Feb. 18, 2009
Kentucky Head Coach Billy Gillispie
On rebounding:
“It was the entire game, or at least the biggest part of it. We had 15 defensiverebounds. If you have that few on the road, you’re going to get dominated.”
On Vanderbilt’s 40 free throws:
“They deserved them, They were very aggressive. They played well as a team, theymoved around, and they deserved to win.”
On team’s effort:
“Those guys played their tails off, but we didn’t play smart. We competed hard,but didn’t execute on offense. We would get discouraged and our defense startedlacking. We played well in the first half, but didn’t carry out enough assignmentsto make us catch up.”
On Vanderbilt’s effort:
“When you don’t make plays, your margin for error is destroyed. Not all of yourplays are going to work. We thought we could drive it against them. When we gotinto the paint, we didn’t get fouled enough and we finished with no plays andno points. It’s not a very good solution to win. We were in good shape in halftime,and when we came back, they took the ball from us and got on a roll. We got furtheraway from helping each other the further ahead Vanderbilt got.”
On Kentucky’s position now versus their first meeting with Vanderbilt:
“I don’t care what month it is, you shouldn’t be making mistakes of that magnitudeperiod…but especially not at this point in the season. Mistakes will be made,but we have to try to cut that back. We had some success with Jodie (Meeks) andhis 3-point shooting, but our stats don’t show success.”
Kentuck Players
#23 Jodie Meeks
On Vanderbilt defense:
“They did a good job on defense tonight. They tried to deny me the ball as muchas possible. I had a tough time making shots tonight. They did the same thingsagainst me earlier in the season.”
On start of second half:
“We have to do a better job of getting open shots whether its though settingpicks or switching over.”
On missing Patrick Patterson on the court:
“It was tough tonight. Patrick is a big part of our offense. When he’s not outthere, we face adversity but he’ll get back out there as soon as possible.”
On giving up second-chance points:
“Patrick (Patterson) is such a big part of our team on the offensive and defensiveend of the floor. We gave away some rebounds but its still not an excuse. Wehave to box out better and rebound better.”
On playing at Vanderbilt:
“Every SEC game is difficult to win, but Vanderbilt played well tonight and usuallyplay well here.”
On team’s rebounding effort:
“I thought we played Vandy well but there were some areas that we were laggingin. We could have done a better job getting defensive rebounds.”
On possibly not making NCAA Tournament:
“We want to make the NCAA Tournament every year but were going to try to closeout strong and get wins.”
#21 Perry Stevenson
On game:
“We were out-rebounded and you can’t do that and get a win. I could have playedbetter tonight. They have some big guys in the paint and they’re hard to getaround. We also weren’t scoring efficiently.”
On not having Patrick Patterson:
“He probably could have gotten most of the rebounds. He’s a huge void to fill.”
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Comments
“That’s more like what I’ve gotten accustomed to with these guys in terms oftheir energy and effort. I was really pleased, even at halftime. We played withgood intensity and emotion. I thought we did a good job on Jodie Meeks. LanceGoulbourne came off the bench and gave us a boost. We played well in the secondhalf. We started it off well and played well all the way through it. We got intothe Bonus early in each half.”
” Kentucky is a good team and we feel fortunate to have won. One of the best players in our league didn’t play tonight and we acknowledge that.”
On Guarding Kentucky Guard Jodie Meeks
“You have to keep pressure on him and work it. He gets to the foul line and he’sa good free throw shooter. He’s a great player and one of the best our leaguehas to offer.”
On Getting the Ball Inside
” Kentucky played four perimeter players most of the game and so did we. We alwayswant to pound the ball inside. When [Perry] Stevenson got in foul trouble, wetried to get it to A.J. [Ogilvy] and Festus [Ezeli].”
On the Game’s Key Stretch
“We started off [the second half] on an 11-2 run. I thought that was the keystretch in the game. When you come out in the second half and do that, it’s areal good sign.”
On the Play of the Vanderbilt Bench
“In the first half, Festus [Ezeli] had some good plays. He keeps getting better.Lance [Goulbourne] was a huge key in this game. He made it from three, he gotto the foul line, he played a real good game. I’m really happy for him. He deservesit.”
