Jay Wright Quotations

We struggled, and a lot of that credit goes to Marquette. But we finished it off, and that's a sign of a really good team.

We're going to need him. He gives us more size out on the perimeter.

When we double-teamed them, they made the extra pass and hit the 3.

When we did it in the NCAA Tournament, it was kind of dropped on us. We didn't have a lot of time to prepare. I feel good that we have a little more time to prepare and play that way.

When we had that 10-point lead we hit a lull. Then it was a game.

When we had some tough times a couple of years ago, we were all concerned about the program. I never, ever worried about my job. We all worried about the program.

When we got back to Philadelphia and we talked about it, we just said, we got a second chance here - we got a second chance in life, forget about basketball. It just made every guy grow up - I think every guy became a little more mature, a little more focused on what's important in life, and I think it had a cumulative effect on our team.

We're going to do it nicely, so he'll do it with me and he'll be in the pictures with his classmates.

We're expecting the doctor to say he can practice. If he is cleared, he'll practice today right after his appointment.

We're right where we wanted to be right now. Honestly, I didn't think it would take this long. God had other plans. We had some struggles.

We've still got until the end of the month, beginning of March, until they let him make a decision. I think he's getting more realistic about it. When I have to make a decision, I'm going weigh in my decision. He's working, he's enthusiastic.

We've won games that way. We've shot poorly and then got on the offensive boards and played defense. They were just too good.

We want to shoot 3s. We have great confidence in Allan and Mike and Randy, especially. Those three are pretty deadly.

We want to shoot 3s, ... We have great confidence in Allan and Mike and Randy, especially. Those three are pretty deadly.

What we'll take from that is to regain a little bit of hunger and an understanding that we can get beat anytime by anybody.

There are some positives to this. It is creating problems for the other team, too. So we have hung with it. It gets us by. I am not making any videos on it, I will tell you that.

We really haven't had a game like that this year where we just felt like we couldn't get things going offensively. I thought that Pittsburgh, once they got a hold of the game, did a great job of just controlling the tempo and hitting big shots.

We really enjoy as a team the time that we spend together, just coaches, players hanging out. We always get that on the road. There is an enjoyment to being on the road for us and that's what Minneapolis will be like. We think we're even tighter on the road. We're going to really take advantage and enjoy that.

We're a defensive team. We take pride in that. And we just couldn't stop them. ...I've never had that feeling, where you just couldn't stop somebody.

We ran into a team that played better basketball today. We're going to suck up this hurt tonight but I want to make sure my guys feel great about themselves. They gave everything they had.

We ran into a team that played better basketball than us. I think we can play a lot better and we can shoot a lot better, and the other team had a lot to do with that. They were really good.

We're always prepared not to have him and it's been that way for four years. We're happy for him personally. He isn't in pain and he played 26 minutes that way.

We hear it all the time, so you think about it because everybody talks about it around here. We spend all our time with each other talking about, 'Forget about it.' It's such a mythical thing and everybody talks about it.

What we do he used to call chuck and duck. I love all the intricate sets he used to run, but with the personnel we have, we've got to let these guys go. We really stress playing together and we have the kind of guys who enjoy that.

When Villanova's rated as one of the top four teams in the country and a No. 1 seed, I think it talks a lot about the respect, not just of this season, but it's respect for the tradition of the program.

Last year was so bizarre. Now we've been through this before. Everybody's comfortable with what we're doing. I don't think anyone's in awe of what we're doing.

Old school, split the house... It was cool.

Most people are bigger than us, so they start that way and see how that goes. A lot of teams at some point have gone to their version of 'small' against us. We've seen both.

One of the things you can't hide is how a player is going to play in the most stressful conditions, when the big lights are on. You throw them into the fire, you see how they respond. You know if they're a player or not. You can just see it in their face. You can see it their confidence level. And in those two, they responded the best in the biggest game.

One of the areas the NBA has affected college basketball is the big guys. If they're very skilled as young guys, they take them early. The guys who are able to benefit from maturing four years in college are the guards.

My family's here. I'm from here. It just doesn't get any better.

Now that we've got a good thing going here, I'm happier that it worked out that way. Everyone feels they earned it. You kind of know who your friends are. There was plenty of time for people to show whether they were loyal to the program or not.

Obviously, we always want to have Allan on the floor. But to beat a good team, you've got to be able to recover from that.

