University of Tennessee Athletics
UT-Kentucky Postgame Quotes
March 02, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl: "It's a great day for Tennessee basketball, and a great day for SEC basketball. A lot of people probably thought with Patrick Patterson out and the building, the pageantry, and all those things, that those things would bring us a win. But it was not to be the case.
"Some of the Kentucky players really stepped up today. Ramel Bradley showed why Kentucky took him rather than Chris Lofton. Coming out of New York city, he was the best point guard in the nation. Some of the Wildcats, like Bradley, played 40 minutes. We were into 30 minutes with some of our guys, and as a result, we could make plays.
"There was a lot of pressure on Tennessee today because of the kind of season we have had and the road we have traveled. Kentucky is hot; they had won 9 of their last 10. But our guys were ready to play. Kentucky made great plays, while they were falling down, from beyond 30 feet, but today Wayne Chism followed up some missed shots, Tyler Smith took it to the basket, and JaJuan Smith made some great defensive plays
"Kentucky is the most patient team in the SEC. We pressed all day long, and tried to wear them down. Some of this is uncharted territory for us. I hope, at some point during the rest of the season, we will be able to relax a little bit more than we did today. Bill Raftery told me after the game that he has not seen a team play a schedule like this night after night.
"We showed enough poise down the stretch to win. We love games that are in the 80s and 90s in scoring, but we showed in this game we can beat them at their game. Florida is talented and young. The Gators will give us all we want. They will be a challenge. South Carolina has ball-control guards that we will have to contend with.
"It is not easy, and it is not always pretty. We may not be smartest or the best, but we are resilient."
Kentucky Head Coach Billy Gillispie: "It was a tough loss. We came over here with the intention of winning against a very good team on its home court. We played extremely hard, but we did not get it done. I was really proud of a courageous effort by our players. We played very, very smart for the most part, and I am really happy about that. I do not know if I have been a part of a more courageous effort, understanding the circumstances. But regardless of that, it is still a loss.
"We did as well as we could. We got in foul trouble with Joe Crawford, and that was a tough break for us. We were not able to get the production we needed from him?? that he always gives us. Everybody else stepped up. Derrick Jasper played a great game, I thought, Ramon Harris was the best he has ever been. Harry Stevenson was the best he has ever been. Ramel Bradley played really solid; Harris made a ton of big plays.
"We had a great chance at the end. We put ourselves in a great position to win today against a very good team on its home court. Obviously it did not happen. That is what we came here for. The best part about it is our guys will not ever accept sympathy. They did not look for sympathy. We suffered a tough break less than 48 hours ago, and those guys said lets figure out a way we can do this. We tried to figure out a way to do it, came over here, but came up a little bit short.
"Regarding the last series, I should have called a timeout. It was my fault we did not get to the right spot. We ended up with two decent shots. Crawford can make something out of nothing so many times. We ended with not exactly what we wanted, but we did get two looks at the basket. I thought Crawford's shot had a real chance to go in. Any loss is heartbreaking, but these did not come here to get second place today in this game. They came here to win. They play to win, and it makes you extremely proud they don't care what hand they are dealt. A lot of people got a chance to see today what I already knew for a long time?? they do not let anything bother them, and they come to play, and they have gotten as tough as anybody I have been around."
POSTGAME NOTES
* The Vols recorded their 26th victory, which ties for the most in school history. The 1999-2000 team finished 26-7.
* The Vols' home-court winning streak stretched to 31 games, the second-longest streak in school history.
* Tennessee improves to 12-2 in SEC play; the first time Tennessee won 12 of their first 14 games since 1976-1977 started 13-1.
* The Vols retired the number of Ernie Grunfeld, who played from 1973-1977, and captured a gold medal for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1976 summer games. Fellow Vol greats Bernard King and Allan Houston were also in attendance to celebrate the occasion.
