What Mike Pegues, Louisville Players Said After 77-60 Win vs. Navy

(Opening statement)

“Obviously, it was a much better result tonight. We were more like ourselves tonight which was great to see. It was a rough night the other night after losing to Furman. We knew we lost to a really good team. The hard part was that we didn’t play our Louisville basketball. I said in the last press conference that we did not uphold the baseline expectations of our program and the things that we prioritize every single day. We did not do a good job with those against Furman. Yet we still had a chance to win and we couldn’t get it done. But, after the film session on Saturday, we didn’t go hard, we went light. We were taking good care of guys’ bodies it had been a long stretch. Obviously with the transition and the whole deal – no excuses. On Sunday, we really got after it. I told those guys we are going to have the best practice of the year. I feel like I kind of sounded like Will Farrell in the movie, ‘we are going to win the mega bowl’ that is what I felt like we were going to have the best practice of the year. I meant that. I didn’t mean perfection. I didn’t mean we were going to make every shot. I didn’t mean we couldn’t turn the ball over. Energy, effort, communication, commitment, investment - what we are about. We saw that yesterday. I told those guys if you come out here and beat a really good Navy team – l looked around the room and asked – ‘has anybody won at UVA?’ Nope. I haven’t. Malik hasn’t and he’s been here 10 years and he hasn’t won there. So, you beat a good Navy tonight, because we reinvested in the things that matter most in our program. If this team wants to be good, because it can be, that has to be daily thing.”

(On forcing turnovers, and the intensity of the Louisville players on defense)

“I thought that intensity was probably the best thing that we did in terms of getting into the ball. We had a few lapses here and there where our ball screen coverage broke down. We didn't get to the body and blow some things up that we wanted to and that we talked about in scouting. But it's like we talked about before the game that, first of all, Coach Barnett did a heck of a job in getting us prepared with the Navy scout. It’s his first time, as much as it is my first time, it was his first time and he looked like he had been out there forever. He did a phenomenal job. Our staff is great. Our GA’s, Coach McMains, Coach Fennell, everybody has stepped up and played a pivotal role. And our guys stepped up and defended and guarded the ball; we got into the ball. We talked a lot about that; we didn't want Navy to feel comfortable. We really wanted to attack. We wanted to treat [John Carter, Jr.] like [Mike] Bothwell, no more Bothwells. That kid can play; he had 19 points at UVA. We wanted to get right out to him, and we did that.”

(On the improved scoring tonight)

“It's always easy when the ball goes in. Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't, we just try to make sure that we take good shots, that we get the ball in the lane, we see out, we share the sugar, get up and down the floor, play with pace and those opportunities will present themselves. It’s also good when you have a guy like Matt Cross that goes 4-for-4 from three; I thought he was great tonight.”

(When you are playing the numbers of guys that you are playing does that give a luxury in terms of ball pressure?)

“It really does. This is one of the deepest teams I’ve ever been part of, which is why I feel like we can do something. We can win some games, we can beat good teams because we’ve got a lot of good players. We want guys to empty the tank. It won’t be your night every night and guys have got to be okay with that. Okay in the sense that ‘alright, it wasn’t my night so I’m going to pull for my teammates,’ but not in okay in the sense that ‘I’m going to get ready to go tomorrow and have a good practice and get in gym and watch some tape with coach. I’m going to be better the next day.’ But having that type of depth does afford us the opportunity to get after the ball and get into guys and just let it all hang out.

(On the rebounding differential tonight)

“Well, the rebounding is an issue. It is and we have to fix that. Coach (Chris) Mack has always been a guy that has prided himself and our program on taking care of the backboard. I don't know the numbers, but I know that we have been at least top-three or top-five in this league ever since we have been here in defensive rebounding and right now that's not the case. I think it is a combination of effort and toughness, our guys need to block out, pinch down, and the guards need to get the long rebounds. Everybody is shooting threes these days. Navy shot 21 threes, a lot of those were long rebounds. We can't get pushed under. You are a little fearful as the season goes on of doing too many live, crazy competitive rebounding drills. You don't want a guy to turn an ankle, but at the same time we have to be a better defensive rebounding team. Sydney Curry, JJ Traynor both – I know I didn't get them in there tonight - but they’ve got to stay positive, they got to stay ready. I wanted to give Rose (Roosevelt Wheeler) a run. I hadn't played him this season and I wanted to see what he can do. He had a good practice yesterday. He has been a kid that I've been on hard, really hard. I thought he played well. I thought he did a good job for freshmen in his first time out there. It was exciting to see him get up and down the floor, get his hands on some balls, and do some good things. I told all those guys, it takes all of us, we need everybody. Some nights you won't get in, some nights you won't play as much, but somehow we got to find a way to stay positive, to keep pushing and to not give in. As a staff, we want to try to do our best to keep everybody encouraged, but we certainly need everybody in that locker room.”

