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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: WASHINGTONMarch 17, 2011Ed BiedenbachMatt DickeyWASHINGTON, D.C. Pittsburgh – 74 MODERATOR: Now joining us on the podium from UNC Asheville Head Coach Eddie Biedenbach and junior Matt Dickey. Coach, if you could make an opening statement and then we'll open it up to questions from the student-athletes. COACH BIEDENBACH: It's been a really good run for us this year to win the conference tournament and to win in Dayton. Our guys, I couldn't have been prouder of them in how they played together as team and the effort that they gave. And here also, I couldn't be prouder of what they did and how they played. We had a rebounding differential of 50 to 27, and although it's a physical game, you can't lose the rebounding differential that much and stay in the game. So we have to teach rebounding better and I have to use a different technique on how I teach it, and I'll get the Big South officials to come in and help me with how we're supposed to teach it and play. So I felt we battled them really well. I think Pitt is a really good team. They're physical, they're good. Jamie Dixon does a great job, and very difficult to defend. They don't turn the ball over. They handle it well, they don't take bad shots, and they're very deserving of the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gibbs is an outstanding shooter. And I tell you what, he's a quality player. They have a lot of quality players on the team. They go eight deep and they don't lose any ground at all in high-quality play. So it was a difficult game for us. I thought we battled them very well in the first half and we just needed to play better. MODERATOR: Questions for Matt first, please. Q. Matt, and maybe Coach could speak to this, too. You played an overtime game less than 48 hours ago against Arkansas, Little Rock. Could you speak to the challenge of facing a physical team like Pitt. In the second half, did the overtime game on Tuesday night take its toll with you guys a little bit? MATT DICKEY: I wouldn't say it had too much effect on us. This is such a cool experience to get to play in the NCAA Tournament. Adrenaline gets you through game. And like Coach said, it was a physical game and Pittsburgh is a very good team and we knew we had to play really, really well and rebound. They hit a couple threes and made a little run. I think we probably got a little tired, but I wouldn't say that had an effect for us losing the game. COACH BIEDENBACH: I agree with Matt. It's such an exciting the time of the year. We had a week off after our tournament. The overtime game was a very difficult game. We played awfully hard for 45 minutes, and Matt and J.P. both put a lot of time in in that game, both over 40 minutes. But the trip here, we had a charted jet we got in late but we had all day to sleep. I don't think it was a factor in. Could it be an advantage to the other team? Maybe slightly. But I don't think that -- I think it's a good way -- I don't know. Until they come up with a better way to do it, and I'm sure everybody has their own opinions, but I'm pleased with the reception we got in Dayton and in Washington, D.C. I thought the way the whole trip, everything was handled was great on their part. We had to play better here today. We battled pretty well, but we have to play better. We have a good team, and like I said, I couldn't be prouder of them. But I don't think that play over there -- Clemson went after us and they flew to Tampa and they had a pretty good game. I didn't see the end of it, but at one point they were up 10 and they didn't get to bed until 5:00 in the morning. College kids stay up later than I do. Q. Matt, you were within 6 early in the second half. The crowd is getting a little behind the underdog. Do you feel like Pitt was a little vulnerable today, if you guys had shot a little better and maybe been able to compete on the boards a little better? MATT DICKEY: Yeah, definitely. We went into halftime I think down 5, and that's where we wanted to be. We wanted to make sure that it was still a game in the second half and we kept it close. And like you said, we missed a couple shots. They hit a couple threes and they were able to stretch the lead out. They're a really good team and it's hard to fight back from a 15-point deficit that we got to, but I think we fought hard all game and it was a tough one. COACH BIEDENBACH: How many points did Gibbs have in the first half? 6? He ends up with 26. He made a lot of open threes. And we knew before the game what a great shooter he was, and you just can't give those kind of guys open threes. Q. Matt, was there anything about them that surprised you at all, something that you weren't expecting? Number one. And number two, could you just talk about -- I know it's tough to end on a loss, but the 7-game winning streak and being here for two games, winning a game in the NCAA Tournament? MATT DICKEY: Yeah. I don't they surprised us on anything. We knew they were going to be a really good team. We knew they rebounded well. We knew they shot the ball well. And they did all those things tonight. And we just had to play better and get on the boards more, and we could have stayed in closer. But this whole experience has been -- it's been amazing. This seven-game winning streak we were on, I gotta thank the seniors, John and Erik. They really got us going towards the end of the season, and I think we rode them all the way here, and talking about this experience it's been a blessing to play here. And I'm just so thankful for the opportunity. Q. Coach, you mentioned employing Big South officials to help you rebound better. Employ might have been a bad word, but utilizing them. Do you think if you did the same with Big East officials that they would teach you different or show you differently or guide you differently? COACH BIEDENBACH: Well, we have scrimmages that we start the season with, and they could help us decide how physical we can be in certain positions. So that's what I was alluding to. And I'd be fine to have some Big East officials come down and help us. Also I'm sure some of them live in our area. Q. Coach, could you just talk a little bit about what the experience has been like to play in this tournament for you and your players? COACH BIEDENBACH: The NCAA Tournament is just absolutely tremendous. I mean, the March Madness, the amount of media coverage on a daily basis, you just turn the TV on, Sport Center, Mike & Mike, and all the different local guys in all the areas, it's remarkable how much media coverage there is. Our school, because of these young men, Matt, J.P., John, Eric, the guys we had, we've had a great year, and the experience getting to the NCAA Tournament just has made it really great. I would have liked to have gone a little deeper into the tournament, but coming into the tournament was 105-0 for 1-16 seeds. I don't look at those things. I thought we could do something special. I thought we could do something different, and I was up for the challenge and our players were. But we weren't up enough for that challenge here in D.C. in this particular game. But the whole experience is unbelievably great for all of our athletes, our coaches, and all the teams that are fortunate enough to get in. MODERATOR: Any other questions for Matt? You're all set. Other questions for Coach Biedenbach? Any other questions for Coach? Thanks, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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