Gary Williams Team Quotations

Every team that gets into the NIT has different feelings. Some teams are very excited. Other teams are trying to get over the disappointment of the regular season. I'm sure our guys are disappointed; I'm disappointed. But I don't let that affect the way I coach.

Our passing was excellent in the second half and we really executed. I was really proud of our team play, and we have to play that way down the stretch.

We didn't do it tonight, but it doesn't mean we are a bad basketball team because a lot of teams that were ranked higher than us couldn't get it done.

You don't gloat about it. You just feel good because you beat a good program. They never let you win. You have to win the game. Some teams give it to you once in a while ? not Duke.

I was very pleased the way we came out and the way we played. A lot of good teams don't do that.

The players, they're responsible for the way we're playing right now. It's their attitude, their effort in practice that allows us to play like this at this point in the season. You look around and see some teams that have gone through some tough things that aren't necessarily playing as well right now.

It was a really good team effort tonight. Obviously, this has been a tough week and it's been pretty hard to keep my focus, so it must be for the players also.

I think all of the first-round games in the ACC tournament are going to be really difficult. Those will be some great games on Thursday. If you're a basketball fan, that may be the best day. Teams are playing for a lot on Thursday.

But we'll have to see how that plays out. I say that with the idea that there will be a couple of teams that play well these last three weeks of the regular season.

You look much better if your team wins.

Percentages can be misleading. We weren't good with the ball. We had 23 turnovers. You have that many against a team as good as Gonzaga and you're in trouble.

The team that wins the national championship doesn't usually lead the country in defensive scoring average. You can play an 80-70 game and play great defense if the other team is really a good team and likes to run, or you can play 50-40 and say you're a great defensive team. That never bothered me. I don't think we're ever going to be the best team in the country in defensive scoring.

After last night, it was disappointing to come out and play like we did. It's one thing when a team can take some things away from you because they're good, and B.C. will take some things away from most teams. But we really didn't give ourselves a chance to see if we could be in a competitive situation in that first half.

(Georgia Tech) plays you every play and they make you earn it. That's why I'm proud of my team because we earned it tonight. We made some mistakes, but we were tough enough to hang in there.

During the season, there are different teams that get hot and for Carolina, it looks that way.

Just to get that thing to six at halftime took a lot of effort. I've seen that before. You're almost in a trap in a situation, where their best scorer (Grier) doesn't play, they lose a game probably everybody in Minnesota thought they should have won. ... Good teams come back after a situation like that, and we happened to be the next game.

What you have to try to do is put yourself in as good a position as you can put yourself into. Probably, we didn't get into a real good position this year with some of the things that happened. Hopefully, the younger guys on the team benefit from that and the seniors get a little different resolve as they leave.

It really hurts to lose today, but from my perspective, there are certainly years when you get away and appreciate the team you had.

He's certainly a great team defensive player. You don't get a lot of attention for that, but he makes N.C. State a very tough team defensively.

We knew this game was going to be close. Virginia Tech had played that way their first four games. We had to be tough. We weren't really sharp, but I was proud of the way the team came out at halftime. We played pretty well once we got going.

We know we have to play well. Georgia Tech is a young team that certainly has shown it can play.

We're like a lot of teams this year on the road, and hopefully we'll have a good performance. A lot of that comes from your defense. You can't get into a scoring contest on the road and expect to win very often. Most teams play better offensively at home.

Historically, if you get to .500 in league play, you're in a pretty good position. Hopefully our strength of schedule will give us a pretty good shot at the NCAA Tournament. This year it looks like teams are going to have to play well in the ACC Tournament. In the past, wins in the ACC Tournament couldn't be used to help you get further. Now, you have to play well there to help your chances.

We didn't shoot well tonight, but we didn't execute well either. It's a team thing; everyone on the court has to take responsibility.

It doesn't matter how you do it or how it looks, but you just have to win. As a home game, it was probably a necessary win. The NCAA is probably going to take six teams from the ACC, so we just have to stay in the mix.

I was really upset that we didn't finish early, because we had a chance to really jump them early. ... When a team stays close at halftime, they think they can beat you.

There's more good teams out there now, so you have to do everything right to make sure you're one of those good teams. If you slip a little bit, you're not going to be one of those good teams. We have to do a better job of making sure we do everything right so when it comes time to play you earn the right to be a good team.

It's tough. Physically, it's got to be tough. But if you do get in that situation where you have to play (Thursday), I'm sure every team believes they can play four games and win the thing.

There are so many teams in the ACC that can go .500. You'd better be .500 (in the league). Nobody's backing into the NCAA Tournament. That isn't going to happen because of the expansion of the big conferences.

Starting games teams are more aware of him. We have to find ways to score, then the game comes to him. I was very proud of him. He was very mature.

If you're going to be a good basketball team you have to play every play. I preach that all the time. And I kind of coach that way to back up what I say.