BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 5, 1998

Jim Boeheim

Todd Burgan

COACH BOEHEIM: I thought both teams, just like everybody has in this tournament this week, we have just got too many good teams in this league. It makes it too difficult. We didn't shoot it well, but we made the key plays. Every time they made a run, they tied it or they went up one. We came back with a good play at the other end. We made some of our first free-throws right at the end. That was the difference in the ballgame.

COACH BOEHEIM: He rebounded. He forgot to make any. He rebounded well and he missed some shots that he certainly normally can make. He had a big game down there against him, and I think, you know, it was set up for him to have a big game tonight. He missed some easy shots. He rebounded it and played very well and we just -- Elvir and Ryan just missed a lot of shots. And normally when we shoot it that poorly, we don't win. This is probably the first game this year that we have been able to win shooting the ball that poorly. We rebounded pretty good, defense was pretty good.

COACH BOEHEIM: We had a series of them early in the year, then we started playing real well and kind of were putting people away. Or else we played real bad and get put away. Then we had a couple of close ones. We didn't win, but then we won the last couple of close ones. So, overall in the year, I think we are 8 out of 10 or 9 out of 11, and games have been under 9 or 8, 9 points, something like that. We have been pretty good in those stretches. We made our free-throws when we had to. Careless with the 7 point lead, didn't get back. And Celestand got it in three and we made a bad pass that we usually don't make to give them a real good chance to get back in the game. But we made our free-throws down the stretch.

COACH BOEHEIM: To be honest with you, I think we played better at stretches. We had some unbelievable stretches where we played better. It looked tonight like we started out like we were going to get it going and play well. But, you know, in all honesty, we really have not played as well as we can. Some of it is because the teams in this league get to, know you, they know where people are. What we like to do and they make it very difficult to do the things you like to do. I think that is one thing that happens when you get out of the league. You sometimes actually play better because people don't know you as well. In this league, everybody knows exactly what people like to do and it makes it very difficult. But, we are not playing as well as we have at some times this year. But we have been overall -- other than a couple of bad games, we have -- this team has played pretty consistently all year long.

COACH BOEHEIM: They didn't look tired to me.

COACH BOEHEIM: Allen was tremendous there for that stretch. He really kept us in the game. And, I thought Elvir, he got good shots. There wasn't a shot he took that I wouldn't be comfortable with him taking. He can make all of those shots. Tonight they just didn't go in the basket.

TODD BURGAN: I knew that this is every game counts and their season maybe some to an end. I knew they were going to come out very intense and play their best.