BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2005

Jim Calhoun

Rudy Gay

Marcus Williams

COACH JIM CALHOUN: First thing, I sincerely want to congratulate Georgetown. They hit a three-pointer at the end, we're going home. They came back from nine, eleven, eight, thirteen. My opinion, shot the highest percentage. We've played 28 basketball games against very good teams. They shot the highest percentage against us, which is really, really sincerely a testament to them. I look throughout the country. People are always looking for tough teams to play as you try to take your matchups in the NCAA field. I would have to think, in what they've done, they would be very tough in the NCAA tournament. I would hope the committee looks at them very carefully. I think they're really NCAA tournament (sic). I don't think many teams would like to be stuck playing against their offense, what they've done. They have great heart, a good basketball. As far as we were concerned, I think we played one of our poorer games. A lot of that was caused by Georgetown. I think we were just loose, didn't savor things, took ill-advised shots, ill-advised chances, threw the ball away. Just did things that we don't normally do. That's unfortunate. It's the first time we've played so loose. I mean, collectively, defensively and offensively, in probably a month. It's not really what I want to see as we come into the BIG EAST tournament and as we get ready, in our first game in postseason play. We did win, and that's what the idea is, and advance. But I wouldn't want to be taking that kind of game that we had mentally - not physically - but mentally, into an NCAA tournament game against anybody. We just couldn't stay connected. Last play, next to last play of the game, Josh takes the ball out of bounds. Takes it out, throws it to our point guard, Charlie Villanueva, who proceeds to throw it away, not use the time-out. It wasn't Charlie's fault, but Josh hadn't taken the ball out of bounds the entire game. Set up the basket, which in turn sets up the fouls, which in turn sets up the chance for them to win the basketball game. I think that was indicative of a lot of things we did, not getting over the top of screens. When we ran our offense, I know we'll go back and do our efficiency chart, we're probably about 90% when we stay with that stuff, obviously 10% when we just went off. The lack of concentration by us was really evident to me. The 48% tells me all I need to know because we played 28 games and didn't allow that against Oklahoma, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, etc. We just held Pittsburgh to 29% a week ago. Once again, giving Georgetown a great deal of credit, I would also say we did not play a very good basketball game caused certainly by Georgetown but caused certainly by the fact that we did not concentrate. The play at the end isn't to go after Josh. It's to go after something indicative of the way we played, in my opinion.

COACH JIM CALHOUN: Well, you know, last time we played Georgetown, beat them by 20. So if we play Rutgers, I don't know what that score would be, but if we play Syracuse, based upon we beat them by 20 last time, they'd probably win by 15, if we continue to play the way we played tonight. I'm not thinking about Syracuse. I'm not thinking about Rutgers. The little leprechaun from St. John's once told me, "You can only coach one team at a time." I don't know which team I'm going to be coaching against, but I really have more concerns with the guys here on my left than I do whether it be playing Syracuse or Rutgers. I do know this much, that I try to hopefully pass on to this young team - and I think only five of our kids, or six, I can't think of what the number is - were actually on the floor last year. This is their first game at Madison Square Garden. We do not play here during the regular season. That's not an excuse, just a statement of fact. I try to be a basketball romantic with them, telling them very simply Friday night at Madison Square Garden or a Saturday night are pretty special occasions. Obviously, it works so well that we almost lost a game. My point being simply I'm looking forward to the semifinals. I think it's always one of the great nights of BIG EAST basketball when you've got some of the best teams in the country playing. I'm looking forward to whoever we play, yeah. It's a fun night and you know the crowds will really be terrific, and it really is a special place to play basketball.

RUDY GAY: It was great playing, you know, in a place like this with so much history, you know. But when I went out there, you know, I really didn't think about that. I was just thinking about winning the game. It was a little closer than I thought it was going to be, but that just happens, you know.

MARCUS WILLIAMS: I think the day off hurt us, and Georgetown was already in a playing mode. We just came out flat, with dead legs, I think. I think tomorrow we're going to be more energetic, going to be ready to play.

COACH JIM CALHOUN: Well, you know, in fairness to him, I was trying to get spots for him where he could just get some success, and the game seemed to be playing that way, then obviously the game changed near the end. We had to try to win the game, never mind get Rashad success, because that won't come. So I think it's a nice step for him back. I even got a good chance to yell at him about getting beat on a backdoor cut to make him feel welcomed back. He'll just have to spot, and I think, you know, he'll come back tomorrow and be ready to play at least as many minutes, if not more. And if we're fortunate enough to keep on going, and into postseason play, I'm sure he'll have something to say about our success.

COACH JIM CALHOUN: Well, it really didn't. We threw ourselves off. To be honest with you, we had some fastbreak opportunities that really were adventures, I mean real adventures. We go Wednesday, today's Thursday. So seven days, eight days ago - excuse me - we put 83 or 84 on Georgetown and scored I think 34 points off fast break. Tonight I think we probably scored 10 points off fast break. We can run against them, we just went with real hard defense, and then we stopped scrambling as well and making them turn it over. In the first half, we got a 10-point lead just getting it going. Then we just didn't play. I think Marcus said it best, we didn't play with the enthusiasm that we have all year.

MARCUS WILLIAMS: I was guarding him, and he was fading. I kind of figured he wouldn't make it because he was off balance. I was just hoping we'd get the rebound.

RUDY GAY: When I saw it go up, you know, I thought it was a possibility, you know. He's been playing a good game the whole game, a possibility that it would go in. But I think it's good that it didn't go in, though (smiling). That's pretty good.

COACH JIM CALHOUN: Unselfish basketball, averaging something like 75% of all baskets have been assisted. 31% from the field, field goal percentage defense, domination of the backboards, about 10 block shots a game. We didn't have as many block shots. We didn't do a good job in some of the areas. That's where the disappointment -- I told the kids after we went through the kids we didn't do. That's by us. I hope it's a one-time occurrence, otherwise we'll be going home tomorrow night. And if it isn't, and you're ready to be the team that has made this run, you're right, 10 out of 11, we'll be all right. We played some awfully good basketball against some very good teams. Didn't play particularly well tonight but we're playing tomorrow. That's the most important thing. As long as we understand the mistakes we made today and benefit from them. Sometimes we fool with the game a little bit and the kids don't realize that things happen, and it happens particularly in a one-and-done season, like tonight. As I said, kids sinks a three, we're talking about going home, and next week you really go home; you really go home.

COACH JIM CALHOUN: I was happy to have him back. I wish he had more success, but I didn't expect more. I wanted him to test his legs, get back in the game. It was good to see him on the court. He's going to have to play more. It's really hard. He went through a life-threatening experience. It's a very, very difficult thing. I would love to have him make that one, when he took that one shot, just to get himself back in. It's great to see him in uniform. He's a very positive kid. These kids have done a great job for us in the past month. This is a young basketball team, it's their first postseason game. They're not going to get a very high grade from me, but based upon what we just -- was mentioned, over the past month, we could play almost anybody in the country. We have to get back hopefully by tomorrow night, and I think we can. We can get back to concentrating, doing the things that we do well.

COACH JIM CALHOUN: Thank you.