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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 10, 2011Jamie DixonAshton GibbsNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK UConn: 76 COACH DIXON: Okay, first of all, congratulations, Connecticut. Obviously a great game for everybody to watch, disappointing for us in that we came up short. We played hard but at the end we simply got beat at really at our own game we got beat on the boards and it was clear and evident especially down the stretch. It's something we will address and as we get ready for the NCAA Tournament, we've got some things to work on. So we shot a high percentage. I thought we did a very good job executing our offense, some turnovers hurt us in the fact that 11 is not a big number but they seemed to turn into baskets pretty much the other way each time and that was really what caused the biggest problem for us in that we weren't able to pull away, a couple of turnovers got them transition buckets. Defensively good not great. We made Kemba Walker shoot a low percentage. We talked about the number of shots we was going to take and had him shooting a low percentage but at the end of the day they had far too many opportunities, 17 offensive rebounds and way too many free-throws, they about the beat us at the free-throw line, simply put, the numbers are evident. Q. Coach, you guys came out to a huge lead in the first half. Do you think the rebounding and the turnovers toward the end of the first half going into the second half, do you think that had an affect? COACH DIXON: We got a lead in the second half as well so you can look at the numbers they stick out, free-throw line hurt us, 21 makes for them, 25 attempts, 14 attempts for us. But the turnovers led to baskets and low number but they turned into baskets at the other end. We got a lead in the second half we were in good position but we just didn't -- the second half it came down to rebounding and that's where the numbers switched up especially at the end of the game. Q. Jamie, you see UConn now with that swagger back, they lost it may be over the last month or so, did you see 'em back? COACH DIXON: They were down most of the game so I don't know that that was a swagger, they got some turnovers, we made some careless passes and that's what got them going, we weren't able to pull away to the extent we needed to with as well as we were shooting the ball and executing offensively because of the turnovers and I think the rebounding caught up with us in the end, we got some stops and -- 17 offensive rebounds is too big of a nobody and we had to keep them off the free-throw line, we tried a zone against them, we seemed to be getting a lot of fouls, we were up big, first half, we get guys in foul trouble and that changed the game a bit, too, for how we had to play. Q. Ashton, it's a disappointing loss. Can you talk about how this motivates you into the NCAA and do you feel it will propel you guys into a deep run? ASHTON GIBBS: Yeah, I think so, this is something we wanted to win. We talked about winning all three crowns. That's what we talked about all year, regular season, Big East and NCAA, we didn't get this one but it's extra motivation for an NCAA Tournament. Q. Coach, you bring up the physical nature and the free-throws that you didn't get, do you feel that the physical game may have been taken away from you because of the foul trouble? COACH DIXON: They had some foul trouble, too, so I think that's just part of the game, guys are going to be in foul trouble, it's part of basketball and you need to play through it. We just were not able to come up with rebounds. They were a lot of long rebounds we didn't come up with in the second half and that's where the numbers changed, we always track it throughout the game and I think we were up in the boards in the second half and in the end of the second half they completely changed that around. Q. Coach, you had excellence in the conference this year and losing a game like this, a last-second shot, it should not affect the seating for Pittsburgh for the body of work for the overall year, you think? COACH DIXON: That's what we've seen in the past when you win the conference and come up short in the tournament especially to a good team which is what we faced in a very close game as well. Obviously in a game that we led for most of the game, you know, I don't think that will have a big affect on it as we've already played 31 games, but it would have been better to win the game. But we didn't get that done but one game doesn't change what we did the other 31 and it's hard to make up too much ground for other teams with the teams they're playing, we're obviously playing against a highly ranked team, highly-rated team in UConn, seems in the past there has been a history of conference tournaments not changing too much where you end up. THE MODERATOR: Pitt, thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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