Wisconsin Players - Saturday, March 26
2005 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
Syracuse Regional
March 26, 2005
Wisconsin player quotes prior to regional final game vs. North Carolina
SHARIF CHAMBLISS
How important is tempo going to be in this game and how do you want to control it?
“Obviously the tempo will be very important. We know that North Carolina likes to get up and down, and we have to get guys back on defense. On offense, touch the posts, and establish what we want to establish and make the extra pass and just play Wisconsin basketball.”
You say that you want to control tempo, but a lot of people have wanted to control the tempo too, against North Carolina, and they are still able to score 90 points a game. What do you do if you have to get into a contest like that, how can you guys keep up with that pace?
“First of all, we have to take care of the ball. I think that's one of the major things any time at this point of the year. Once you take care of the ball, you get a shot at the rim. No quick shots unless it's a good shot, and everybody on the team knows what a good shot is. We've got to just make sure we get guys back on defense and hopefully we can slow them down in transition.”
I personally like a team running stuff. I enjoy watching that. But it seems like a lot of younger players these days don’t necessarily want to do that, it is a lot of one-on-one. Is that true? Is that what kids want to do rather than run an offense?
“When they watch street ball they think that's exciting, but once you get to this level and this competition, you have to be able to run your sets, and have confidence in your offense. I think that's where we're starting to gel as a team.”
If I read your schedule correctly, this team won all six of the games you played this year, decided by six points or less. What was the key in doing that?
“Just sticking with our offense. Guys are going to sink the free throws down the stretch and I think we all have confidence in one another that we go out hard and get it done no matter what it takes.”
What challenges does Raymond Felton pose on offense and is there anything that he doesn't like to have taken away from him?
“Obviously, he's quick. He does a great job of getting his teammates involved. If you don't stop him in transition, he can get all the way to the basket or pull up and shoot the three. So, we definitely have to make a conscious effort to stop the ball.”
CLAYTON HANSON
Do you guys think anything of the fact that you scored 40 something points in the second half on N.C. State last night?
“I think for us the biggest thing was being able to get out in the second half and start playing the way we knew how. We were embarrassed by the way we played in the first half and I think that's the way we're capable of playing.”
You've been a defensive stopper this year. What are the challenges that North Carolina presents and will they be some of the biggest challenges that you face this year?
“Yeah, you look at every position, and they've got guys that can have a career night. I think it's going to be like any other game, a team effort, and position defense is going to be key for us.”
What challenges does Raymond Felton pose on offense and is there anything that he doesn't like to have taken away from him?
“We all know he's a playmaker and does a lot of things that makes them go; rebounds, moves the ball around, and finds the open man, and obviously, he can score with the ball too. He poses a lot of threats, and that's the challenge that we have to try to stop.”
ZACH MORLEY
In the locker room last night you talked about how when State went ahead early that you and your teammates had the confidence that you were a better team and you were going to win out. Do you bring that same type of mindset to North Carolina or how do you approach this game?
“We go into every game confident. When we get the opportunity, we'll take advantage of it and we just have to go in and play our style of basketball, try not to do more than what we can do.”
You've had experience through your career as a sixth‑man, and bringing that energy off the bench. What does Marvin Williams do for North Carolina?
“He's a great player and it shows. He does a little bit of everything for them. He comes in, he plays defense, he gets rebounds, and he scores. He just does whatever the team needs him to do when he comes in. That's what all sixth-men are supposed to do, is come in and help the team in whatever way they can.”
ALANDO TUCKER
There seems to be a pretty widely held notion that you are a boring team to watch. What's your feeling towards that?
“I really don't have any feelings towards if we're a boring team to watch. It is exciting playing with this group of guys, so I'm having fun. As long as we get wins. It doesn't matter how you get a win, if it is boring or exciting. The ultimate goal is to get a win.”
What did it mean to see for yourselves what Villanova was able to do to North Carolina last night, and were you able to take anything from their performance?
