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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: RALEIGHMarch 23, 2008John PelphreyDarian TownesSonny WeemsRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA COACH PELPHREY: We would like to congratulate North Carolina. Certainly a fantastic basketball team. Unbelievable year. Extremely well coached, good players, and they played great today. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't do a whole lot to slow them down. I think defensively or offensively, we certainly would have liked to have played better; that's not the case. I feel like in terms of the season that we certainly lost this basketball game, but that by no means takes away from what our team had a chance to accomplish, and specifically, our seniors. Those guys were able to achieve more than they did a year ago, and for that, I'm very appreciative, and our coaching staff is certainly grateful that they allowed us to coach them, because they did go through a lot, and in a situation that they had already in hand, and wish them, Coach Williams and the North Carolina basketball team good luck next week, but still very proud of our guys. Q. The early portions of the game, y'all had some unforced turnovers and they were shooting well; can you talk about what was going on through that period where you didn't seem to get many stops? DARIAN TOWNES: Ty Lawson hit the first shot and got the momentum going. Throughout the game, the guards played real well, and then the big men, as well, one of the players went 8-for-8. They were just hot all around. SONNY WEEMS: I think Carolina came out with great focus and a lot of high intensity for their team, and they came out, you know, and got on us on the defensive end, and just all around, they just played well. Q. Just talk about how tough it is to fall behind a team like Carolina in an atmosphere like this; what's going through your head when you look and it's 9-0, 18-4? SONNY WEEMS: It's real tough to fall behind against a team like Carolina. They have great players and great post players and guards. They shot the ball real well tonight. Once we got down, it was hard for us to put together a run, and they are a great team, so compliments to them. DARIAN TOWNES: You know, it was a home-court advantage for them. They have a great crowd behind them and feed off of that. They just jumped out on us early. We used all our energy, but it wasn't enough to get it done. Q. It seemed it took you quite a bit of time in the first half to get a rhythm in a shooting stroke; what was their defense doing to you? SONNY WEEMS: I don't think they did anything. I didn't want to force anything. I just didn't want to come out and force anything. I just wanted to get it within the flow of the game, try to get Darian and some of our low-post guys some touches. We started an inside-out team, and we just feed off the bigs? Q. Early on you looked like you were really getting into the game, really emotional; how tough was it? You finished with a 15-9, but how tough is it going up against their bigs? DARIAN TOWNES: It was great. They have got good bigs. They double-teamed me real well. I kind of beat it every time. You know, this was a great opportunity for us to get a chance to play against a No. 1 team, North Carolina, and just going out there, I think we played our best basketball. We just didn't get off to a good start. Q. I know this is your last game as a Razorback and it's hard for both you guys probably; would you talk about the emotions of that, and knowing that your careers are over? SONNY WEEMS: It's very emotional. You're saying that you don't want your career to be over, your college basketball career, because you just missed the playoffs on the team and missed the coaching staff, and I loved this coaching staff and I never felt this way since junior college about the coaching staff, the players on our team, and it's real hard knowing this will be your last game. DARIAN TOWNES: I had fun. I enjoyed Arkansas. This was my second home. It went really fast. I thought it wasn't going to happen. Going through the coaching changing was pretty tough. I love John Pelphrey. He helped me and showed me a lot of what's going to happen in the real world is about to get ready to happen for me and Sonny and the rest of the seniors. Playing in the tournament is a great opportunity, some teams don't get a chance to go through this. It was real tough, and just going up against North Carolina, talking about them, they are a great history program, and I have been watching them for a long time on the East Coast and getting a chance to play against them was real fun. Q. You guys accomplished a lot, and John talked the other night about you being given up for dead and bouncing back, the senior class took the team to three straight tournaments and beat Indiana. Just talk about what you think you guys accomplished. SONNY WEEMS: From last year, we came together as a team. We've came through adversity and been through a lot and struggled. We've