We're a league of 16 now. It seems like the old wars of the '80s and '90s again. Every game comes down to 10 kids on the floor after loose balls, someone making a big play, someone getting a big rebound, someone making a stop.

Three out of 63 kids who committed the same act were thrown out of school. The percentage, quite frankly, was in his favor not to have it happen.

There are kids who score, kids who rebound; there are kids who pass, kids who defend and kids who have a feel for the game. He has all those attributes. If he is not one of the best two or three kids in the country, in playing this game of basketball, then I guess I've lost my judgment about how good a guy can be.

I've been in a (locker) room with some talented teams and some teams that bordered on greatness. But I don't know if I've been in a room before with so many kids that have sacrificed so much.

I've talked to the kids about the difficult situation they've given me, in the sense I think all of our guys can play.

I've watched him grow as a person, but he's still been able to maintain his wit, his optimism and that ever-ready smile. A lot of kids would have spit the bit at different times if they weren't starting. All he wants to really do is play and win and that's exactly what he's done. He's as comfortable in his skin as any kid I've ever had. I'm telling you right now ? and hopefully it will be five weeks, six weeks before it's the end of his career ? I will miss him for his personality, along with obviously his basketball game. He's a terrific kid.

Any team that's won 20 games, we're going to have respect for. They have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. But you know what? We have a lot to gain, too. We're really excited about it. I like this time of year. I hope my kids like it as much as I do.

The bottom line is that I'd rather let the kids play on. Kids are going to get emotional in a game like that and I don't think Brandon or Rudy were trying to do anything more. It was such an incredibly intense game, they just kind of got into each other a little bit. They were not doing anything.

They run very good offense. If you're not on top of your game, they've got guys on this year's team that can make plays. I think our kids are going to have to pick it up a level.

They pass exceptionally well. They have three seniors and they have very good big people. The most disappointing aspect was that one-on-one, our two 6-10 kids could not guard their two 6-7 kids.

They gave us a good old-fashioned butt-whipping. We were god-awful. For the first time, I'm wondering if a couple of our kids are as good as they're supposed to be.

This is where our basketball culture stands. Whether I agree with kids leaving after two or three years really is of no consequence.

It?s a time we have to play. I don?t think for college kids it makes any difference. I talked to players today and asked them, ?How?d you sleep last night?? They said they went to bed early ? they were in bed by 1:15 a.m.

It's a tribute to the hard work the kids put in because they played in the best league in the country. I think our kids should be honored. We have an awful lot of good players in this league. I couldn't be prouder of our kids.

It's a great opportunity for us and a great opportunity for Albany. I think coach (Will) Brown knows what a win can do and his kids know what a win can do. It's a great time of the year.

It?s not Rashad?s fault, trust me. Whatever we ask our kids to do, it?s our responsibility. We make the choice of who plays who. ... I?m incredibly, incredibly disappointed in the loss, incredibly disappointed in myself. I would have changed a couple of things probably the last two, three minutes of the game and into overtime.

The Big East championship means a lot. To go through 16 games in this terrific league with all its tough places to play and come out of it at 14-2, I couldn't be prouder of these kids. These kids sacrificed so much and became the epitome of what a team is.

If he's not one of the best two or three kids in the country, then I guess I've lost my judgment about how good a guy can be.

I can still see Calvin Murphy getting 62 points, and I can still see flashbacks from the pictures of Wilt getting 100, ... You go from the biggest to the smallest. The wonders of the game, from the guys playing pickup to the kids shooting in Indiana to the inner city kid who finds a way out through the sport of basketball - and I don't mean necessarily to the NBA - are embodied in this game. It doesn't take wealth or pure size. It takes heart, repetition, talent. All that stuff is embodied in the game. When I walk through that building, it's embodied there.

For the first time, I'm wondering if our kids are as good as they're supposed to be. I'm not sure of anything because I'm just stunned.

For the first time, I'm wondering if a couple of our kids are as good as they're supposed to be. They were in Maui, and they aren't now. Marquette had a lot to do with that.

