We didn't shoot well (39 percent). But we played well. We played better than we did in our previous two wins over St. John's and Louisville. Providence was young and tenacious and gave us fits. But we were more athletic and more experienced.

We've played in spurts, not always a full 40 minutes.

The other night, if we had played him 28, 29 minutes, he would have had over 40 points. And I'm not sure he would have missed a 3.

Could he have played (Friday)? Probably. But obviously we didn't need him.

It was tough, Albany just played great basketball. My hat, my gloves, my shoes, I'm going to tip all of them to them, because they were absolutely terrific.

On the way down here, it was just a really happy team. They really felt they played well. ... It's going to be a different kind of game (tonight). Over the next 24 hours, at the team meeting (Sunday) and at the shoot-around (today), we'll get an opportunity to really tell them. With only six games to go, there is significance to the game.

Coming off a Villanova game where he played 13 minutes and didn't score a point, I started him the next game to tell him we've got to get him back. For us to win, we've got to get him back. ... Thank God we got them back.

A lot of teams play us in a grind, not in a wide-open game. That played to our depth and our experience.

A lot of times games are built up and they don't fulfill their promise. This game more than fulfilled its promise. Villanova may be, pound-for-pound, the toughest team that we've played anywhere, any time. Early in the game, we had to match their toughness. They were getting every offensive rebound. They were hustling like crazy. Unless you have a tough team, you cannot win this conference. It was like an old Big East backyard ball amongst two really good teams.

They played some big games last year without Curtis. They can still win the league but it's going to be tougher. They scare me because of the way they spread the court and make you play small ball.

They gave us fits. I don't think we shot well, but we played well.

They're faster, quicker. Are they better? It's hard to convince me of that after the way Padgett played against us.

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 was really fitting that Denham had such a great game. He was a horse out there, as far as handling the ball, especially when Marcus played such a poor first half. We sat Marcus down, talked about the Dow Jones and some other things. He came back and got us going.

It reminded me of a Big East game, probably back in the early 90s. (St. John's) took us out of our offense early, played us very physical and did not allow us to get into a flow.

It's the first time he's done that in his entire career. It's the first time he's been able to maintain that. He played exceptionally well, I was really happy for him.

It was one of the most disappointing losses we've had in an awful long time, mainly because we got off to such a poor start. We played like a team that had a 25-point lead at the Carrier Dome and then beat a team by 23 at our place.

In those 11 games, we did all kinds of things. We played and got better during this period. And I don?t know if we ever peaked, per se, nor did I want us to.

In my opinion and certainly by the big scoreboard, the way the game was played they were the team that deserved to win.

I don't think anybody I've ever had could get as hot as he can get. The other night, if we had played him 28, 29 minutes, he would've had over 40 points and I don't think he would've missed a 3-pointer.

We did it, but it's tough to get all the way through. It won't surprise me to see somebody playing a fourth game in four days, the league is like that this year. This was the most games that came down to last three minutes, at least our most in 10 years and yet we were 27-2, which means we were there to finish the deal. But in a one-game tournament anything can happen.

Neither of the two kids will be in a Connecticut uniform practicing or playing until at least the end of this semester. When they return is up to the school administration.

If we're not playing defense and I call time out, I can tell you right now it's going to be X-rated. I'll go after some people or make some changes. It's not like this is the middle of the season and we can get it done next time. We're all here and it's a perilous journey. It's a wonderful journey, but the band plays on if you lose.

I don't want our kids playing the scoreboard because, quite frankly, we won't always be here at the Civic Center. In the second half we matched baskets and we won by five. I don't think we should do that. We should take more pride in what we're doing.

He was a Hall of Fame coach in his own right at UMass, ... But playing in the Yankee Conference, he was never going to get the recognition.

He likes playing here. We may move all of our games here.

I think we showed up like a team that had glanced at our record and saw we had beaten Syracuse handily both times. My point is that in a tournament, no one really cares what seed you are or whether you beat someone before. It's the 40 minutes you're playing today that's important.

I think as we've gotten down to the time of the season where you're playing for a chance at a Big East championship, playing to get a bye in New York and, obviously, playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament, there's no room for experiments or getting young kids some experience.

Over the last 15 years, the type of players we've had here, the fortune to be successful, we've had the bull's-eye. Now there's the added bull's-eye of a new league, being No. 1. They just pile up. That's exactly where you want to be. You want to be playing from the top. I hear guys say they like to be the underdog. But there's a reason you're the underdog. I'd like to be playing from the top any time I can.

I wish we were playing tonight. Especially after our experience last week.

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.

That's the price you pay. And that's the price you want to continue to pay. We're not playing better or worse because of any kind of pressure. We're just not playing as well.

We caught them when they were playing terrific basketball. And we caught them off guard. I could see it on tape that they just didn't expect us to be as good as we were. That may have been, at particular points, as good as we've played offensively. We really, really played well.

When we're executing and blocking shots and playing defense and you don't get us in a situation where we have to create plays, we're absolutely terrific. But we're a flawed team.

We worked on the 1-3-1 for three straight days this week and it paid off. It means a little something extra to go home with a win against such a great team. The enthusiasm of each shot is big when playing in such a hostile environment as we were today.

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.

This weekend might be like root canal in the sense the way Seton Hall is playing right now. That's the first order of business.

What really hurt us a lot of times is another team playing well and us not playing so well.

Bobby Jones looks to me like a guy who can make a living in the NBA just playing defense. He's an absolutely magical player defensively.

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.

said Pat Calhoun with a laugh. ''It doesn't matter to him whether he was playing for a state championship or a national championship.

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.

This is where you want to be. You want to be playing from the top.

It's going to be nice playing an away game, too. I'm looking forward to that.

It's going to be nice playing an away game. I'm looking forward to that. I think that part of the system is really working out to protect the ones.

It's amazing that we were playing Kentucky for the first time. But we're trying to earn (recognition) as a lead program in America, and hopefully we continue to do that. It was obviously a tremendous, tremendous basketball game.

It won't surprise me to see someone playing their fourth game in four days on Saturday. I just think the league has been like that.

The two guards are just absolutely playing terrific.. Whitney has really become a force in this league. They're the kind of team that feels good about itself and those kind of teams you cannot give an opening to.

I'm so proud of my kids. We took every shot Kentucky had. It's amazing we were playing Kentucky for the very first time.

I think all 12 teams in this tournament are capable of playing in the NCAA tournament and doing well in the NCAA tournament. That is incredibly rare.