Dec. 22, 2006

Recap |  Box Score

Saint Louis head coach Brad Soderberg
On his team overall
I told someone before the game that we were going to have to play really well to have a chance, and we didn't' play well. The better team won. Their talent is obvious. I'm proud of how hard our guys played, but I told them I hope they don't feel satisfied with tonight in any way. We didn't execute very well. I don't care if we play the best team on our schedule or the worst team. I expect us to play a certain way. There were too many unforced errors tonight.

On the frustration with being so close at halftime but losing by 21
I don't like to lose. The way that we lost is what bothers me. We can play better. It's that simple. I told them at halftime that I didn't think we should be behind. We had a melt down in the last five minutes of the half, taking bad shots and panicking against their traps.

On the shift in second half
It was their offense. We couldn't stop them in the second half. That's the grounds of my frustration, and it still is. Shots come and go. They defended well and made it hard for us to score to get it to Vouyoukas. We expected all that. We missed some open shots, but I'm not critical of guys missing shots. That's a temperamental stat. how can we go from holding them to 29% in the first half and 60% in the second half. That's not my idea of quality basketball. There are some reasons, and part of it is their depth wore us down.

Saint Louis guard Kevin Lisch
On the frustration with being so close at halftime but losing by 21
We knew all along that we could play with them. Overall, we are disappointed. They did a good job playing defense on us and got out on the break a couple times in the second half, which hurt us.

On difference in margin for error between two teams
You can see that they are very athletic and very fast. In the second half, you could see why they're the No. 2 team in the country. They just kept the pressure on us.

On difficulty shooting
When I get to the basket against a team other than North Carolina, I've scored a lot of those baskets. I wasn't too cagey on finding a way to get the ball up with their big, athletic guys. Going to the basket is half my game, so I wasn't going to stop doing that. I just have to find different ways to finish or dish.

On current record
We've had some ups and downs. We have much to improve on. Some things we can look back on and say we've done well, but we have some things to work on.

Saint Louis center Ian Vouyoukas
On the game changing early in the second half
They tried in the first half and were successful when they double teamed either the first pass or the ball screen. It got us out of our rhythm a little bit. Then the pressure started mounting, and they started making shots.

On Soderberg's postgame comments
He was disappointed, like everyone is. He thought we didn't play our best basketball. At least we get a couple days off to rest and spend with our families, then come back hungry to work.

On the atmosphere at Scottrade Center
I wish it was like that every time. It was a great atmosphere. The crowd was really into the game.

On Tyler Hansbrough and the match-up between the two players
He's strong and is a good player. He played well. Hopefully I showed what I can do. Our stats are basically the same. He gets a lot of deserved credit, being an All-American. It's nice to know that I can play up to that level.

Saint Louis guard Tommie Liddell
On the second half
They started double teaming us, and we struggled to find the open man because of their athleticism and their length. It's something we'll have to work on for the rest of the season.

On playing Carolina compared to other teams
They're no different. We were confident coming into the game. Our coach was disappointed that we lost, while most people would tell us it was a good game.

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams
On what changed the game
It was a fantastic second half for us. I've told this team many times that we've got to build our identity on the defensive end of the floor. I had told them about a Kansas team I had a number of years ago that shot 29% on the road and won the game because we held the other team to 21%. I asked them at halftime if they were just trying to challenge me and check, because we shot 29% in the first half ourselves. I told them that if we move a little bit better, not just have on guy trying to go and the other four watching him, that I thought our offense would get better. I thought we'd make more shots because we are good shooters. That's what happened in the second half. We got it inside more in the second half and did a better job. We continued to play better defensively in the second half as well.

On Tyler Hansboro's play
Tyler had a heck of a game. That's a lot of pressure on a youngster to come back home and have half the town of Poplar Bluff here. It was a heck of a game for Tyler, 15 points and 13 rebounds. They really devoted their defense to him. You saw many times they'd have two and sometimes three guys around him. He did a heck of a job. The other big push for us was Danny Green. He and I had a meeting this week, and I'd like to remember what I said to him so I can have a meeting with every player. Danny came up big and made a bunch of shots on a night when Wayne was really struggling.

On the crowd in support of Tyler
I want to say something about the crowd. I thought when they introduced Tyler, there probably were a few boos, but there was some great cheering. You just watched one of the great youngsters of all time answer questions on a day that was filled with a lot of pressure and a lot of stress. It is good to bring kids back so people who haven't seen Tyler perform can do that.

On the difference in SLU this year and last year
They're much better. Let's be honest. In that second half, we got it going pretty good. They missed some shots that they would normally make. Brad has done a good job. Not too many people have played four true road games, not if you're in the top 100. They got two wins on the road, and they're a team that's going to be reckoned with in the conference and, at the end of the season, has a chance to keep playing.

North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough
On playing in front of so many friends and family
Before the game, I saw my grandma as I was walking to the bus. I didn't get a chance to see any other family and friends. I wasn't trying to get caught up in things outside the game. I told them I would see them after the game. I did see my brothers before the game. I talked to them when I first got here. It was great to see a lot of my family and friends at the game. A lot of people that watched me in high school got a chance to see me in college, which is great for them.

On added pressure in this game
I did feel more pressure than usual because I wanted to impress a lot of my close friends and family who may not get a chance to see us play in Chapel Hill. I did feel a little added pressure.

On Ian Vouyoukas
He's a different type of player than I've faced. He's one of those guys that you can't give an angle. He's European player who is skilled and is very crafty. That's something different than I'm used to guarding. It was difficult.