Billy Donovan Quotes (367 Quotes)

We didn't have the ball movement and the player movement that we had had in the course of the year. But I thought the defense and rebounding in the first half kept us somewhat close. I was pleasantly surprised that we were only down 11.

The biggest thing is, our kids play the game the right way. They're going to make the extra pass and move the basketball. We're averaging almost 20 assists.

I think you can (take) seeding in the SEC and NCAA Tournament and throw it out the window. If you're not a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the first round, to me there is no real big advantage. And I think sometimes people get wrapped up in a seed and say the higher seed should win.

This game was all about the 3-point line and our ability to guard it. They made very, very timely 3-point shots. ... The great equalizer in college basketball is the 3-point line. It's the No. 1 stat I look at.

I think our inexperience caused that. I'm not using it as an excuse. I think that when you win basketball games like we've won we've won on heart, passion and toughness.

This will be our second time to face South Carolina this season. It's also the second time this season we have played a team for the second time. They played with great emotion the last time we played each other. We got off to a good start early, but they were the better team that night. It was a six-point win for them, but they had us down 15 points at one point. This game will be a challenge for us. They have competitive kids and they totally out performed us. They beat us in every facet of the game. The challenge to our team is to take it one game to the next. Our last time against them is over. Our last home game is over.

I didn't think our guards did a very good job of blocking out. There were a couple of key situations in the game where our guards didn't even attempts to block out.

For 50 or 60 years, Kentucky has dominated this league. You can't expect every year for them to do what they have done.

They've been able to inspire a lot of different people... people that maybe are really, really in need.

We were able to work inside out. We had a little better balance in the second half and we still continued to defend the three. That was a big concern for myself going into this game.

It's a totally different team. This one is special because these kids have shown a level of selflessness and play the way the game should be played. They look out for each other. They care for each other. That shows on the court.

They started to understand that playing hard isn't enough. I think that stretch helped them understand that there was another piece to winning.

They are a terrific team and for us it's another challenge against a great team. They've proven that with what they did against Connecticut and Michigan State and North Carolina. I'm excited for George Mason and it's great for college basketball.

The way our schedule works out is probably a little more of a disadvantage for our team because we are playing four of the last six games on the road. That is challenging. The only thing I am worried about right now is Vanderbilt. To me, that is the only game we have, and it's the only thing we need to worry about.

If someone wants to say, 'What Florida has done to this point in time means absolutely nothing... the regular season doesn't mean anything... the Southeastern Conference tournament championship means nothing.' That's fine.

John has done a great job over the course of the season with him, when you look at his growth and development as a player. He's a problem, because he can rebound, and he's a very good, an underrated passer. He can score. He does a lot of different things for his team.

They were unselfish. They wanted to win, wanted to learn. They wanted to work, and they wanted to get better.