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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2006

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Pitt is here. Aaron Gray, Carl Krauser, Coach Jamie Dixon.
COACH JAMIE DIXON: Okay, great team. Obviously, we have five guys in double figures. We had everybody step up. Obviously, the guys, we just talked to Levon on the phone, he's back at the hotel and he was excited.
Great effort. A lot of guys stepped up: Keith, Sam, John, gave us big minutes. All those guys. But these two guys made a lot of big plays right next to me. In rebounding, finding guys, Carl with six assists, directed traffic and did all the things, played good defense. Aaron and Sam got the rebounds.
Big key second half. We were even with them on the boards in the first half, I think we were up one, we needed to take advantage and win the battle on the boards and we clearly did that in the second half which was key and that's what we had to do and that's what we really did.
Took care of the ball. I thought we executed and really handled it. We did something different as far as handling the 1-3-1, put in a little different offense prior. I thought it was better for us. Put our guys in a little bit better position. Executed at that end.
But these two guys made all the plays, and I'm proud of them.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. (Inaudible) when you use the three guard lineup?
COACH JAMIE DIXON: We've done it all year long. We played those three guys together. It's really not a surprise. We've done it often. I think it's a good look for us. West Virginia is a little bit smaller, and play a little bit more perimeter-oriented. So couple factors went into that.
But we've done it before. We've played with it a lot. We practice with it. Nothing really different. It worked well tonight.
Q. Jamie and Carl, since you've never played Villanova, how often have you seen them this season?
CARL KRAUSER: We've seen them a lot. They've been on TV quite a bit now. We've just been watching the three-guard offense. Sheridan and those guys do a great job rebounding off of Allan Ray and those guys' misses. We're just gonna have to stay solid, stay together, just move the ball around, find an open man and just play Pitt basketball.
Q. Can you talk about the mindset coming in, rebounding.
COACH JAMIE DIXON: Well, it always is. That's what we do best, is rebounding, it's what we worked on. It's a fundamental that we practice every day, preach, we end drills. If you don't finish with a blockout you don't win the drill. It's engrained in our heads. When we're only up one on the boards at half time, that was the main thing. I think I said to you guys coming in at half time, "we got to get it done on the boards". TO win it by 17, 18, the second half, shows what these guys knew what we had to do to get it done and responded.
Q. How much do you think the energy of getting the start helped Sam for his early production tonight? What's Levon's status for tomorrow?
COACH JAMIE DIXON: Sam, you know, has played well. He's played well against West Virginia, too, in the previous two games as well. He's been good all year long. He finished well in the second half. We really got great passes from Aaron a couple times. He's just good around the basket, offensive boards. We're really trying to emphasize to him how great an offensive rebounder he could be if he goes every single time. He's just a freshman getting better and better, playing against seniors. That's why he's improved so much throughout the year. He continues to get better.
Levon, I don't think right now that he's going to be able to play. I mean, he couldn't even stand up when we left. Back spasms. So I don't know how it's going to be. He was with us, talked to him before the game, just talked to him after the game. He's a big part of us. We need him, he's our best defender. And he does a lot of great things for us. So we'll see.
But he couldn't even get out of the bed. These back spasms happened once before, earlier in the year. He missed some practices. We'll have to see how he feels.
Q. For both guys, because of the schedule, you don't get Villanova throughout the regular season. How excited are you to face them, the No. 2 team in the country, and to face them in this setting now?
AARON GRAY: You know, just another challenge. I mean, it's a great team. They have a great coach, you know. They have great guards. You know, even their big men have been starting to step up, Cunningham and Will Sheridan are great down low.
So, you know, it's just another challenge. A lot of people didn't think we'd be where we're at. A lot of people were criticizing because of the way we finished the season. They thought we could have came in here and been one and done against Louisville. Just goes to show how tough this team is, how much we believe in each other. You know, we went out there and we did that tonight and, you know, even in the last minutes of the game, when it was a one-, two-point game, no one gave up. No one had the thought in their mind that we weren't going to win.
As long as we keep that mindset and stay together, you know, this team can go very far.