Sometimes you're blessed with teams that are incredibly talented, but there's chaos. But sometimes you're blessed, as I have been this year, to have kids who think the same way you do.

We're rooting for everybody we beat. That's the best way to put it.

I lost my dad when I was 15, ... Those were the best 15 years of my life.

He has been and will continue to be a member of our basketball family and we will always be here to help Josh work through this process and arrive at the best decision for everyone involved.

He's comfortable being the best sixth man in college basketball.

He certainly has had his best year. I would have bit my tongue off last year if I said, ?Let's leave Rashad in for defense.' He's a weapon that very few teams can keep on the bench.

Khalid El-Amin put up with a great deal of grief on the road. And it was the best coaching that anybody could have done for me, because Khalid loved every single second of it. He loved to show you.

Jack is probably one of the best point guards in America. He did an incredible job on him.

Jimmy put it in perspective and told me exactly what had happened to him, ... He encouraged me to get the best medical advice I could get. He took me through the scenario of what would happen.

I said all along that Marcus, in my opinion, is the best passer I've ever coached. I think he took an affront to that because now he's got two 20-point games.

Our best big guy, certainly, was Jeff Adrien.

People have asked me a lot about Marcus and even Rudy this season. I have said that Rudy is emerging every day and we're watching something beautiful. And with Marcus, I said recently he is the best passer I've ever coached. I think he took offense because now he's had back-to-back 20-point games.

I think clearly this is the best league in the country.

We really played our best basketball. It was one of the few games I can say you could just enjoy. It was just really a tremendous basketball game for us and hopefully it's a peek into what we're capable of. Seasons are really funny. But I think those things are good. We jump right now into a hot stove.

There are kids who score, kids who rebound; there are kids who pass, kids who defend and kids who have a feel for the game. He has all those attributes. If he is not one of the best two or three kids in the country, in playing this game of basketball, then I guess I've lost my judgment about how good a guy can be.

We'll have to take away the 3-pointers as best we can. We'll have to limit Quinn from having the ball as much as we can.

I've said Marcus, in my opinion, is the best passer that I've ever coached. I think he took affront to that. Now he's scoring. There aren't many better point guards in the country than him.

I've said all along that Marcus is the best passer I've ever coached. I think he took affront to that, because he had back-to-back 20-point games (in the tournament). There aren't many better point guards in the country.

Sometimes it can be the best thing in the world for you. A lot of times when you go through a down period, you find out a lot more about yourself than times when everything is flowing and you're winning. To some degree, Kentucky is already tournament-tested. They've been playing games with tournament implications for a while now.

Rudy had perhaps his best all-around game. He was unselfish. Certainly he could have scored 30 himself very easily but instead had eight assists, five-six blocks, four steals.

Rashad wanted to be so good tonight, and of all guys who I thought wanted the limelight at home, it's really unfortunate he didn't have the kind of game he's capable of having. He's a terrific basketball player ... the best sixth man in college basketball.

No matter how his shot looks - funny to all of us - or if someone is right in his face, it doesn't matter. He only sees orange, that little round thing. As long as he's squared up, he'll make shots. He's too good a shooter. And he really works so hard at it. This, by the way, is far and away his best season.

Denham is playing the best basketball of his life. This is the guy we had while winning the Maui Invitational. Denham had some roadblocks but thank God he stayed with it all season. But that's the story of this season. It's all about who can persevere.

Denham had arguably the best performance of his career at a great time.

They're going to utilize their quickness the best they can. We're going to try to use our size as much as we can. Certainly that makes for a very interesting battle. My guys' concern is getting the ball inside. If we get the ball inside, we'll be successful.

They're going to utilize their quickness as best they can. We're going to try to use our size as best we can. That makes it a very interesting battle.

It's a tremendous sense of accomplishment and an amazing feeling to win. This field was one of the best ever and there isn't anyone here who didn't get their money's worth.

It's a tribute to the hard work the kids put in because they played in the best league in the country. I think our kids should be honored. We have an awful lot of good players in this league. I couldn't be prouder of our kids.

I keep saying he's the best passer I've ever coached. I think he took an affront to that. Now he's scoring.