BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2004

Jaron Brown

Jamie Dixon

Julius Page

JOHN PAQUETTE: Jaron Brown and Julius Page with Coach Jamie Dixon.

COACH JAMIE DIXON: That was a very good game between two very good teams, Virginia Tech is playing very good basketball as the year has gone on, evidenced by how they've finished off. I thought they played very well. I thought our guys stepped up and made big plays throughout, passed the ball very well, we shot well from the field, took good shots, and defended. I thought they made some tough shots throughout the game, very good players and well-coached. Coach Greenberg has done a great job with that team. They've improved as the year has gone on with a lot of young kids.

COACH JAMIE DIXON: I think our defense picked up as the first half went on. I think we got a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more ball pressure and we got some things off of our defense. We shot pretty well throughout the game. I thought we took good shots and handled the ball well against their pressure, their aggressiveness. I think defensive intensity picked up a little bit. The guards really picked up and got into it. We got some loose balls and got some turnovers.

JULIUS PAGE: I wasn't thinking about nothing. I play basketball like I've been playing all year long. Some shots fell. Whenever I touched the ball, I just was aggressive.

COACH JAMIE DIXON: I don't -- I mean... I don't tell them much. They figure things out. We got smart guys. They can make adjustments. They know what they're doing, and Jaron made two very good passes. I think that helped out. He hit Carl on a three in a post-up, then he hit Chris on a nice pass and that opened some things up. All in all, I think our passing was key in the offense, the unselfishness. I think we executed very, very well in the half court as well.

COACH JAMIE DIXON: Well, we know we're going to watch them right now. They're obviously two teams we've played. We played Syracuse twice, BC once, played BC a while ago. Two teams that are very well-coached and two very good teams who are playing very good basketball, teams that are playing very good in their last couple of weeks. So either way, it's going to be a very good team, but we expect that in the BIG EAST tournament.

JARON BROWN: As the game went on, we knew (inaudible).

JULIUS PAGE: We just prepare for every team. I mean, any team can lose on any night, and we know we can get knocked off if we come out sluggish. It's real easy, to tell you the truth.

JARON BROWN: We fouled out, we knew they would probably be a little bit more patient. We knew he'd be more aggressive. He's one of the more aggressive players (inaudible).

JARON BROWN: I started thinking of Tracy McGrady.

COACH JAMIE DIXON: I think our guys have always recognized what's available. I think we have very good passers. I think it was a number of guys who were actually making the pass and did a good job sealing in the inside. So it's just taking what's available and the guys knowing when the good shots are there and where to make the extra pass. I think these two seniors really are the guys that really emphasize that and really show these guys how to get that done.