Obviously this was an incredible Big East battle. We just said to ourselves, this is BIG EAST game No. 1 - it tells you what this league will be like...Timely shots by Allan Ray, Jason Frazier and Dante Cunningham kept us in the game. Every time Louisville made runs at us, those guys made big plays. Game number one in the Big East, that's what it's going to be like.

Obviously, that was an incredible Big East battle. I think that's what this league is going to be about. We haven't played a team this good in an environment like this. I was actually prepared to come in here and lose and learn.

Obviously Allan is very fortunate to have come through a potentially dangerous injury with these positive results.

Noah is incredible. Usually kids that are that big, even if they're that athletic, they don't have the ability to play every possession at the intensity level that he does. I don't know many guards that can do that, but he does that at his size. That's what makes him unique.

I was really proud that we were able to complete 40 minutes. We struggled, but we finished it off and we just kept playing. That's a sign of a really good team.

I wouldn't have known that if they didn't bring it up on the screen.

I wouldn't wish what happened to them on any other class. I wouldn't want to go through it again.

If we have seniors like this and I'm yelling and screaming at halftime, we're in a lot of trouble. They've got to take responsibility and they did.

I got to see exactly what I wanted to see.

I don't ever think I used the word grind about a season and I found myself using it at the end of this one. There was never a time to relax and that's a positive for a great league. We never had to get our guys ready. I'd rather have it that way when every game was a big game.

I'd much rather go into this tournament after winning the Big East, but now that we haven't, I think what we will take from that is gaining a little bit of hunger and the understanding that we can get beat by anybody.

I don't know what to expect. I don't think we've ever played anywhere against a player of this magnitude in terms of what he means to a program, in terms of what he means to college basketball. A player that's as loved as Gerry McNamara playing his last home game? I don't know if we'll ever do this again.

I don't know what to expect, except that these are champions coming back to prove themselves. I know it's going to be everything they've got. The good thing is, that's how they play anyway. I don't know how much more they can bring.

I could see this playing out at the end (as a storybook McNamara ending) with the way he was hitting the threes but I didn't want it to happen at our expense. I was pleased that he had a great game and that we won.

I always wanted to be here. My wife went to Villanova. This is a great area for college basketball.

I find myself saying the same things about him. He is physically capable and mentally capable of doing anything to win a game for you.

I feel great right now. I didn't ask if he could play. I was more worried about his future. And they said he's fine.

I feel like we spent a weekend in Scranton. My sons were wearing Gerry McNamara shirts (but) not during the game.

Given the circumstances, I understand why it took longer.

Getting on the bus, police officers know everybody. People walking down the street know all the players' names. It is fun, but it is a challenge.

I don't think we understand how hard people are going to come at us. These guys have never gone through a season like this, ranked early, getting so much attention. Everyone else wants to make their name off you. You can't imagine how hard people come at you.

I don't think I've ever used the word grind, but I've found myself using that word a lot to describe this season. There was just never a time to relax this season. There was not one second to relax. But that's the sign of a great league.

I give Seton Hall a lot of credit. They're physical. They defend. The bottom line is they came out and came after us and we came out every lackadaisical.

If some team told him they would take him in the first round, he might hire an agent and go. That's why I'm thinking it's so difficult for him. He's not a clear-cut lottery pick. If he was top 15, I'd make him go, I really would.

I always think we're gonna win. I have great confidence in these guys. I know they're gonna make plays.

He did that his whole high school career. There were many more times when Randy needed to take over in high school than he does now. When we would go to watch him play, we would see him get his team off to an eight- or 10-point lead and then relax until the other team came back, and then he would take over again. He did that his whole high school career. It?s been our biggest challenge with him, but it?s also what makes him such a special player. No matter what went on prior in the game, when the game is on the line, he?s ready to take over.

He hit some deep, deep shots. He was incredible in the first half. Some of those shots must've been 32 feet.

He hit some deep, deep shots and some tough shots. I think he was just incredible in the first half.

He might not be able to play in the Connecticut game. They've told us that if he doesn't get rested and get well, this could really linger.

We try to play our four guards, but sometimes we have games where we get off to a good start, and we can speed people up and stay with it. We were having a rough time speeding them up.

We're pretty defensive-minded and when you look at Louisville's defensive percentage and the 3s they hit, you just feel terrible about how you played. Then you look and we hit 14 3s and that's unbelievable. That was just an incredible college basketball game with two outstanding offensive teams drilling big shot after big shot.

