KENTUCKY PLAYERS Q&A:
* Otega Oweh... We just keep playing here, don't let frustrating things get us down. Play the next play.
* Oweh on Chandler... Great seeing it at this point in the year. He's not playing like a freshman anymore. Every time he gets out there, he's making plays.
* Garrison on helping Pope get his first NCAA win... Very important. Needed this one. Chandler echoes that: "The first of many."
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KENTUCKY HC MARK POPE Q&A:
* Pope says it's really cool to watch Otega Oweh support Collin Chandler the way he does. He's his biggest cheerleader. Whenever Collin does something good, he's the first one off the bench or who comes over to celebrate with him on the court, to dap him up and hype him up. In the same way, he's the first one over to pick him up and mentor him when something doesn't go right. It's really cool to see them work together. (Hmmm? Sewing the seeds for next year's star combo?)
* The best part of coaching is watching guys go through the process and growing, seeing a guy like Collin Chandler having that kind of game on a huge stage. Said there were quiet moments for him this season where he was sitting in the Lodge and wondering why it wasn't happening for him, did I make the right decision coming here? But he just kept going and kept going, and it led to this moment. That's the best part of coaching, watching that happen.
* Thought the players did a good job of being in the moment tonight.
* Thought one of the biggest plays of the game was Trent Noah's first 3. Thought it had a huge affect on us. And he played some nice defense.
* Brandon Garrison, I'm telling you guys, is going to turn into a really special player.
* Our guys' health is in tatters right now. We're doing it on guts right now.
* On the assists-to-turnover ratio (23:10) is about being super-aggressive offensively. You can't be timid against Troy the way they play defense. Our guys had the right recipe.
* Troy is a terrific team that fights really hard.
* On what it's like coaching in the city he played in during his NBA career.... Really good memories here. A daughter was born here. I was a terrible player, but it was really special. (lol). Gives a special word about Junior Bridgeman, a great Kentuckian and former Milwaukee player. No better example for what you can do beyond basketball.
* Asked what it means to get his first NCAA tourney win at Kentucky.... "It means Mitch isn't gonna fire me." (laughs). Means a lot to be able to do this at UK. But it's not about me, so I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. I think about what it means to our players, our fans, our community.
* Pope says he heard the great Vernon Hatton passed away before the game. He had visited with him recently. Wanted to highlight what a great legend of the program he was and a fellow member of the church. Great human being.
* Best thing about tonight: It means we get at least another 48 hours together.
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TROY HC SCOTT CROSS Q&A:
* Kentucky is a really good basketball team, especially on the offensive end, and I think our guys thought they could win tonight, but their size was an issue for us. Amari Williams tough in the paint for them.
* Knew that their guys off the bench could shoot. Brea, obviously, was the focus of our defensive plan, but they have a bunch of guys who can make them. Almonor was another we were worried about. Our focus was not to give up layups or 3s. When they started hitting back-to-back 3s, it really energized their team and demoralized ours.
* On seeing Amari Williams up close... His size and defensive ability were greater than what I expected. You see him on film and know he's big, but you don't realize how big until he's standing next to you. There's not much you can get on him outside of pick-and-pop, and you can't live on that. Carr's a good team defender, too, with his size and length. Butler's on-the-ball defense gives them a big lift. Those guys collectively played a good defensive game. If they play like that on D, they're as good an offensive team as I've seen.