been through ups and downs together, I've only been here two years but I've been through a lot. These guys, it was fun, it was fun playing with these guys while I had the chance. DARIAN TOWNES: I had fun, you know, I'm just going to miss it a lot. That's all I'm going to really say. Sonny said it all. Q. I know you guys touched on it a little bit, but just talk about what Coach Pelphrey brought to the team? Guys talk about toughness and will; talk about what he brought to the Razorback basketball team. SONNY WEEMS: He brought a lot from the stance of coaching and disciplining us. I think the guys on this team really found a coach that they can put their trust in and listen to. He will never steer you wrong. He will always tell you the truth. We learned a lot from him. I think speaking for the players on the team, we love him and his coaching staff to death. I wouldn't trade any other coach for him. Q. You attempted 20 shots; was it one of those deals where even though the shots were not always fall, was it just keep shooting and eventually they will go in? SONNY WEEMS: I don't think it was just me keep shooting. I didn't want to give up. This is my last go-around at it. I'll never play in the NCAA Tournament again. I just want to keep fighting and keep fighting and try to spark a little run, but we ended up short. Q. Obviously Carolina is the No. 1 team and playing at home, but were they even better than you thought; and if they play like this, can anybody beat them? SONNY WEEMS: If they play like this, the next weekend, I don't think anybody in the nation can beat them. You know, they played real well. They are not the No. 1 team in the nation for no reason. Q. How important was it, if you guys were going to win today, to get off to a good start? And not only did you get off to a good start, but Carolina got off to a great start. Just talk about that situation. COACH PELPHREY: Certainly in every basketball game, every competition, would you like to get off to a good start. It is a game of runs. We're still waiting on ours. (Laughter). Carolina was just better than us today. Like I said, we lost this game everywhere you want to look at, they were just better than us. And that happens. Certainly had we beaten them, I think that probably would have surprised some people. I thought that they were just ready to go. They just played really well defensively. They rebound the ball. They are always fast. They shot it, got big-time performances from a lot of different people. You've got to give them credit, their players and their coaches. Q. I know you would not use this as an excuse, but do you think it's too much of a disadvantage for other teams in this region to play that good of a team this close to their home? COACH PELPHREY: I didn't really think that the environment had too much to do with our poor performance. I don't know what it added for them; that would be a question only coach Williams and the players could answer. I don't feel like we were at a disadvantage. Certainly I don't feel like it was totally a neutral site, either. Again, I didn't think the environment kept us from playing well. North Carolina was our problem today. Q. I know there was a lot on the scouting report when you take on a team like North Carolina, but getting the ball to Thompson, where he wanted it, the turnarounds, the bank shots, where did that factor in and what did you think of his play today? COACH PELPHREY: We tried to keep it simple for the game plan to be honest with you. We wanted to focus on two main things, one was to get back in transition and to rebound the basketball. They were terrific in those two areas and that's a huge, huge part of their offense. I think at halftime they had 24 points in those two areas. That was 24 of their 51. Yeah, I don't think we planned on those two front court guys -- am I correct here in saying, going 13-for-13? No, I didn't plan on that. A lot of that stuff was jump shooting. They did a big-time move. Those guys, they were awesome, and this time of year, when you're playing in a one-and-done situation, guys get focused and guys get themselves to the right level. You've got to give those young men praise for playing that way. They play like that, and with the other pieces that you know you're going to have to deal with, then that's hard. Very, very good balance on offense. Q. Wondered, can you compare style or talent to any guys that you played this year in the SEC? COACH PELPHREY: They have great depth. I don't think we play anybody as fast as Lawson. I don't know if we play against any Player of the Year winners. We play against some good rebounding basketball teams. Played against some teams that probably shoot it better from the 3-point line. But I think Carolina has got a combination of depth and speed. I don't think they were very, very physical today. Obviously they are coached by a Hall of Famer. I think I'm safe in saying that's the best team we've played this year. I think that's okay to say. Q. Could you talk a little about, you're