College Basketball Rivalry Talks

Table of Contents

• Louisville Rivalry
• Tennessee Rivalry
• Indiana Rivalry
• Big East Rivalry
• Rivalry Atmosphere
• Coaching and Strategy
• Team Performance
• Rivalry History and Tradition
• Player Remarks on Rivalries
• Miscellaneous Rivalry Insights

Louisville Rivalry

Just coming from playing in a hostile atmosphere, we knew Louisville was going to be tough. It really helped us a lot. We learned from the Syracuse game that we have to be poised at all times. We didn't want to be down but it just helped us tremendously, that Syracuse game.

Some teams would have maybe gone from 17 down to 27 down right away. That says a lot about (Louisville).

We have an opportunity to be get a share of the Big East championship. And, heck, we could even win a coin flip and be the top seed (in the tournament). Anything can happen. But first you've got to go down there and do something that's really, really hard to do and that's beat them down on their home court.

We'd love to have these guys work it out. This is a very important game for us, and we'd love to have it, but it's really between Louisville and Kentucky to work it out. It's never easy, I know that.

I think sometimes you're a better program than people realize you are. And I think that might be Louisville's case. I mean in the last three years they have won 29 games. They're for real. I think this team can play with anyone.

I think Louisville is playing at the highest level they have all year.

What's good about it is we played both Pitt and Louisville the past two weeks. We'll be prepared to make the final adjustments Thursday afternoon.

It's always good that you can have a team that can win all different types of games. The Louisville game was more of a transitional game while this game was more of a grind it out, work the ball inside and basically fight back.

That was probably my best game since I've been here. Louisville was a ranked team and my team needed me to give them a spark. And that's what I did.

I was just wondering if anybody covering Louisville was going to go ask them why their coach had them come out flat.

Now I don't have to worry about which side of the ball is doing real well now because now it's going to be Louisville, ... So both sides of the ball have to do well.

But listen, it's always good to come to Louisville and win. They've got five state championships under their belts.

Our girls were upset after watching Louisville during pre-game. I didn't have to say much to them after that, I knew we were going to ready. They couldn't wait to get out onto the court. I don't think Louisville came in here expecting us to play that well.

I think Louisville will be fired up for this game. They might be in revenge mode. But, this time of the year records, don't mean much. Anything can happen.

We want to help all our guys in any way we can, if they want to further their careers, but our focus is on our guys and getting ready for (first-round opponent) Louisville. People are smart enough to know when the right time is to talk about other schools. Every situation is different, so to give a blanket statement wouldn't be the right thing to do.

We have a lot of young players that have not experienced the Louisville game yet. I don't know if they can identify with it. But for the players that went through it, it will be very motivating.

The difference in this game was we got no pressure on their quarterback and they got pressure on Dustin. Those were the two biggest factors. Louisville has a great front line and there was somebody in his face all day.

We've been clear and consistent that we're committed to Louisville.

But no matter what happens, there's a good chance I'll be back in the organization at Louisville. The grass isn't always greener. This organization's been good to me.

Now let's go to Louisville and win us a trip to the Big Apple.

We've got to come out against Louisville and get that win. That's a must.

This is a must-win for us, too. I understand where Louisville is coming from, but for us to contend for the title, this is one we've got to get.

It wouldn't surprise me. There's a lot of animosity toward Louisville anyway.

Beating Louisville was the best part of the weekend. They are going to be our top competition for the Big East Championship, so it was nice to finish better than them.

As the state's biggest city, Louisville sets the precedent.

Tennessee Rivalry

The Tennessee Titans played in Memphis until their stadium was ready in Nashville. The Carolina Panthers played in South Carolina at Clemson before moving to Charlotte, N.C. We're not looking that far ahead, but it's a possibility.

I was happy that right away we played Tennessee, I was happy that we played Oklahoma right off the top. Those games certainly helped me.

Me and Paul (Davis) and Shannon (Brown) have to play at another whole different level to where we can make up for the youngsters. (Tennessee Tech) got a lot of second-chance points (in the first half). We turned the ball over too much and they got a lot of easy baskets.