We take the responsibility of representing United States basketball very seriously,

He's always the one nobody talks about. Everyone talks about the four guards. Well if there's four guards, there's one other guy but we never talk about him. He does all the dirty work and he keeps a great attitude.

He's always doing the dirty work. He keeps battling and battling. Will Sheridan is everything that Villanova basketball is about.

He's a unique player. I don't remember anybody like him that good defensively and offensively on the perimeter and in the post.

His unselfishness is not an act. It's almost like he cherishes it.

He's good. We actually recruited him. We really liked him. ... You know what he's going to do. He's just going to pound you. He's going to go to the glass every time. He's going to be very physical. He's a good player. He might surprise some people, but he doesn't surprise us because we recruited him.

He?s good, but we knew that already because we recruited him. He?s a four or five for a Connecticut team, so he?s going to be a guy who pounds you, who?s very physical. He?s not a surprise to us.

He?s going to be a factor. He sits back there and protects the basket.

He's been as patient as any player I've ever had.

He's done an incredible job. I think what he's done a great job of doing is utilizing his personnel instead of worrying about what they don't have, he's doing a great job of taking advantage of what they do have.

I actually feel a little guilty. We had home court tonight. I'd like to thank the fans coming out. They were great.

He was really getting into Kyle. I haven't seen anybody get into Kyle where he couldn't get where he wanted to go.

He was exhausted. I said, 'Do you have more?' He said, 'It's my career. I have got it.' He was the best.

He was great. There were a lot of times where we got to the rim and he made us change our shots.

He just did what was necessary to win the game. And having that weapon is valuable.

This was a great college atmosphere. I had mixed feelings coming into the gym.

It actually looked a lot worse than it was. It's much, much better than they initially anticipated.

I think it changed the game. I think he was way ahead of his time. He caught the country by surprise the year he went to the Final Four. I think even after years he had all that success going to the Final Four, I think that it still took all of us a long time to catch up.

I think in the back of our guys' minds, they always believe that can happen at any time and they have that great confidence. It's exciting as hell because in two possessions, you're making up six points. It's such a momentum-changer. It's fun to have those shooters.

I think in recruiting, it establishes us. I don't have to answer questions about, Are you going to be there? Are you going to be there when I'm finished playing?' It makes it very clean in recruiting.

It could end in two games. And if it does, as long as we're giving our best effort, I'm proud of them.

I thought West Virginia was just great. It's the Big East. You knew it was going to come some time where someone was going to play a better game. We've just got to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I thought we started the game really strong. But Australia made a great adjustment in the second half, credit to them.

I thought we started the game really strong and were very focused, which is a credit to our guys playing at 10:30 in the morning. I thought Australia made a great adjustment in the second half by going to a smaller lineup which gave us trouble.

I thought we were prepared. I just give West Virginia a lot of credit. They made more intelligent plays and executed better longer in a great game.

I thought this was a home game for us. When they cut it to seven, (the crowd noise) shocked me.

I thought that might have been one our best defensive efforts of the season. They are a very tough, physical team and we always worry about being a small team because of our guards that I thought we handled their toughness with quickness and toughness defensively.

I think we kind of felt like the odds were against us all year, being small and playing with the four guards, and I think that's got to be the same attitude that we go into the tournament with. We have to go in hungry and wanting to prove ourselves.

I think what we all see in (Florida) this year is an outstanding team. They really play off each other -- five guys double-figure (scoring), and for us it's a different kind of challenge. We realize we are getting everybody's best game.

I think being at home and being comfortable makes a big difference. Not having to find a place to practice . . . There's so many things to deal with logistically when you're traveling, that this just makes it better for us.

It has amazed me how confident he has become in his intellect. The first day on the basketball court here, he was not intimidated. But that summer going to class, he was. It was very obvious. He was scared.

I think we beat them on a good night. They're great. They deserve to be No. 1. They answered everything we did, we answered what they did and that's what made a great game between two outstanding teams.

I think we are a little bit more experienced, probably a little bit. We are very similar, but they are a lot different.

I think they know how hard it's going to be to get any further than that.

I think they are probably the best defensive team in the tournament, ... They are very well-coached, especially on the defensive end.

I think these guys have been through so much - normally, losing a player of Curtis' status would be devastating.