University of Tennessee Athletics
UT-Prairie View Post Game Quotes
November 16, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl: "It was one of those nights. I cannot say a lot of terrifically positive things, except to give Prairie View tremendous credit. Understand: we could have lost, but we did not.
"Our players will talk about it a lot, and they will not get beat for a while because they are not ready. We just were not prepared to play. Put the blame on me; it was a game we could have lost.
"We took the lead at the start of the second half, and that was a key. We had overwhelming talent that allowed us to be just good enough to win this game. This is not criticism; it is just a fact. Sometimes you have these nights.
"Prairie View played an inspired game, and with that start, they were in the game all the way. Our defense did a good job in the second half.
"Concerning Ramar Smith's troubles at the line, free-throw shooting is part mental. For him to get to the line 12 times is encouraging. I do not know if I want our players to see the game tape or not. We will decide in the morning about it. I am not disappointed. This is part of the process.
"Our concerns remain the same?? rebounding, free-throw shooting, and 3-point shots. It was a struggle."
Prairie View A&M Head Coach Byron Rimm II: "We were happy to be up at the half, but we knew it was a 40-minute game. We were not just happy to be here, though. We were determined to win, to cause one of the biggest upsets in the country.
"We really believe we can compete with any team in the nation. We had some writers who wrote we were the worst team in the nation, and that kind of fueled our fire. What people do not realize is we have four guys sitting out who should be starting. I believe we can match up with anybody in the country.
"Everybody in our conference plays a lot of high-powered teams. That is one thing we have to do to keep money in the budget. Our record is kind of distorted a little bit and everybody thinks we are in a bad conference. Once we get some of the big teams to come to our place, people will not talk bad about the SWAC."
POSTGAME NOTES
* Tennessee had 19 steals tonight, tied for third-most in team history.
* JaJuan Smith and Tyler Smith tied for team-high honors with five each.
* Ryan Childress tied his career-high with 14 points.
* Chris Lofton scored 14 points; he now has 1,601 for his career, placing him into 11th place in UT record books.
* Lofton passed Tony Harris (1998-2001 - 1,588) and Michael Brooks (1981-1985?? 1,600).
* Tennessee recorded 27 offensive rebounds tonight.
* Ryan Childress and Brian Williams recorded six boards each.
