University of Louisville Men's Basketball Post-Game Quotes
January 12, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2009
Recap | Box Score | Notes | AP Photo Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino
(Opening Statement) "That was as good of college basketball game as you'll see. There was tremendous play by so many people on both sides. They were playing their hearts out and we are real proud to win. I know what Notre Dame feels like because they played their tails off. They have a great team and we are evolving into a really great basketball team. I am really excited about the way our guys played. We've had three buzzer beaters now and in overtime. It is not easy to keep bringing it and that was my biggest fear going into this game. Sometimes two buzzer beaters and you have very little energy, but our guys really reached back. They brought the pressure. Obviously, the game that TWill had was a superman type game. Andre McGee and Preston Knowles put so much heat into the last five minutes that they could not get good looks; that was a big key to our defense. Then Terrence Jennings' (TJ) length helps us inside so we could play. Some things I didn't think I would see this early in the season is how intelligent we were running our offense down the stretch. I didn't think I would see that until February. We were brilliant in terms of inside-outside, reversing and doing all the good things. Even the shot Andre McGee missed was a really good shot. Rebounding and great defense, it was a tremendous college basketball game."
(On Samardo Samuels play) "I thought the whole team contributed in a big fashion. I thought Samardo, who was in foul trouble, really played well. Us getting TJ to evolve right now into that type of basketball player, it happened right in the Kentucky game. The light switch went on for that young man. From that point on in practice I have seen a different player. I didn't even know if he was this level until the last two weeks."
"From the Kentucky game, in the first two months of the season; I realized this when you get to know people he just couldn't grasp anything mentally. What I told him was that Earl Clark couldn't grasp anything as a freshman. It just takes time and repetition, don't get discouraged. Something happened in the Kentucky game, whether he was embarrassed or watching Patrick Patterson in film a light switch went. He really gave us a big lift tonight."
(On Notre Dame's shooting in overtime) "You know how tough it is to play the length of time that Andre and Preston played, pressing full court. We couldn't drop back anymore into zone because they were killing our zone. We had to press 2-2-1 and then do something we've never done and play man. Those guys kept the heat on from half court and then denied. You have to be in unbelievable condition to do what those two young men did. Then we were able to stay at home inside, we didn't have to help because of the length of Terrence Jennings."
(On Samuels versus Harangody) "I thought the team was really smart and Samardo was really smart by throwing it back out and getting a second pass to the post, not forcing it. We were trying when they switched Harangody and Earl, we were trying to get Earl to drive. We were very big on the glass and we did it down the stretch shutting down the three. They are an unbelievable basketball team. They are the toughest with one day or as many days as you want to prepare for them. They are a nightmare to guard."
Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey
(Opening statement) "Wow what a college game. I'm proud of our group because we answered every run. We were on the ropes a little bit in the second half, but you have to win it in regulation...have to win it on that last possession. Louisville made really key plays down in the overtime. The wind is taken out of your sails, but for us, we are going to be in a lot of tough atmospheres on the road in this league against good teams. Can we just prepare and do what we did again tonight and have a chance. I'll take that against seven of the other road games we have."
(On last position in regulation) "I think we had to get organized because their defense was really tough. It was hard to get entries, and it was even harder to feed the post. We had run that little set for Tory Jackson at about the seven- or eight-minute mark and he got a layup. And my feeling was we have to take our chances, to see if can drive it and see if he can get a hand check or see if he got a kick out. I think he had an open guy, but they made a great play on a deflection. And thankfully, Harangody made a heck of a play chasing that ball down. It was hard and their defense kind of changed how you wanted to attack that, and we felt a lot of times when they were really pressuring, we tried to get Tory (Jackson) in a situation to drive and make a decision."
(On the final 7:00 of regulation and overtime) "I think you have to give their defense credit. They really defended, I think we tried to get a couple of hand checks or so. We were at seven team fouls for a long time. We could've used a couple of those. I think you have to give them credit. They kept really contesting and getting after us. It was hard to get anything in transition. And that is kind of how we always come back. We got some easy ones in transition."
(On Harangody's fouls) "He's played with four before and he's pretty smart about them, and playing with it. We tried to get him off Samuels and put him more on Clark because Clark was out, instead of try to wrestle in the post. Zeller did a good job on post defense tonight. We're finding something with Luke Zeller here in the beginning of the Big East season -- that other physical presence in the post that we lost in Rob Kurz -- that's a developing thing for us that I feel good about."
