Donald Copeland
Donald Copeland
coming east florida game losses pick positive south struggling team thick three tonight wide
This was very big. South Florida is a team that's struggling right now. It's a game we needed, coming off three losses in a row. Tonight got us back into the thick of things. The Big east is wide open. We can pick up things from here and go on in a positive way.
early forgot happened loss moved team time
We moved on from that loss a long time ago. It happened early on in the season, we're a different team now. We really forgot about it.
came points team tough tried
If we guard, we're a tough team to beat, because we're able to put points on the board. Really, it just came down to us getting stops, and if they tried to make a run, we had to answer.
becoming beginning guys identity roles special stick team
I think we're pretty much a different team because we have more of an identity now. Guys are becoming more comfortable with their roles and things are beginning to jell for us. If we stick together, I think we're going to be able to do some special things.
hurting problem sitting stretch team
It has been a problem for me the whole year. Right now is an important stretch for us. If I feel I'm hurting the team I have no problem sitting out.
bit confidence duke good lost obviously played road team time undefeated won
I think they were a little bit surprised. We hadn't won on the road yet, they were undefeated at home. We lost to Duke by 53, they lost to them by four. But we have confidence that we're a good team. We're obviously a different team from the time we played at Duke.
believe came expect points score stake tall team teams win
We can't let teams score 89 points on us and expect to win every game, but when it came down to it we gutted it out, we didn't give up, and this team has been like that tall year. There's too much at stake and we believe in ourselves.
conference deal four gets great respect shows teams
Any conference that gets four teams here shows you how competitive it is. We've got a great deal of respect for that.
carried definitely gave hold knew maybe onto picked second start state string strong teams wins
(The N.C. State win) gave us a lot of confidence. It definitely carried over, because when we were down at halftime, we got a real strong start in the second half, and we knew we could hold onto it. Maybe we'll get some recognition and start to string on some wins and be one of the teams picked to make the tournament.
character coaches deal expected great hear season shown shows team work
All season you hear the doubters, you know what's expected of you. You work through it. This team has shown a great deal of resilience. It shows the character of this team the coaches and the players.
best finished league mean seventh talent
We finished seventh in a league of 16 teams, the best league in the country. You finish in the first half, it's got to mean something, especially with the talent of the Big East.
clears guys pushing shots work
We got a lot of shots up, put in a lot of work offensively. We had some real competitive practices, guys really going at each other and pushing each other real hard. Something like that clears things up.
game guys kelly knew ncaa sure tournament
We want to play in the NCAA Tournament so this game was huge. Kelly and I had to make sure the other guys knew we couldn't ever quit. We huddled when we had to let them know. We had to want it more.
best defensive expecting losing offensive win wind
You go in expecting to win the game, and you wind up losing and losing by 20. It wasn't our best defensive or offensive day. We didn't have it today.