Jay Wright Team Quotations

Obviously, that was an incredible Big East battle. I think that's what this league is going to be about. We haven't played a team this good in an environment like this. I was actually prepared to come in here and lose and learn.

If some team told him they would take him in the first round, he might hire an agent and go. That's why I'm thinking it's so difficult for him. He's not a clear-cut lottery pick. If he was top 15, I'd make him go, I really would.

He did that his whole high school career. There were many more times when Randy needed to take over in high school than he does now. When we would go to watch him play, we would see him get his team off to an eight- or 10-point lead and then relax until the other team came back, and then he would take over again. He did that his whole high school career. It?s been our biggest challenge with him, but it?s also what makes him such a special player. No matter what went on prior in the game, when the game is on the line, he?s ready to take over.

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Our guys still have some things to prove. But I'd be proud to have my team compared to that team.

I think they are probably the best defensive team in the tournament, ... They are very well-coached, especially on the defensive end.

I think our team playing well helped him. I know he's very concerned about joining this group, his senior class. That was always his motivation and I didn't want to take that motivation away from him.

I thought that might have been one our best defensive efforts of the season. They are a very tough, physical team and we always worry about being a small team because of our guards that I thought we handled their toughness with quickness and toughness defensively.

We just didn't do a good enough job today covering the 3s, ... When they hit those 3s they are a very difficult team to beat.

We just didn't do a good enough job today covering the 3s. When they hit those 3s they are a very difficult team to beat.

That was a typical tough game on the road in the Big East. It didn't take South Florida long to figure out how to play like a Big East team. ... That team is going to win some games in this league. They're good.

We ran into a team that played better basketball than us. I think we can play a lot better and we can shoot a lot better, and the other team had a lot to do with that. They were really good.

We ran into a team that played better basketball today. We're going to suck up this hurt tonight but I want to make sure my guys feel great about themselves. They gave everything they had.

We really enjoy as a team the time that we spend together, just coaches, players hanging out. We always get that on the road. There is an enjoyment to being on the road for us and that's what Minneapolis will be like. We think we're even tighter on the road. We're going to really take advantage and enjoy that.

To be a great team you have to be able to recover from that.

When you play a seasoned team like that, and you get a lead, you just know they're going to get a run.

We've not been paying attention to the polls. We really want to be concerned with being the best team we can be at the end of the year.

One guy, Speedy Claxton. He reminds me a lot of him. You ask how does a guy 5-10 make it to the NBA? That's the kind of things Speedy did. He's the only other person I've seen do that. That's why he's special. A lot of guys say, 'I'm a point guard. I set people up, that's what I do.' Kyle's a ballplayer. He says: 'I'll do anything I have to do'... The point guard is not supposed to do that. A good team can block out four guys. You're not thinking about blocking out the point guard, but he loves that. That's a basketball player.

South Florida was well-prepared and did a good job. It wasn't a case of us going out on the road and not being able to shoot well. Their defense had a lot to do with it. We just tried to tough it out and play hard for 40 minutes. That team is going to win some games in this league.

Cincinnati plays as hard as any team in the Big East, and this environment is as difficult as any in the Big East. We're going to see the same thing Sunday. It's like we set this up for perfect preparation.

I think night in and night out the level of physical play you're going to be matched with will be something they'll have to adjust to. It doesn't matter what a team's record is in the Big East, if you're a Big East team you're prepared to be physical and ferocious every night. I don't know of any teams have a finesse style of play. It's almost like playing football, where you can physically get beat up. You're going to get physically challenged every night.

They came at us in the second half like they were going to show us that they're the No. 1 team in the nation, and we weren't ready for that. But then we responded.

They were on the top of every aspect of their game. We will learn from this. You've got to beat the best team in their own house.

That's something our team can do because of our depth. I have confidence in our guys, one through twelve, and we have good team quickness. That helps us create turnovers.

That's the beauty of this team. We have a lot of guys who have the ability to score, but give it up because of the other guys. And then when they're needed, they'll do it. Like tonight, we needed Mike and Kyle to score and they did. Randy gets 10 rebounds tonight and he's in foul trouble and he doesn't care because we won. It's a fun team to coach.

They know so much about the other teams. They don't know anything about themselves, about where they fit in. I talked to them about it a little bit yesterday. I said the freshmen were going to be sick of hearing about this team from me because what they did in this regular season was incredible ... But I don't think they realize where they fit.

They are probably more skilled at every position than any Big East team that we play against because everybody can handle it, pass it, shoot it well. They remind me of Connecticut, but with their size at every position and with the way they push the ball at you, they are just a little more skilled at each spot.

He came in as a freshman and got better and better every year, and really by taking a team over and leading a team to a championship got him Player of the Year.