Pre-Arkansas
2-24-01
Coach Tubby Smith
On LSU
“We played as good of a second half as we have played all year. Bogans was outstanding and we need him to play that way every game. He is very capable of doing that and carrying the team. When Keith and Tayshaun (Prince) play the way they are playing they make us a very tough team. The bench has stepped up and given us great play as well. I think Cliff is settled down and playing with a lot more poise and I would expect that at this stage of the game. It takes time for new players to play in our system. I thought our defense against LSU was outstanding and that was the key.”
On Arkansas
“We need to work on our rebounding because tomorrow that will be critical. They are not a great rebounding team but they will really work on the offensive boards. For example, Larry Satchell has more offensive rebounds than he does defensive.”
“You don’t know who Coach Richardson will start. He has used 16 different lineups on the year. That tells you about the confidence that he has in all his players. When you can afford to not start Joe Johnson, you know he can mix it up.”
The importance of this game
“This is a critical game for us and I know it is important for Arkansas, we need to continue to win on the road so we are expecting a lot of intensity. We will have to have a complete game to win. They push the ball and they can put you away with their speed and athleticism.”
The key to beating Arkansas
“The key to us winning will be controlling the tempo, limiting our turnovers, and handling their trapping defense.”
On their speed
“They have so many people with so much speed that they just keep bringing it to you. They are as athletic as any team we have played. They create match-up problems for us because of their speed. They also have some size in their backcourt and that is deceptive because their big guys are still fast and versatile.”
On the atmosphere
“It is always intimidating to play at Bud Walton because of the crowd involvement. Their band wears the hog heads, their students are close to the floor, and it is always dark in their gym. Arkansas plays an exciting brand of basketball and it gets the fans involved so it is a concern.”
Tayshaun Prince
Playing at Arkansas
“The atmosphere is tough. Arkansas is one of the best defensive teams and they will put a lot of pressure on you. That just goes with how quick their team is and being able to use Joe (Johnson) at the four-spot gives them the opportunity to do that.”
On using past road wins to our advantage
“Now we know what it takes to win. With the previous four SEC road games we showed that we were able to pull it out. We had some teams come back on us and we were still able to pull the wins out. This game is real important because Arkansas is trying to get into the tournament. They might be in already, but if they beat us they will be in for sure. So they will be pumped up and ready to go. Hopefully, we can get in there and steal one.”
Saul Smith
Approach to practices
“Early on some of the guys used practice to get better, and some of the other guys were like I don’t want to go to practice. Now it’s a lot more competitive. Coach has made it to where the white team isn’t going to win every game. He splits Keith, Tayshaun, and I up and we have to compete against each other. Whenever you’re competitive in practice you get better. Our practice habits are the main reason we’ve been successful over the last 10 or 12 games.”
“We have a lot of characteristics of a good tournament team. We still need to improve our defense and rebounding. If we can keep improving in these areas we are going to be alright.”
Keith Bogans
“I feel pretty good right now. I played well in the second half last game and I’m just going to try to carry that down to Arkansas.”
First trip to Arkansas
“We’ve dealt with fans that are probably a lot more harsh than they are, and we’ve played in a lot of hostile arenas. As long as we stay focused and stick to our game plan, I think we will be fine.”
On Arkansas
“They are a quick pressing team. Our main focus is to handle that pressure, and limit our turnovers. If we can do that, then it will be a great game for us.”