Hopefully, we can run the ball equally as well, ... I'm sure Tennessee is focused on not letting that happen again.

It would be a big step for our program no matter who we played to get to the Sweet 16. We know how hard we've worked to get here. We respect Tennessee and it's going to take one of our better games to beat them, but I can promise you we're not intimidated.

We play Tennessee, it's never really about us. It's always about Tennessee, and now it's about Pat and Tennessee.

(Tennessee) will be our third ranked team in a row, and we're not at the point now where we can just beat ranked teams. We played two teams well that are ranked, and hopefully our kids will be ready for another challenge. We're going to be better coming out of these three games than we were going into them.

It's Tennessee. Tennessee brings out the best in everybody. We expect them to bring their best game, too. It's huge.

That was a high-level basketball game. My hat is off to Tennessee . They played exactly like they needed to play. They are executing how they want to play. They got it inside when they needed to get a couple of baskets.

That was a high-level basketball game. My hat is off to Tennessee.

I don't know that there's been a year where there's been greater parity. Strength of schedule is something we do look for and it's important to the committee. The schedule Tennessee played this year and plays most years, however, as close as it was, we felt that Tennessee this year was a No. 2 seed.

We felt that Tennessee was a two-seed this year.

We're playing for everybody in the Tennessee family. If the fans bail on us now, then the fans are not true Tennessee football fans. You can't win every single football game, but we do expect to. The fans expect to, and those are the expectations you deal with when you come to a school such as Tennessee.

It's early, but it looks as though Tennessee is a very good offensive team. I've always felt like they've had talent. Major Wingate and Andre Patterson are improved offensive players. They are a team that likes to play in transition, like us. Both teams are going to get up and down the floor and do what they like to do.

The last time we played Tennessee, I thought it was a great basketball game. Both teams played well. It was a tie score with 20 seconds to go. Both teams played a pretty balanced game. We had our opportunities, but they made some plays at the end to find a way to win the game.

They appear to be playing very well. I've always felt like they have good personnel there, and it will be a great environment. As highly ranked as we are going into Knoxville, I think it's pretty clear the way both programs feel about each other. We know it's going to be a hostile environment.

Tennessee has been hardened by all those losses in the past, and now Bruce has brought in hope.

I have said before that we are not the most talented team, we are not the best team and there are always ugly moments in games. But you are always going to feel good as a coach walking off the court coaching these guys because they give you everything they have. Whether that is enough to win the game (against Tennessee), we'll see.

Right now, Tennessee is a team that's in control of its destiny.

I'm not really worried about how many games back we are. Even if we would have won tonight, Tennessee is still in control.

I'm not even concerned about that right now. I'm more worried about playing LSU (Saturday at home). Even before this game, Tennessee was in control of its own destiny.

Tennessee is a young and very talented team. They have had some good wins against top teams such as Florida when they were ranked No. 5 in the country. Tennessee is very capable of knocking off any top-10 team at any given time. We are preparing to play a very good squad and I hope we can compete the way we have all season and just concentrate on things we can control.

LA Clippers should come to Louisville

Whether it is your home crowd or an away crowd, it is fun playing in front of a lot of people. They will remember that Kentucky game and it will be something that they will use in a very positive way at Tennessee.

I expected them to make a comeback. They're Tennessee. But we had so much depth, we were able to keep going and going and going. It seemed like we never got tired.

Tennessee is a great team. They are having a special season. The key is it will be a battle of possessions. We have to make sure we don't turn it over too much and that we rebound. We have to go there like we're on a mission.

I felt like somewhere down the road we would play Tennessee. I expected it to be in the Final Four. It's a shame that we have to play so early in the bracket.

When I was young growing up, Tennessee is where I wanted to go to school and play, and to have the opportunity now to play against them is great for all of us.

I'm just glad someone from West Tennessee won a state title this year. Liberty's a great team. They played together and pulled it out.

Indiana Rivalry

Since we got back from Michigan State, we didn't just talk about Indiana. We started talking about this week. We've grouped these two games together.

