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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2006

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: James White, Eric Hicks, Coach Andy Kennedy.
ANDY KENNEDY: Obviously, disappointed. Disappointed in the ending. Not disappointed in our guys, but disappointed for them.
We had our opportunities and we didn't take advantage of them. When you give a team like Syracuse, who I have great respect for and the job Coach Boeheim does year in and year out, and you let Gerry McNamara have a window of opportunity, unfortunately sometimes you have to live with the feeling that we currently have.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Coach, any thought to giving a foul there at the end to prevent that shot from getting off?
ANDY KENNEDY: Well, if memory serves, when we fouled, you know, obviously we're only up two. So there was some concerns. We had fouls to give early, we told them to foul, we fouled them a little too early on the first one and then everybody gets hesitant. When we were hesitant, we were supposed to switch the ball screen. We allowed him to split us. He hit a tough shot.
Q. Can you talk about the interior post defense, especially by Darryl Watkins on you early in the game and throughout the game.
ERIC HICKS: He's a very big defender. He got the balls.
Q. Is he tough to go around because he's so big?
ERIC HICKS: He's just long. That's why he's a good factor in the two-three zone, because of the size in the back that. And they get the balls very well.
Q. Do you like your chances now (inaudible)?
ANDY KENNEDY: I feel like if you look at - I hate to use the cliche "collective body of work" - but the one thing that I think separates us from the "bubble" is strength of schedule. The one thing the committee has consistently said, is if you control the part of your schedule you can, which is obviously the nonleague part, and you play people on the road and you're able to survive that, as we were, I think that's what's going to put us in a good position. We're going to have a top 5 strength of schedule in the country. I thought Saturday's win against West Virginia getting us to 8-8 in the most powerful league in the country put us in a good position.
Q. James, what was going on between you and (inaudible)?
JAMES WHITE: Just the emotion of the game. He was talking a little bit, I was talking. You know, it's an emotional game. He won the game, I didn't, so I couldn't really say nothing too much afterwards (smiling).
Q. James, you look back at this whole season. I mean, obviously, you're disappointed right here, right now. But where you are going into Sunday, do you look at that as a very positive thing that you guys have gotten to this point?
JAMES WHITE: I think it is positive that we have the chance to put ourselves in a position to make the NCAA tournament. A lot of people said we couldn't. I mean, we're looking for more. We're hoping to go to the NCAA tournament and make some noise.
Hopefully we get in, and then once we get there, we hope to do some things.
Q. Coach, did this game in some ways clear the resilience of your team, with everything that happened back in the summertime, the turmoil?
ANDY KENNEDY: Sure, there's some turmoil. You must not be from Ohio. There's a lot of turmoil. Really, this team has been tremendously resilient. You know, I'm very, very proud of the fact that our guys, despite all the obstacles that continued to mount against them, never used that as an excuse not to be successful. I'm hopeful we're rewarded on Sunday for that attitude and that approach.
Today, I don't really fault our effort and our approach. It was our inability to make free throws, it was our inability to make shots against that two-three zone. Obviously, you know you're going to have to face it, but we just did not take advantage of our opportunities right till the bitter end. As a result, unfortunately, you put yourself in a position to feel the way that we do today.
Q. Coach, can you talk about James' game today.
ANDY KENNEDY: He had a monster game. Kept us in despite some other guys maybe not playing as well as they're capable. Made big shot after big shot for us. It's really a tribute to James' maturity as a player.
Q. How different does this postseason feel (inaudible)?
ANDY KENNEDY: It feels a lot different. The shield is gone for me personally. The view is a little different standing up.
Q. Coach, just elaborate on your resume for a minute. Do you believe the LSU win in Vegas is probably going to be the biggest thing that gets you over the top? It's that signature nonconference win.
ANDY KENNEDY: You asked, so now I'm going to tell you.
We've got 12 wins versus the RPI top 100. If you're a fan of the RPI or not, we have a top 5 in the country strength of schedule. We're playing in the best league in the country, having won eight games at Syracuse, at Marquette, West Virginia at home. We beat the SEC champion on a neutral site. We won at Vanderbilt. They won 28 straight versus nine SEC opponents. We beat Miami of Ohio. We beat Murray State. We beat Ohio U.
To me, I don't understand why we're having this conversation. I think the only reason that we are - and justifiably so - is the fact that we are viewed as two different teams with our mean and post our mean. That's justifiable. That's why us finishing strong down the stretch, I think, was imperative in order for us to put ourselves in a position.
But I am hopeful for these guys that we will live to fight again in the Big Dance. If, indeed, that is the case, I'm hopeful that we can end on a good note.
THE MODERATOR: Cincinnati, thank you.

End of FastScripts...

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