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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 12, 2017Mike AndersonDaryl MaconManuale WatkinsNashville, Tennessee Kentucky - 82, Arkansas - 65 THE MODERATOR: We'll ask Coach Anderson for some general comments on the game. Then we'll take your questions just for the two student-athletes and excuse them back to the locker room. And then we'll finish up with Coach Anderson. Coach? COACH ANDERSON: First of all, congratulations to Kentucky. They're the automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament from the SEC. Hard-fought game. Obviously, they had a pretty good ending to the first half. I thought that was big going into the second half. But, as truth to our character, our guys they fought back and cut it to 9 going down the stretch. And one of them you saw going down the stretch, competitive teams. They're both teams going at it, getting after it. Sometimes the temperament gets out of hand. But it was unfortunate but, at the same time, I don't think anybody was intent on trying to hurt anybody. But at the end of the day, our guys fought to the bitter end and came up a little short. Now it's on to the next goal. I always talk about winning National Championship, and only way you win a National Championship, you got to be in the tournament. And we feel we'll be in the tournament, but we don't want to just be in the tournament. They call it the dance. We want to dance. That's our focus, that's our our mindset. This one here it hurts a little bit because it is the Championship of the SEC, but now we move on to the big goal. THE MODERATOR: Take your questions for either of the student-athletes. Q. Both of you, I saw Monk do at least two throat slashes. I think one was in front of y'all's bench. What did you guys think of that, and do you think that had something to do with kind of what happened at the end where guys were obviously getting pretty upset with each other? DARYL MACON: It had nothing to do with it. I don't know what exactly he said to the bench. I wasn't really paying attention to it. My mind was so focused on the game. I guess he was excited he hit a shot. Congrats to him. What you saw at the end, that wasn't us. We kind of lot of our composure and just got to get back to it. MANUALE WATKINS: I don't think -- it just people competing. I don't think it had anything to do with anything excessive or anything like. Just two competitive teams going at it. We got to just get our mind ready because we got a lot more basketball. That's all we're focusing on right now is keeping our mind right and getting ready for more basketball. Q. I guess, Manny, you said yesterday you don't like Kentucky, they don't like you guys. Do you think that was some of that coming out, the competitor -- competitiveness of the teams, Manny? MANUALE WATKINS: Anytime you're playing an Arkansas/Kentucky game, those games are heated. Heated. It's competitive. On top of that, it was a Championship game. Just a lot of emotion in the game and everybody is wanting to win really bad. That kind of stuff happens when it's really competitive, two teams that have got a history with each other. But, at the end of the day, it's just basketball, we're playing basketball. That stuff happens in basketball games, but we're not focused on that. We're just focusing trying to get the win. But like I said, we're going to keep focusing on the more basketball we have to play. THE MODERATOR: Hands up. Other questions for either? All right, fellas. We'll excuse you. You can return to the locker room. Thank you. Q. Mike, you seemed frustrated with the officiating. What was your take on that today and just what were your emotions about it at all? COACH ANDERSON: Can't comment on that, Bob. THE MODERATOR: Other questions. Raise your hand. Q. You guys have to go from this to Bracket Watch Party in two hours. How to you sort of get the team turned around? COACH ANDERSON: Feed them a little bit. They'll be okay once they get some food in them. This was a quick turnaround and obviously Kentucky played well. We didn't play particularly well. They shot the ball well, kept us off the glass. At the end of the day, we were playing for a championship in the SEC and -- as I said, our biggest goal was, number one, to be dancing and we will be doing that. I think once our guys get away and let the emotions kind of run out, I think we'll -- of this game. These guys, if you watched our team, it's been a team of streaks. We won a lot of games in a row. It ends another streak we had going. Now we want another streak of six. How about that? Q. Mike, I asked the guys about the Monk throat slashing. What did you think of that? COACH ANDERSON: I didn't see it. That's kids being kids. I don't know. I'm glad our guys didn't do it. I didn't see it, so I don't condone that. THE MODERATOR: Other questions, raise your hand for Coach Anderson. Any others? All right. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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