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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 12, 2009Jimmy ButlerWesley MatthewsBuzz WilliamsNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Villanova 76 COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: I thought it was a great college game. Played in the world famous Madison Square Garden. Thought Villanova was extremely good off the bounce. I thought that in the first half predominantly we really struggled because we were in foul trouble. We had four guys with two. One guy with them three and I thought in the second half we were much better defensively. I thought we were out of character on both ends of the floor for too much of the first half. I thought in the second half we played much more the way we have to play in order to give ourselves a chance for success. We had kind of a similar situation at South Florida. At South Florida we were down one and Jerel (McNeal) recently had already fouled out of the game so we kind of ran the same action for Wesley and then same situation today. Obviously we were up one, five-second difference in the shot clock and they made a great play at the end to win it. We lost. They deserved the victory and we'll handle it the right way and try to get better over the next few days. Q. Buzz, would you breakdown what you saw from you guys defensively on that last play? COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: I thought we guarded the ball then we call it "helped uphill." So dribble penetration and I don't even remember who it was, but we stepped uphill to help penetration. They went behind us. I think they scored five baskets on that throughout the game. Q. On Jerel's drive on the previous possession there, did you want to get something going to the basket, maybe create some contact if nothing else? COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: Yeah. We wanted to make sure that we took it as low in the shot clock as we could while still giving ourselves a chance for a great look and Zar (Lazar Hayward) set a flat ball screen. Wes was coming off the stagger from the opposite corner. Yeah, that was our intention, to get something going towards the basket. Q. Buzz, how big of an accomplishment was it holding them to 29 points in the second half, that offense of theirs? COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: The 8 players they play are high major players. They have a synergy between them in regards to what they do, in regards to how they play on offense. They're really good in transition, really good in secondary and then once it becomes a half-court game, they spread you out so much. Most of the time they were playing with four guards in the second half and so it spreads you out and it's hard to help off penetration but I wish we would have been like that in the first half but we got better in the second half and were more in character. Wesley and Jerel did a much better job in the second half of creating shots with other guys which helps us because Mo (Maurice Acker) was able to help us, Zar was able to help us and those guys need the help of Wes and Jerel to create shots for them. I thought defensively we were much better in the second half than we were in the first half. Q. Wes and Jimmy, can you talk to your ability to get to the line today. Especially first half, it kept you in the ballgame. WESLEY MATTHEWS: Yeah. I mean that was what kept us in, made it even remotely a game in the first half and what put us pushing towards them in the second half, we just wanted to be aggressive and that's the type of team we are, the type of players we are is we want to force the issue, make you guard us, you know, with your defense shifting, make you run out at us and we drive past and that's where we're at our best. We converted at the free throw line. JIMMY BUTLER: I think we're just playing our game which was driving and kicking and, you know, forcing help, with a lot of attention on Jerel and Wes. It created a lot of opportunities for other people and of course, you know, on the offensive glass and just pushing it in transition and being in the right place at the right time to get down by the basket and just get a quick look and get fouled and get to the line. Q. Wes, can you take us through that last play when Villanova scored? I think I know the answer but what was going through your mind when you saw the ball go through the basket? WESLEY MATTHEWS: I don't really know if there's a word for it. I was shocked, we fought so hard in the second half to get to the point where we were and five seconds changed it completely for us and the coach said, helped uphill. They made a play. For the most part we all converted back on the defense, we all stopped the ball. We ran a play against a set defense and there was more of a bailout than anything. I mean they really had no idea what was going on. They were just trying to push and hope for something to happen and we let it happen. We gave it up and they took advantage. Q. Wes, for your senior year, Big East tournament to end like this, does this just add to your desire for the NCAA tournament? WESLEY MATTHEWS: It sucks. We're supposed to be playing Louisville right now, getting ready to go play Louisville. We're not. Wasn't in God's plan. We just got to learn from it, keep fighting and get ready and get this taste out of our mouth now because it's going to be the exact same feeling if we play another 20 minutes like we did in the first half, you know, come Selection Sunday, who we find out we're playing against. We got to make sure we bring the second half 20 minutes every time. Otherwise it's going to suck again. JOHN PAQUETTE: Any other questions? Q. Buzz, do you remember that three that Jerel missed from the top of key there with your second last possession, did you want to get a shot quick to get a final possession? COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: We were trying to play 2-for-1. I do remember it. I think there might have been -- I don't remember the exact number. What was the number; how much time was left? Q. Probably, roughly, a little under a minute if I'm correct. COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS: No, we weren't trying for a 2-for-1. It played out that way. The five-second differential was probably as it related to when Jerel took the shot as the possession they had, second-to-the-last possession. It just played out that way. We just wanted to get a good look. JOHN PAQUETTE: Anything else for Marquette? Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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