I love Mike Davis. I love what he's doing at Indiana. It's going to be a tough atmosphere to play in. But we're going to go in there and just try to battle.

Indiana gave us a good fight. They're twice as good as the last time we played them.

You always want to play against the best, and Indiana has been ranked above us all season. We'll be ready. We have depth and my players come to play every game. But we know we can be even better.

This game was very intense, because traditionally, they're the top Division III team on the West Coast, and we're the top Division III team on the East Coast.

I think Indiana is a very good basketball team. I just think there were moments and minutes in that game where we were pretty special. It didn't matter who we were playing because we blocked everything, we ran out and we made good decisions. I'm very proud of my basketball team today.

I talked to the team about building on the Indiana win. We didn't do that (after) the Illinois win. I tried to get them to under one win can lead to another win, and we'll work hard Monday to understand that this win could lead to another win.

This is a great day for Indiana basketball. Trust me, it is.

The championship is gonna go through here, Illinois and Indiana, I think. I really do, just the way all three teams play, I think we're the best three.

You've got to go back and see what you did wrong. I thought we played pretty well and got a little better. But we're going to look awful on film. ... Midway through the season you have to take the win, but we're going to Indiana next. If we play like this, we're going to get beat.

It's gonna be nice to play in familiar place, but we lost our last game there. We all remember losing to Indiana and hopefully we can get a win.

We've got to forget it and move on to league play. Indiana State's not an easy place to play; they're kind of crazy there.

It's good that we get to play in a place we have been before. We're excited about that. I don't know if Indiana has been there before, but I'm not sure it matters.

Indiana State is a talented team that will provide a great challenge for us in the Bracket Buster. They were ranked in the top 25 at one point and they've beaten Indiana. I know they've been dealing with injuries of late, but I fully expect to see the team that beat Indiana come to University Arena.

Many people will say, Division I-AA, gosh, why did Indiana struggle? But this is really a good football team. They played very well. Their defense gave us problems, and obviously they ran the ball way too much.

Obviously, there is a revenge factor. (Indiana is) obviously our natural rival.

Not many teams have the dual threat that Indiana has. Ironically, I think at times we could be one of the teams that does.

This is still a very good Indiana team. They can do well in the Big Ten tournament and be a NCAA tourney team.

Indiana's not a team that's going to lay down for you in the Big Ten now. They're going to come in confident and ready to play, and they're going to present a challenge each week no matter who they play.

People want national championship banners. People want to talk about Indiana being competitive. How do we get there? We don't get there with milk and cookies.

Big East Rivalry

We're not taking anyone for granted and we're playing for the Big East championship.

I don't think they've surprised anybody in the Big East with their performance this season. They're going to be an NCAA-level team for a long time.

They know we?re a dominant team in the Big East. They knew a win against Connecticut would do a lot for them.

A loss to anybody would really set us off track of winning the Big East and being the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament.

What gets in the way sometimes is if you're talking about the expectations all the time, then you can't reach them like what happened to us two years ago when we got two losses and now we weren't going to win the Big East, we weren't going to a BCS bowl. I think that's where you've got to be careful.

The Big East, I think, we belong here. Even though we've added some teams from outside, we're still fundamentally the Big East. And I think we're better off than we would be in a southern conference.

We have to play our best. You look at the Western Conference, every team that made the playoffs is a good team. I don't know if there's a clear-cut favorite.

They (East Carolina) came out and played like it was the Final Four. They could have easily won this game and we are lucky to be leaving here with a win. If ECU plays like that every night out, they will give a lot of teams trouble and make some noise in the conference. I take my hat off to Ricky and the team. We played as well as we could play.

We let Georgetown get its confidence back, we have to learn to put teams away, especially on the road.

This is a typical Big East game. Even this game came right down to the last shot. The guys did a good job fighting back. It's going to be like this day-in and day-out. There's no gimme wins in this conference.

Last year we came out with a loss. We played BC, a team we definitely thought we could beat. This year we just want to make our presence known, especially with this being a new team. We want to show them how the Big East is.