“Mike brought up good points, they worked the ball. They were swinging the ball. Villanova was actually scoring, they were swinging the ball, and that's something that we always practice, staying consistent, and finding the open guys. When you're watching the game though, you always want to take what teams are doing effectively, how they are scoring and how they are stopping guys. We were able to get some good things out of watching the first half of that game.”
I personally like a team running stuff. I enjoy watching that. But it seems like a lot of younger players these days don’t necessarily want to do that, it is a lot of one-on-one. Is that true? Is that what kid want to do rather than run an offense?
“That's exciting. You're watching it and you see all the moves, but when you're playing for a win, it's not about the excitement, it's about who is consistent and who is getting the job done. It might look boring, but as we always say, ‘we're trying to get wins.’ So it doesn’t matter. You can have excitement, but a lot of guys that do all of those things, they end up going home. You can shock the crowd, get oohs and aahs, but if you're going home at the end of the day, that's not fun.”
Do other guys your age see it your way or not?
“Before coming here, you don't really understand. You don't understand until you actually have to play out there and defend guys, and you actually are on the offensive end. You really wouldn't understand unless you were actually out there playing and we know we've been doing it since we've been here at Wisconsin. We learned that's the way you win. So, you maybe would not understand it unless you are actually out there on the court running sets and different things.”
Carolina is kind of the star power. You guys are mostly all from Wisconsin, and the Midwest. Is there something more when you play a team like North Carolina, with that type of cache, and being able to take your style against that?
“We've got guys that work hard. It doesn't take big‑name players to get far. That shows with our team. We're a team. We're focused on team concepts. That's the main thing. This is not any individual. Once we get recruited and everybody is on the team, you all put in what you have in order to help the team. You put all of your abilities out there to help the team win. It's all team concepts. It's not any individual, it's the whole team out there, and so regardless of how highly you're recruited, once you get on the team, you have to find out what you can do to help the team win. I think we've all really did that well over the course of the season.”
When you look at the games that you've played now, are you back to exactly where you were physically before your foot injury? Do you do the same things or are you still kind of feeling your way back and getting back to that guy?
“Well, physically, yeah. But mentally, you always are learning. You learn every game. I'm feeling good when I'm out there. I'm back to myself, but you always learn. You always have something to learn. You always can take something from your last game, and apply that to the next game. So, I'm always having something to learn, but I feel good physically.”
MIKE WILKINSON
When you play a team like North Carolina tomorrow who has so much size, how do you deal with that, two or three guys who are taller than you?
“It is something we've been dealing with all year. We've all played against guys as big as or bigger than us and, you try to just play about the same. You have to make them work. You can't give them anything easy. You have to keep a body on them on the boards. Just be as physical as they are. But you've got to do it without fouling and be able to move your feet and get around. It is something that everyone on this team has dealt with at one point or another. So hopefully we'll be ready for it.”
What did it mean to see for yourselves what Villanova was able to do to North Carolina last night, and were you able to take anything from their performance?
“We watched the first half of the game here, and I got to go back and watch the second half at the hotel. They were able to get inside and draw help. And find the open guys. We’re not the same team Villanova is, but we've got many guys that can do some similar stuff. It’s just going to be big key for us to not turn the ball over, get good shots and when we have open looks, knock them down. Teams have got some good looks. We just have to play our defense and get back and not give them anything easy and make them work for everything.”
When you are focused on getting back so much in transition, what suffers or what do you have to give up to get back in transition so well?
“I don't know if you really have to give up too much. I mean, just because we're getting back doesn't mean that we can't go to the boards. It doesn't mean that we are not going to be patient. Maybe a couple of long rebounds we won't get, but that may be it. We're still going to go to the offensive boards. We're still going to take good shots, be patient, and get what we want. We are just making sure we get back a little more than we have been in some other games.”
Could you compare North Carolina to Illinois and does having played a team such as Illinois with the great athletes like that, help to prepare you for what you're going to face against North Carolina?
“I think a little bit. I mean, they are still two different teams. They run different sets, but both teams can play, and both teams have great players. We have an idea of what it is going to take to match up. We just have to go out and do it now. Transfer what we have seen on tape and what we've learned onto the floor and into the game situations. And I think if we do that well, we'll be there at the end.”