(On Matt Cross’ performance and the technical he picked up)

“AJ (Desai) is an honorable ref, because he came over to myself and Matt (Cross) in the second half and he said, ‘That's my bad. I was quick on that one. If I could rescind it, I would.’ I asked him, ‘So does he get that foul back?’ and he said, ‘No that won't happen but if he were in the league, he wouldn't get fined.’ I was like ‘well, that doesn’t help,’ but I appreciated it anyway and the technical really wasn't as bad as the initial call, but we’ve certainly got to get Matt open and get him shots. He's a really good player, not just a good shooter. Matt is one kid that sticks his nose in there and we’ve got to get all five guys sticking their nose in there and hunting down long rebounds and contested balls, 50/50 balls. He's a kid that does that, he prides himself on that and we’ve got to get more guys valuing that aspect that of the game.”

(On Roosevelt Wheeler’s impact tonight and on Gabe Wiznitzer’s outlook to play after his surgery)

“Gabe is getting healthy, his hand is getting healthy, Coach (Ross) McMains worked him out today. We're hopeful to have Gabe be healthy enough to play in the Bahamas, we'll see how it goes. Right now, he's non-contact, but he can do some stuff 1 on 0. Rose (Roosevelt Wheeler) earned some more minutes tonight, but he's a freshman. So how does he respond on Wednesday? Does he show up and not get after it? Then Sydney Curry will get his minutes. JJ Traynor will get his minutes. That’s the luxury that we have on this team. You have to bring it every day in practice. Coach (Chris) Mack always says that playing time isn’t Halloween candy, everybody doesn't get a little bit. You get what you earn, and that’s how we’re going to operate.”

(On Matt Cross’ impact outside of shooting – does he give you enough on the defensive end?)

“Yeah, he does. I think he tries he's no Dennis Rodman. He's not the fleetest of foot. But he works at it means something to him. He gives us a sense of toughness. That's one of our three core values. Tough, together, unbreakable. He's a tough kid... 50/50 balls, rebounds, keeping the ball in front. Those things matter to him. He values that aspect, those aspects of the game. Those are winning plays. If Matt is 4-for-4 and if there's a one more guy open in the corner, he is going to pass that ball to the guy in the corner 100 percent of the time. His favorite player is Larry Bird. Larry Bird, as much as I was a Magic guy, Larry Bird was a phenomenal competitor. One of the best the game has ever seen. Not only did he make threes, but he dove on the floor. He's a Boston kid - that’s his guy. That's why he wears 33… I love that, because that's old school. That's my era. I like that.”

(On the team sharing the ball – 18 assists, four guys in double figures)

"I thought we got it out of our hands a little quicker. Guys that didn't stick as much, guys didn't hold on to it as much. I thought in the second half, we got a little careless with that. I think for most of the game we had single digit turnovers and then, all of a sudden, we wind up with 16 out of nowhere. It's because guys start to get a little loose with the ball, a little careless. I told them that's not good basketball. We're not going to sink into that just because we're up. It's our standard of play. We've got to take good care of the ball. We've got to move it. It can't stick in guys' hands. We know how to play; we do this every day. We can't get outside of that."

(On the high volume of three-points attempts)

“That may be a Ross McMains question - he's our offensive guru. I love threes too, I do. I didn't see that at first, but I will say as long as the ball gets into the lane, I thought the ball got in the lane a lot. I thought multiple guys drove the ball into the lane and it came back out, and those are good shots. It's those threes that go up when the ball never gets to the point that I don't like, and we don't want those threes. We want feet-set threes after a paint touch and if we can get those, by all means, we want to shoot those.”

Forward Samuell Williamson

Forward Matt Cross