losing three or four seniors -- COACH PELPHREY: Six. No, not six out of the starting lineup. Probably could have started six today, I don't know if that would have helped or not. But yes, three or four out of the starting lineup, yes. Q. So you'll have a different team on the floor next year. Can you talk about that and the transition? COACH PELPHREY: Well, we are going to have a different basketball team. We are losing over half of it. So we've got -- we'll probably take a half a step back with our program in terms of experience, and maybe some talent in some areas. But at the same token, I think it's a wonderful opportunity for the guys that are coming through the door, and we are excited about who we have had a chance to recruit and we are looking forward to whatever else is ahead for us out there. But yeah, it's going to be a big change in terms of the face of Arkansas basketball, especially the roster. So, it's twofold. A lot of really good kids, some good players. They are going to leave sooner or later, anyway. You can't keep them forever. No coach can at this level. This certainly provides an opportunity for the next group of guys. Q. How did you think you guys played today? Did Carolina make you look bad or did you not play very well, or just how did you feel about that? COACH PELPHREY: I think you've got to give Carolina all the credit. I don't think that there was ever real a time where we got it going, or we played well for a stretch. That's a tribute to them and their guys, offensively and defensively. They kept us out of rhythm, basically the whole day and on both ends of the floor. Q. I know this is so soon after the last loss, but just wondering, how do you think you'll feel like you'll reflect on this season? You had a lot of ups, a lot of downs, six guys that you only know for a year; how do you think you'll remember this season? COACH PELPHREY: Like I told the guys in the locker room, hey, we lost a game today, but we did not lose our season. I'm proud of these guys. My thing coming in, you heard me say is from the beginning, I wanted to get these guys to overachieve and get them to be more of a basketball team; and I wanted to get them to be selfless in terms of, if I have to do less so the team can do more. I think we made some progress, and if we didn't, we wouldn't be here at this point in time and be one of the last 32 teams standing. And some things we have done are significant now. Won more games in the regular season than a year ago and won more league games and had a chance to get back to the finals two straight years in the SEC tournament, and you know what they did against a program that had two All-Americans on it. I'm proud of what those guys have accomplished, and I'm very, very appreciative of those guys embracing in terms of what we brought every day on a daily basis as a coaching staff because we did try to hold their foot to the fire and do the right things in terms of those areas; you know, being consistent, trying to be a better teammate, trying to make sure anything that comes out of their mouth is of an encouraging fashion to make somebody else better. I made the sacrifice myself so the team could do more. I appreciate the efforts. I think for the most part the guys allowed us to do that and I think they are a closer basketball team. I think each and every one of them, there are some guys hurting in that locker room and I hope that just because we do not have anymore games left, that they make sure they take care of each other now and make sure that anything that comes out of their mouth is positive and bring out the best in their teammates. Some of those things I feel very, very good about a about. Hey, we would all like to stay alive and keep going, whether it's one point or 30, doesn't really feel any different. I'll still humbled and honored to be the head coach at Arkansas. For me to hear some of those guys talk about their experience and having fun and enjoyment and appreciative of some of the things that our coaching staff had to do for them, that's an encouragement for me that we are doing some things in the right fashion. Does it need to get bigger and better? No question. I know University of Arkansas demands that and expects it. So do I. But yeah, I think as time goes on, we'll appreciate it and understand what this group has to do because they have now done some significant things in terms of the good for Arkansas basketball. Q. Did you feel good about the effort throughout the game even when you were down 30, or just the effort overall, even though it wasn't close on the scoreboard? COACH PELPHREY: No, I thought they kept playing. We have had trouble scoring 77 points at times this year, and even though we still got beat 31, you are not going to be able to score that many points unless you keep playing. I think guys kept playing. Again, I think our level of play in terms of how well or how poorly, that was completely dictated by Carolina. End of FastScripts |
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