We're especially excited to face South Florida and Louisville. Those are both pretty strong teams.

Rivalry Atmosphere

You could ask the same thing about Tennessee. They still got a 2 seed and they lost in the first round (of the Southeastern Conference Tournament).

That was a nice little surprise that the guys over at Lawrence Central gave us. (Winning Conference Indiana titles) is something we've been very successful with. Every year you try to win as many games as you can, but the conference and (Marion) County (Tournament) are big deals. There'll be a little more incentive Friday night.

I'm sure a lot of us from Tennessee are ready to go play in front of our family and our friends. It'll be a big game.

If you look at us two years ago, we were 6-10 and probably a lot like Tennessee, where the year before we were in the playoffs. Tennessee is coming off a tough year last year. As I told the team, two years ago they were 12-4 and came up here and whipped our tails pretty good in this stadium.

I know a lot of people have looked at Tennessee and talked about rebuilding. But we have to be careful because there is still a core of players on that team that, not only are we familiar with, but who've also had success.

This Miami team has a long way to go if they want to get back to the Eastern Conference finals.

Yeah, we'll build Vanderbilt into a good team some day.

I've got a friend from Seton Hall, so I was surprised to see them make the tournament. I was also surprised to see Tennessee get a No. 2 seed. We've really got to win some games to meet those guys.

With only seven home games in conference this season, each win is precious. For us to come out and get a win over the defending league champion, it is especially big. Chattanooga has a talented and athletic team. I'm very proud of what our guys accomplished tonight.

It'll be very competitive. Miami and Eastern could be favored over us.

We basically take the position this week the more we know, the better for us it is, and the less that Tennessee knows, the better it is for us.

Take nothing away from Louisville - those guys executed their game plan, ... I don't quite know what team we brought to Kentucky. This wasn't the team I practiced with and I played with the last four weeks. This wasn't the team that, when our backs are against the wall, we fight.

After that, I'll know everything. To be completely honest with you, I know about Tennessee because they talk about them all the time, I know about UNC because we play them all the time. Other than that -- we just played Wake Forest and I knew they liked to shoot a lot, but other than that, not much.

We're just ecstatic about winning that. Going to the Elite Eight and traveling out East is huge for us. We couldn't be happier about where we are right now.

I had a feeling (the NCAA) would put us against a Big East team.

Coaching and Strategy

So much of what we've done started in Louisville.

You come into Freedom Hall and hold Louisville to 57 points, you can't say you didn't do a heck of a job. We just made a couple of mental breakdowns at the end.

Give credit to Vanderbilt tonight, they came out hard and really competed. Our team needs to learn from this outing and come together with a higher standard of quality for the entire game this Sunday.

We're going to have a tough road. If we get Knoxville, we have to play a team we have beaten twice this season. It is never easy to beat a team three times, especially a team as physical as Knoxville. And if we play them, it will be on their own floor.

We're not known to overlook anyone. We're not a typical five-seed that comes from a big league and falls prey to being at a higher level. We understand that everyone is a good team. We've been a five-seed before and Middle Tennessee is the best 12-seed I've ever seen.

Indiana State? That was the last game before our conference. And we've geared our guys toward that.

We've beaten the top three teams in the (SEC) East and the top three teams in the West, and I don't know too many other teams that have done that. The bottom line is we need to keep winning.

I still think we are going to win the Mountain West Conference tournament. I think it's anyone's race up there. And on a neutral floor, I think we can beat anyone.

Tennessee is a truly great and competitive opponent. I can tell by the way we played them today that we are really starting to come along.

We'll definitely try to get higher and play relatively weaker teams - if there are any. It would probably be better to face Nashville than Detroit.

We hope we are smarter than that, ... That's one thing about Vanderbilt; you got some pretty smart guys over here.

I think Chattanooga just really out-energized us when we went down there. And we came out flat. We're going to have to do that to them if we want to win (today).

We didn't want to get blown out or get embarrassed, being that it's an Eastern Conference team. We picked it up.

Our focus right now is East Chambers. But I really want that rematch, too.