CARL KRAUSER: I just think this is going to be another BIG EAST and another tough, competitive game. Both teams are real competitive. Both teams have great coaches. We all have great players and we just want to win and advance to the championship round and in the BIG EAST tournament. I think it's going to be a great, competitive game out here. It's going to be something to watch.
Q. Aaron, you seem fatigued. Did that have anything to do with missing shots early in the game?
AARON GRAY: No. You know, I was fatigued, but it was only because I was playing so hard, I thought anyways. Every time down the court, you know, I felt that possession could be the possession whether we were going to win or lose the game, you know.
So, you know, obviously at the beginning of the game I wasn't fatigued. I just wasn't being very effective around the basket. You know, that's something I'm going to have to improve on, especially tomorrow. You know, playing against a tough Villanova team.
Q. (Inaudible)?
CARL KRAUSER: Oh, this is basketball, baby. I tell them, I look at them, I tell them, This is basketball. This is what you've been doing all your life. This is what you've been working hard for in the parks of New York. This is what you love to do. So go out there, play basketball, play hard and have fun at what you're doing. This is no pressure here. Where we come from is pressure. Basketball is something you're supposed to enjoy, have fun, and enjoy going out there and competing against somebody else.
These guys come out here, they work hard, they believe in each other, and they're great teammates.
Q. You said you came up with a new way to attack the 1-3-1. When did you install it? What was the idea behind it?
COACH JAMIE DIXON: It wasn't too much. I guess don't make too much out of it. It was just a slight adjustment. We wanted to keep Aaron a little bit more around the basket. We put in -- earlier in the week, as we always -- we always add plays throughout the year, little adjustments. It wasn't too much. The guys had to make the plays, make the passes, and that's what they did.
And Aaron had the guard on the perimeter. Thinking about things, he had a guard on the perimeter, guard at three-point shot with Pittsnogle, Kevin, then rebound and do the things around the board. These are the guys that made the adjustments, made the plays. We got smart guys. They can adjust. I'm finding that out, too. This group can pick things up, we can add things, do different things. They're young, as everybody knows, but they have good instincts and they can pick things up and add things throughout the season. They feel real comfortable doing that.
Q. Carl, obviously, doesn't need any encouragement, but what do you tell the guys, the rest of the team, to get them to buy into this playing tomorrow night?
COACH JAMIE DIXON: I don't think they even think that. I think they came here thinking this was gonna be -- I know they didn't pack for a day, I'm sure of that. You brought a lot of clothes, right, I'm sure.
CARL KRAUSER: Definitely (laughing).
COACH JAMIE DIXON: I mean, they love to play. I mean, I remember people were making a big deal about playing on two -- having to play on the first night. This conference, great teams are going to play on the first night. For our guys, we would have been practicing anyway. They'd rather play than listen to me at practice. So they'd rather do that. That's what they'd like to do. I mean, I had to shorten the practice. They wanted to go the last practice we had, they wanted to go longer. I had to pull them off. These guys love to play. They've done that all fall. They did it in the summer. That's what they like to do. So they'll be ready to go tomorrow.
Q. Did you consciously not push too much in the second half, try to get other people involved? When you did get involved, you seemed to be going to the line. What was going on with Beilein?
CARL KRAUSER: Oh, you know, me and Beilein are real good friends. We were just talking a little trash out there. He was just telling me to miss the free throws so I could help them out to try to win the game.
But basically, you know, it was all in fun. It was a good, competitive game. I just wanted to get the ball, knock down the free throws. When I was moving the ball, I trust my teammates and I know those guys can make great plays. Levance and Ronald, the rest of the guys on my team were making great plays. Antonio Graves came in and made a big play off the bench. I mean, we just had an all-around solid effort as a team. That's what we believe in, team effort.
Q. Last year it was a one-and-out. You guys seem to win a lot when you play in this tournament, on this floor. Why do you think you do so well here?
CARL KRAUSER: First of all, a lot of guys on this team is from New York. Second of all, like Coach said, we love to play basketball. I mean, there's nothing else we'd rather do but play basketball. So having four games in four days is just like a lot of fun.
Having success on this floor, I mean, we all love to perform on a big stage, and we all love to play with each other. So having a chance to play with these guys again, coming back and enjoying these wins, is just, you know, a blessing. It's a blessing. It's a lot of fun to come back here and play basketball.

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