University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes
February 22, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2003
Recap?|? Stats?|? Notes?|? Photo Gallery
Alabama vs. Tennessee
Thompson-Boling Arena
Knoxville, Tenn.
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH BUZZ PETERSON
"I was very disappointed. We need to take better care of our home-court advantage than this. Alabama ran their offense without resistance from us in the first half by going after the loose balls and the rebounds. They played like a team that really wanted to win very badly. Give Alabama a lot of credit.
"Our team looked tired. We fought back, but my big concern is that we get that good, mental sharpness again. We need a couple of wins. It seemed Alabama wanted it just a little more than we did. They were knocking down their 3-pointers today. Brandon Crump just didn't step up. I didn't like the match-up, defensively, when we had both Brandon Crump and Ron Slay in the game. Because of that, we went small a lot of the time. Slay was bothered by cramps today.
"I'm going to have to have a talk with Jon Higgins. He's got to take those shots. He did take them towards the end of the game, but he must be aggressive on offense the entire way. We wanted to get off to a good start, but we were climbing a wall the whole way.
"Late in the game, C.J. Watson took a 3-pointer when he needed a 2-pointer, and he took a 2 when he needed a 3. Those are freshman mistakes. But that wasn't what lost the game for us. We lost it before we came through the locker room door. We need to get back where we were two weeks ago."
ALABAMA HEAD COACH MARK GOTTFRIED
"I'm proud of our team. It was a good win. There were stretches in the game where we looked like a very good basketball team. We have a group of players who are great people, and they don't get down. They keep playing hard.
"We put it together outside our own building. Kennedy Winston gives us a dimension we didn't have before January. The last four games he has played well. It's easier for the others to step up and have success when he plays well. I thought the first part of the game was critical. It was important how we started the game today. We had a good start with a lot of guys making big plays.
"Terrance Meade works hard, and I had a good visit with him the other day. When it came time to substitute, I thought I would give him a chance and he responded. Give him credit. We did a pretty good job on Ron Slay. We wanted to limit his catches. He's not afraid to bump. He got a lot of points tonight from the free-throw line."