We definitely came in here thinking we owed these guys. They got us twice last year. It's a heated rivalry. It's the best of the East Bay versus the best of San Francisco and the Peninsula. We came out ready.

Team Performance

That was a high-level basketball game. My hat is off to Tennessee . They played exactly like they needed to play. They are executing how they want to play. They got it inside when they needed to get a couple of baskets.

We consider Miami one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and we see it as a test each and every time. We felt we could really give them a run.

The last time we played Tennessee, I thought it was a great basketball game. Both teams played well. It was a tie score with 20 seconds to go. Both teams played a pretty balanced game. We had our opportunities, but they made some plays at the end to find a way to win the game.

They appear to be playing very well. I've always felt like they have good personnel there, and it will be a great environment. As highly ranked as we are going into Knoxville, I think it's pretty clear the way both programs feel about each other. We know it's going to be a hostile environment.

Tennessee has been hardened by all those losses in the past, and now Bruce has brought in hope.

I have said before that we are not the most talented team, we are not the best team and there are always ugly moments in games. But you are always going to feel good as a coach walking off the court coaching these guys because they give you everything they have. Whether that is enough to win the game (against Tennessee), we'll see.

Right now, Tennessee is a team that's in control of its destiny.

I'm not really worried about how many games back we are. Even if we would have won tonight, Tennessee is still in control.

I'm not even concerned about that right now. I'm more worried about playing LSU (Saturday at home). Even before this game, Tennessee was in control of its own destiny.

Tennessee is a young and very talented team. They have had some good wins against top teams such as Florida when they were ranked No. 5 in the country. Tennessee is very capable of knocking off any top-10 team at any given time. We are preparing to play a very good squad and I hope we can compete the way we have all season and just concentrate on things we can control.

You've got to go back and see what you did wrong. I thought we played pretty well and got a little better. But we're going to look awful on film. ... Midway through the season you have to take the win, but we're going to Indiana next. If we play like this, we're going to get beat.

We've beaten the top three teams in the (SEC) East and the top three teams in the West, and I don't know too many other teams that have done that. The bottom line is we need to keep winning.

This is a must-win for us, too. I understand where Louisville is coming from, but for us to contend for the title, this is one we've got to get.

When I came to the Titans four years ago we had an outstanding team and I've loved it in Nashville. Right now, Carolina is on the verge of winning a title I think. I don't know how far Tennessee is away from that. I think it is going to take time.

I had a feeling (the NCAA) would put us against a Big East team.

Not many teams have the dual threat that Indiana has. Ironically, I think at times we could be one of the teams that does.

This is still a very good Indiana team. They can do well in the Big Ten tournament and be a NCAA tourney team.

We didn't want to get blown out or get embarrassed, being that it's an Eastern Conference team. We picked it up.

Rivalry History and Tradition

We've got a couple of Louisville guys here (Lefors and Eric Shelton). They lost a few weapons. I'm hoping we rebound this year and get after them. I'm going with Kentucky 24-17.

I think sometimes you're a better program than people realize you are. And I think that might be Louisville's case. I mean in the last three years they have won 29 games. They're for real. I think this team can play with anyone.

That was probably my best game since I've been here. Louisville was a ranked team and my team needed me to give them a spark. And that's what I did.

We have to play our best. You look at the Western Conference, every team that made the playoffs is a good team. I don't know if there's a clear-cut favorite.

We felt that Tennessee was a two-seed this year.

We want to help all our guys in any way we can, if they want to further their careers, but our focus is on our guys and getting ready for (first-round opponent) Louisville. People are smart enough to know when the right time is to talk about other schools. Every situation is different, so to give a blanket statement wouldn't be the right thing to do.

LA Clippers should come to Louisville

It all keeps me busy, I love Louisville. I'll always be in Louisville.

It wouldn't surprise me. There's a lot of animosity toward Louisville anyway.

People want national championship banners. People want to talk about Indiana being competitive. How do we get there? We don't get there with milk and cookies.

We're especially excited to face South Florida and Louisville. Those are both pretty strong teams.

