University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Postgame Quotes
Mar 04, 2006 | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2006
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery
Memphis Head Coach John Calipari
"It was a hard fought game. I expected this. This team (Houston) deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament. They have played us as well as anyone has played us. They easily could have won this game. So, now you say, `Well they didn't.' But, look how they played and look at who they have played. They have beaten Arizona. They have beaten LSU. The only problem is that they are going to play us again. Now, they may beat us. Their team deserves to be in. They deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully, they will be."
"We have six freshmen, two sophomores, and our bench was 0-for-11 from the field. Our bench has been one of the strongest things we've had. I shortened it in the second half because we were 0-for-9 at halftime from the bench. I told them that we have to win this game. We can't be messing around here and lose this game. We have a ways to go."
Houston Head Coach Tom Penders
"The intensity level out here was incredible tonight. Memphis was coming off a really tough loss. They were looking for a perfect season and now they're trying to protect that No. 1 seed. We hung in and had a lot of opportunities. We didn't make enough free throws first of all, and we ran out of bodies. We were ready to start calling in the cheerleaders. It was a tough battle, and both teams fought hard."
"It was an incredible atmosphere. Both teams have respect for each other, and they both played hard. I think it has the makings in the future for a great series. They have a great program here, and that's where we're striving to be."
"It was a real war out there; it was a battle. We lost to an excellent basketball team. We lost to a No. 1 seed in my opinion. They're athletic and they're quick."
