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Jan. 24, 2007

Opening statement...

"First of all I thought we came away from the Duke game having learned a lot about our team. I'm pleased with how we fought back and put ourselves in a position to be competitive at the end. Right now we are focused on the preparation for Vanderbilt. That's always a tough game for us and a very important game in terms of the SEC race. Both teams understand that. There's not much rest for this basketball team this week, probably the most challenging week of the year for us. We have to give our team at least a chance to rest along the way but there's not a lot of time for that either."

On responding in practice after the loss to Duke...

"This team has a very different personality than last year's team. I think they responded really well but were disappointed. They know what's very much at stake as far as the conference race and national seeding and what they need to do to get ready for Vanderbilt. We talked about our game in Nashville last year, and recognize the challenge we have before us this time. This team has a lot of respect for Vanderbilt, how they have played us and the tough, close games we have been fortunate enough to win."

On lineup used in second half of Duke game...

"That was a lineup I thought we were forced to use in that game. We are not opposed to playing a big lineup and at times we can be very effective with it. Duke did a good job of attacking Shannon Bobbitt. I think this was probably the biggest stage of her career. She will learn and grow from this, and it will enhance her play down the road. I went with a big lineup so we could match up with their guards and with Nicky Anosike's ability to guard on the perimeter. We were able to generate a lot on our defense. I think we can certainly keep Bobbitt on the floor in those situations. Having been in that situation before she will be better prepared, and it will make her tougher. It was as much mental as it was physical for her, just being able to do what she had to do on the defensive end. I thought she played on her heels more than she had played on her heels all year."

On appreciation of how hard it is being a point guard for Tennessee...

"I certainly appreciate her, what she has brought to our team. I'm confident that she can learn from this and provide the kind of leadership and direction that we need. Honestly, I really don't care what other people think. It's what Shannon thinks and what the coaches feel, and I think she's making great strides. We just have to give her enough information going in. We can script out what we want to do offensively and defensively. The communication of this team has been very influential in management during the game. I think that having a veteran team has allowed us to go into loud arenas and hostile environments, keep tight huddles and share information. Alexis has been great working along side Shannon and sharing information. It's been easy for the coaching staff to let go of the reins with this team in a lot of situations because of the communication and their togetherness."

On watching film on Vanderbilt's Carla Thomas...

"They can get Carla very involved. They run so many sets and really work hard to get her good touches. We will be challenged not just with Thomas but with defending all the action that they run in the half court. It's more about guarding certain action than it is about guarding certain plays because they run so much."

On men's head coach Bruce Pearl's painted chest Monday...

"I don't know if I can match it. It's interesting that anyone could criticize what Bruce did because I thought it was great. It shows his passion not only for his own program but for our program and we work really well together. We got great exposure too. I told him I need to think of something but I'm not as creative as Bruce is. I don't know how many coaches have the courage that Bruce has. He is all about generating excitement with the students and showing his support for our team. He's not worried about the critics and I don't know how many coaches would be that comfortable to paint their body's and sit in the student section. I thought it was awesome."

On Vanderbilt's fast starts last season in Nashville and Knoxville...

"We talked about that with our team, looking back on our game in Nashville last year. It's a game in which we have to go in and be very committed on the defensive end. They shoot the three ball and we are going to have to defend. Our transition was not our scheme in the Duke game. We cannot have a lack of discipline on our scouting report defense, it has to be great."

On final plays of the Duke game...

"The strategy was not to foul early, it was to try to generate something early to get us the ball. It wasn't our first look. Our first look was to try to get a possession there. I put more emphasis on getting the ball back. I don't know that I would have changed the play. I put the confidence in the defense. The direction was that we need to go for the ball, and if we foul, we foul. We just had to try to bring up something with our defense."

On looking ahead to Alabama on Sunday...

"You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat, and we are supposed to beat them. We have to respect them and understand that on any given day anything can happen. We have to bring our `A' game in every game in the SEC. Right now our focus is strictly on Vanderbilt, we have not mentioned Alabama. We have to believe our team will to be ready to play in each and every SEC game, particularly on the road. It can be very challenging."

On preventing another loss after Duke like what happened last year...

"We talked about our priorities. They understand what they have to do. One thing for sure is that they respect Vanderbilt. Talking about the close games that we've had, there's no doubt in my mind that this team was fortunate at home last year to play them the way we did and be able to come out with a "W". I have a lot more confidence in our team this year, coming in after a loss, than last year's team. There is a lot of fight in this team and I have a lot more confidence in this team in handling that situation."