Beating Louisville was the best part of the weekend. They are going to be our top competition for the Big East Championship, so it was nice to finish better than them.

As the state's biggest city, Louisville sets the precedent.

Player Remarks on Rivalries

I was happy that right away we played Tennessee, I was happy that we played Oklahoma right off the top. Those games certainly helped me.

I love Mike Davis. I love what he's doing at Indiana. It's going to be a tough atmosphere to play in. But we're going to go in there and just try to battle.

You always want to play against the best, and Indiana has been ranked above us all season. We'll be ready. We have depth and my players come to play every game. But we know we can be even better.

I'm sure a lot of us from Tennessee are ready to go play in front of our family and our friends. It'll be a big game.

It's Tennessee. Tennessee brings out the best in everybody. We expect them to bring their best game, too. It's huge.

That was a high-level basketball game. My hat is off to Tennessee . They played exactly like they needed to play. They are executing how they want to play. They got it inside when they needed to get a couple of baskets.

It's early, but it looks as though Tennessee is a very good offensive team. I've always felt like they've had talent. Major Wingate and Andre Patterson are improved offensive players. They are a team that likes to play in transition, like us. Both teams are going to get up and down the floor and do what they like to do.

They appear to be playing very well. I've always felt like they have good personnel there, and it will be a great environment. As highly ranked as we are going into Knoxville, I think it's pretty clear the way both programs feel about each other. We know it's going to be a hostile environment.

Tennessee has been hardened by all those losses in the past, and now Bruce has brought in hope.

The difference in this game was we got no pressure on their quarterback and they got pressure on Dustin. Those were the two biggest factors. Louisville has a great front line and there was somebody in his face all day.

Whether it is your home crowd or an away crowd, it is fun playing in front of a lot of people. They will remember that Kentucky game and it will be something that they will use in a very positive way at Tennessee.

I expected them to make a comeback. They're Tennessee. But we had so much depth, we were able to keep going and going and going. It seemed like we never got tired.

Tennessee is a great team. They are having a special season. The key is it will be a battle of possessions. We have to make sure we don't turn it over too much and that we rebound. We have to go there like we're on a mission.

When I was young growing up, Tennessee is where I wanted to go to school and play, and to have the opportunity now to play against them is great for all of us.

Miscellaneous Rivalry Insights

Some teams would have maybe gone from 17 down to 27 down right away. That says a lot about (Louisville).

We'd love to have these guys work it out. This is a very important game for us, and we'd love to have it, but it's really between Louisville and Kentucky to work it out. It's never easy, I know that.

Hopefully, we can run the ball equally as well, ... I'm sure Tennessee is focused on not letting that happen again.

We play Tennessee, it's never really about us. It's always about Tennessee, and now it's about Pat and Tennessee.

If you look at us two years ago, we were 6-10 and probably a lot like Tennessee, where the year before we were in the playoffs. Tennessee is coming off a tough year last year. As I told the team, two years ago they were 12-4 and came up here and whipped our tails pretty good in this stadium.

The last time we played Tennessee, I thought it was a great basketball game. Both teams played well. It was a tie score with 20 seconds to go. Both teams played a pretty balanced game. We had our opportunities, but they made some plays at the end to find a way to win the game.

With only seven home games in conference this season, each win is precious. For us to come out and get a win over the defending league champion, it is especially big. Chattanooga has a talented and athletic team. I'm very proud of what our guys accomplished tonight.

We've been clear and consistent that we're committed to Louisville.

It's gonna be nice to play in familiar place, but we lost our last game there. We all remember losing to Indiana and hopefully we can get a win.

After that, I'll know everything. To be completely honest with you, I know about Tennessee because they talk about them all the time, I know about UNC because we play them all the time. Other than that -- we just played Wake Forest and I knew they liked to shoot a lot, but other than that, not much.

We hope we are smarter than that, ... That's one thing about Vanderbilt; you got some pretty smart guys over here.

Our focus right now is East Chambers. But I really want that rematch, too.

I'm just glad someone from West Tennessee won a state title this year. Liberty's a great team. They played together and pulled it out.

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