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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 15, 2008Jamont GordonRick StansburyBarry StewartATLANTA, GEORGIA THE MODERATOR: We'll ask Coach Stansbury for overall thoughts on the game and then we'll take questions for the two student athletes. COACH STANSBURY: Well, number one, give Coach Stansbury and Georgia a lot of credit. I thought their team played with higher energy and a little bit more toughness than our basketball team did. It's easy for me to watch that game and see that happening, but I always look at one stat, and that one stat tells me where it lies. We got rebounded -- again, probably the most we got out rebounded all year long, 46 to 33. So give Coach Stansbury a lot of credit. His team played well. We didn't play our best, and when you don't play your best, this is what happens. Q. How much of an advantage did you guys think you had due to the fact Georgia had already played a game earlier that went into overtime? JAMONT GORDON: We kind of had a little advantage. They could have been a little tired, but they're still a good basketball team. They still came out and played hard and they executed and got the win. BARRY STEWART: Of course we thought we had an advantage, but I guess they took a challenge today, playing two games in a row. And they jumped on us quick and they did a good job today. THE MODERATOR: Fellows, you can return to the locker room. Thank you very much. We'll continue on with Coach Stansbury. Q. What did you find out about Charles' technical and what kind of explanation were you given and what happened? COACH STANSBURY: I didn't ask what the explanation was because it didn't matter. A technical is a technical, and it was a critical time in the basketball game. If I remember, it was a one-point game. He goes to foul misses the free throw. And if he makes them both it's a three-point game. But he missed it. It's a huge play in the game, absolutely, it's a huge play in the game. Did it determine the outcome of the game? I don't know. It definitely determined an outcome with an opportunity to win it, that basically sealed it right there. Q. They jumped to a quick start. Did you sense your players -- did you see the concern in their eyes? Was something missing there tonight? COACH STANSBURY: We weren't at our best; that was very obvious. We never talked about Georgia playing another game. I promise you, hey, we didn't talk about that at all. Was it an advantage for us? We didn't go in making our players think it was an advantage, so we never talked about it. It was very obvious, both of them thought it was an advantage. Again, hey, kids are at practice, playing for four hours, and we practice four hours, I can promise you. I look at one stat, as I said, 46 to 33 on those backboards. Getting that game started was kind of how it went all night long. They jumped on us 10 to 2 early, and we tried to play catch up. It gave them emotion, it gave them energy and we fought from behind. At one point I thought we had a chance to separate the game. It was a four-point lead and missed a wide open shot in transition and that put us up seven. They sat in that zone, they played that zone, and it saved their legs physically. You can only do so much inside that zone. We tried to throw it there over and over and over, eventually you've got to make some shots. I think the second half we were 6 for 23 for the game. Second half we were 3 for 12 again. You've got to make some shots against the zone. Q. Coach Stansbury talked about the effectiveness of that zone taking away any kind of up-tempo game that you guys wanted to do. Do you think that was effective and did you want to push the tempo more in this kind of contest? COACH STANSBURY: We want to push tempo any time we can. There's no difference. It's very obvious that we didn't get a lot of transition baskets. The zone definitely keeps Jamont out of that lane, but we've played against zones all year long. We played against one last night for however many minutes it was. We've found ways to be pretty effective for the most part. Give Georgia some credit. They're big on that back line. I don't know if there's a team in this league that's bigger and more physical than they are on the back line. People forget that about Georgia and look at their record and think they're not a good basketball team. They're a very good basketball team. Again, their back line is as big and as physical -- they're the biggest and most physical back line in the league, so give Georgia some credit for this win. Hey, they deserve it, and they're a good basketball team, in spite of what their record has shown. Q. Two questions really. One, did you have any indication that your guys might be a little flat before the game? COACH STANSBURY: Absolutely not. You know, our kids for the most part all year long, we've been ready to play. I haven't had a big worry about our team emotionally -- having emotional highs and lows much. We've been consistent, and that's why we were able to do what we did. You don't go through the league and win 12 games without staying on a roller coaster. But tonight it's obvious we didn't have that edge that you need to have in these kind of environments. There's absolutely no excuses. The one thing I talked about, forget all the things that's happened. None of that staff matters, all the distractions and changing buildings, hey, that stuff has nothing to do with winning and losing. Get between those lines, that's the only thing you can control, what happens between those lines. Everything else, you've got to block it out and find a way to play at that energy level that you've got to play with. We just didn't have that tonight for whatever reason. But again, take nothing away from Georgia. Georgia had a lot to do with that on those backboards. We got out rebounded. That's where it starts is with that energy. Probably the most we got out rebounded all year long. If we have, I'm sure it was a loss, but again, give Georgia credit. Give them credit. Q. How do you think this will affect your seeding next week? COACH STANSBURY: You know, I don't know if it moves us much. It may drop us down a line. I mean, y'all know what we've done. We've been pretty good. We had a big win last night. It ain't going to drop us much. It may move us one line, whatever that line is. It doesn't do me absolutely zero good to think about what happens with it, because hey, that's one of those things you have zero control of. It would just be speculation. Our team has been good all year, and we'll find a way to get back on it Thursday or Friday. Q. What are you going to do tomorrow? COACH STANSBURY: We'll go home. Q. Where are you going to watch the selection show? COACH STANSBURY: We'll be in the locker room. Is it at 5:00? We'll probably gather there about 4:00, 4:30. THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
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