year with some of the things that happened. Hopefully, the younger guys on the team benefit from that and the seniors get a little different resolve as they leave.

He's certainly a great team defensive player. You don't get a lot of attention for that, but he makes N.C. State a very tough team defensively.

Our passing was excellent in the second half and we really executed. I was really proud of our team play, and we have to play that way down the stretch.

We didn't shoot well tonight, but we didn't execute well either. It's a team thing; everyone on the court has to take responsibility.

We didn't do it tonight, but it doesn't mean we are a bad basketball team because a lot of teams that were ranked higher than us couldn't get it done.

You look much better if your team wins.

We know we have to play well. Georgia Tech is a young team that certainly has shown it can play.

We knew this game was going to be close. Virginia Tech had played that way their first four games. We had to be tough. We weren't really sharp, but I was proud of the way the team came out at halftime. We played pretty well once we got going.

Every team that gets into the NIT has different feelings. Some teams are very excited. Other teams are trying to get over the disappointment of the regular season. I'm sure our guys are disappointed; I'm disappointed. But I don't let that affect the way I coach.

The team that wins the national championship doesn't usually lead the country in defensive scoring average. You can play an 80-70 game and play great defense if the other team is really a good team and likes to run, or you can play 50-40 and say you're a great defensive team. That never bothered me. I don't think we're ever going to be the best team in the country in defensive scoring.

After last night, it was disappointing to come out and play like we did. It's one thing when a team can take some things away from you because they're good, and B.C. will take some things away from most teams. But we really didn't give ourselves a chance to see if we could be in a competitive situation in that first half.

If you're going to be a good basketball team you have to play every play. I preach that all the time. And I kind of coach that way to back up what I say.

(Georgia Tech) plays you every play and they make you earn it. That's why I'm proud of my team because we earned it tonight. We made some mistakes, but we were tough enough to hang in there.

It's tough. Physically, it's got to be tough. But if you do get in that situation where you have to play (Thursday), I'm sure every team believes they can play four games and win the thing.

It really hurts to lose today, but from my perspective, there are certainly years when you get away and appreciate the team you had.

It was a really good team effort tonight. Obviously, this has been a tough week and it's been pretty hard to keep my focus, so it must be for the players also.