Feb. 14, 2009
Kentucky Head Coach Billy Gillispie:
“Staying ahead was the most important thing we did today. They’re a great young team. I’ve seen them go up on Oklahoma by 25 points, and us staying ahead was the most important.”
“Jodie Meeks was fantastic. I didn’t know he had that many points. I knew he had 23 at half; I guess we had 24 total. I’ve never seen anything like what he’s done for us this year. It’s not like we say Jodie shoot it every time, he just makes stuff happen.”
“This is a great team. They’ve beaten some great teams and are going through some adversity right now. The crowd here is great, and so is the tradition. It was good to pick up a win here.”
On Jodie Meeks- “He makes the same cuts at the beginning of the game that he does at the end of the game. He runs just as hard at the beginning as the end. He’s turning into a complete player. He practices like he plays.”
Playing without Patrick Patterson – “You define your legacy when you face adversity, and I really believe we faced it and overcame it today.”
Kentucky Players
Jodie Meeks – G:
“I try to approach the game the same way without Patrick being there.”
“After I hit my third three, I felt like I was really in a rhythm.”
“We knew Arkansas is a very good team so we never felt comfortable with our lead.”
“As many great players that Arkansas has had as well as the players that have come through here, it is an honor to break the Bud Walton Arena scoring record.”
Darius Miller – F:
“I think Jodie’s mindset coming into the game was he had to play big in order for us to win.”
“It was a great performance by Jodie.”
“Jodie’s intensity when he makes shots rubs off on our team.”
Michael Porter-G:
“When Jodie is making shots like that it takes pressure off of us.”
“There was a big emphasis on us playing hard out there.”
Arkansas Head Coach John Pelphrey:
“(Jodie) Meeks had an awesome performance. He’s been good all season. We were just another defense left in his wake. He has an ability to almost see through you, to not pay attention to you and get shots off.”
“I was concerned about being able to run offense and taking care of the basketball. I thought it was hard for us all night long. We didn’t have a lot of turnovers, but the turnovers we did have hurt us a lot.”
“Stefan (Welsh) did a good job having to lead our team. The bottom line is Kentucky is outstanding defensively, and then (Welsh) had to turn around and guard Meeks.”
Arkansas Players
Michael Washington – F:
“They got ahead early. We made a couple of runs, but they hit shots when they needed them. (Meeks) had a good day and has proven what he can do against everybody. We still had opportunities. We just need to capitalize. Our guards did a good job. We just didn’t make enough shots.”
Stefan Welsh – G
“(Jodie Meeks) never stops moving. He’s big and strong. The more shots he hits, the bigger baskets he gets. He has a wide body with a quick release. I’ve been watching him this season just like everybody else has. I knew he was going to come in and be aggressive.”
“I had to step up, so it was a little different. I did my best trying to give my teammates looks and get them the ball.”
“Every loss is tough. We prepare right and play hard, and it just hurts because we know what kind of talent we’ve got.”
Rotnei Clark – G
“We never quit. We kept trying to stay in play. (Kentucky) did a good job capitalizing on runs and making more runs.”
“Any game you lose is tough, especially at home. We want to defend our home court, and we haven’t been doing that lately. We made a good run but couldn’t finish it off.”
“All of our attention was on (Meeks). For the other guys, it makes it easier because they can pop into those open spots.”
