Oliver Purnell Quotations

Momentum in sports is a powerful force. One could make the argument that we're playing better than any team coming in ó so I'll make that argument.

Nobody felt sorry for Virginia Tech when they were 0-6, and nobody's gonna feel sorry for us that we lost four in a row. It's important to understand that it's a man's league and we've gotta keep working.

Obviously we are very pleased to advance in the NIT. A home game was a major step forward for our program, as was a win.

NC State lost the other night, but it was kind of a classic setup: out of the league, they just played Duke, in the middle of the ACC season at home, and they probably just took things for granted a little bit probably. You can be rest assured that on Sunday we'll see NC State at their best.

I wouldn't say there's no trouble because I think there is frustration and disappointment at going out early in your conference tournament. But this has been a resilient team all year long. We'll be ready to go (tonight).

If we can get something going at this point, we don't have that two- or three-game road swing. The schedule is favorable in terms of we've played that tough part. That doesn't mean anything's easy from here on out by any stretch, but we probably have passed the toughest part.

I have every confidence come Wednesday night our team will be hungry and focused.

I'd love to see us be in a close game with them on their home court. And getting a win would be a much-needed boost for us, a great jump-start to finish out the year.

Certainly our condolences go out to him and the people of Virginia Tech. (Coleman) is a great kid, and that's a very tough deal. We'll say a special prayer for him and his family.

I don't think we want to erase it. It definitely says to our team that we have a real challenge ahead of us. We want to use it for scouting purposes. We don't want to erase any part of the season.

I think we most certainly will probably be in the NIT. We've got to find a way like we have all year long to go back, regroup and point toward a goal, which would be to win a first-round game in the NIT.

I think we will probably be in the NIT. It's disappointing we didn't make a run at winning (the ACC) tournament.

I will start the process of hiring a replacement immediately. I obviously will have access to a lot of qualified candidates who are here at the Final Four in Indianapolis this weekend.

It exemplifies toughness. They make a run at you and you make a toughness play or two to hold them off.

I think player development will take care of itself with experience. Experience is something you can't put a premium on in terms of developing as a player, so there's nothing we can do about that. We're concentrating on winning a game.

We've talked about what's real in terms of this league and how close the games are and how closely things are being contested. If you continue to work hard, then you're going to have a chance to get over the hump.

We've learned a painful lesson here today. That is if you lose focus on the defensive end of the floor, teams can catch you, particularly a team that was as cold shooting as we were.

We had one of those nights where we went stone cold for three-quarters of the game. We just couldn't score.

We had one of those nights in basketball where we went stone cold for three-quarters of the game, and we couldn't really score ... we just couldn't score. I don't really want to say we played that horribly without giving Miami's defense credit, because they played pretty good. It was just one of those nights. It happens to you now and then in coaching, but give Miami's zone defense credit.

We still have every indication that James Mays will be returning this summer.

The fact that we don't have to travel is certainly an advantage for us and gives us an opportunity to be well-rested and well prepared.

We learned a painful lesson here today. If you lose focus on the defensive end of the floor, teams can get you. They only had eight steals but all eight of them led to shots we couldn't defend.

We were not mentally sharp or physically sharp, but you have to give Ernie and his crew a lot of credit. We've got to put this behind us because we've got the ACC in front of us.

Thornton has really been playing well, but they've got so many talented players.

We had a chance to talk as a team a couple of days ago and our team was disappointed and frustrated. We've had two days to practice and re-focus. To be able to hone in on an opponent helps us even more.

We've got to change and adjust - every game might have a little different road map to it.

There is disappointment and frustration any time you go out early in your conference tournament, a tournament we felt good about doing very well in. But we still have an opportunity to play for an outstanding championship.

We improved in every area, but by no means are we satisfied. We're right there - and were a competitive right there.

We should get a bid if we do that -- whether we will or not I don't know. There are certainly more than four ACC teams in the top 64 in the country. To say the ACC has only four teams in the top 64 is laughable.

Everybody will beat up on one another. The team that stays away from the losing streak, takes care of their home court and gets a couple (wins) on the road will be successful. You'll qualify (for postseason play) with your resume, and there's a lot of time to do that.

As I look around the league and the scores the last two weeks, it's just clear that there's not a lot of difference between the teams. Just one or two (freshmen) stepping up would make a critical difference.

There's no way they should be ducking in there like that against us.

It would've been nice to get that N.C. State game (a two-overtime loss), but we didn't get it done in any of the three. It has put us in a struggling state.

You never get over that kind of loss, but we had to. The guys just never wavered. I realized after the first five games this was a special team.

It's got to be one of the best coaching jobs he's done, and that's saying something.

It's nice to see our guys rewarded for continuing to work hard. We'd like for this to be a game that kind of kick-starts us.

It's disappointing that you don't get the job done when you had the chance in your hands.

It's disappointing that we didn't make a run. I felt that if we could advance (past Miami) that anything could happen.

It's disappointing that we didn't make a run at winning the tournament. I felt like if we could advance, anything could happen. So that is disappointing. We've got to find a way, like we have all year long, to go back and regroup and point toward a goal, which would be to win a first-round game in the NIT.

It's tough because we dropped a gut-wrenching game against Virginia Teach the other night, and any time you lose some tight games, or three or four in a row, confidence becomes an issue. But the players came back to practice Thursday with some determined energy. Our message is that you can't fold up, and I hope they're internalizing it. It's an important mindset that if we work at it we can get over the hump here.

They certainly are hitting their stride and living up to preseason expectations. What makes them so good is the wealth of experience they have.

After the South Carolina game I thought we had a chance to have a really special team. I thought we had a chance to really leapfrog forward.

That's a tough deal. We're certainly feeling that, and we'll say a special prayer for he and his family.

I'm not really a zone coach. But I will go to the zone in a situation if man was not successful. We had to stay with it.

I'll say it: We can make the argument that we're playing as well as anybody in the league right now.

I do feel we're better prepared, because I think we're playing better. We're a better basketball team now, and as a result I feel a little more confident going against Miami.

For the first time all year it cost us in this ballgame. Bad habits tend to pop up when the pressure's on. Overall, we're not good shooters, and that's why we have to be a good defensive team.

Their backcourt guys kind of dominate the ball, and their offense is run in such a way that, in the end, the right guy is going to take the shot. When they make 3s like they did against Boston College, they become pretty lethal.

Akin, I think, his improved play really opened up the outside for us.