The University of Mississippi Athletics
Andy Kennedy Postgame Quotes
12/22/2007 | Men's Basketball
On the game:
I look at these numbers, and they would reflect we probably got beat by 15 points. We shoot 27 percent in the second half, they shoot 59 percent. For the game, they're at 53 percent. But our guys are gritty. They make the plays that we need to make.
On Chris Warren:
I'm not sure ever in the history of a tournament has the most valuable player gone 5-for-17 in the final, but you don't remember the 12 he missed. What big shots Chris Warren stepped up and made for this team. He steps up and makes huge plays as a true freshman. We're going to have four fun years with him. He's going to make me a lot better coach, I'll tell you that.
On the team's undefeated run:
I'm really proud of our team, because we still have not gotten what we can out of a lot of guys on our team. Kenny Williams was in foul trouble. We had issues all across the board, yet we stepped up and made the plays to beat a very good basketball team, and we're one of 10 teams that is still undefeated. There's been a lot of speculation about whether the Rebels are contenders or pretenders, and I think we answered some of those questions today.
On the team's effort vs. Clemson:
The effort was unbelievable. It was the hardest we've played. Obviously we anticipated coming out and playing with great energy. When life grants you opportunities you need to take advantage of them, because you don't know when you'll have this opportunity again. We got a chance to play the 15th-ranked team in the country on a neutral site where quite frankly there were no other factors like fans or officials. It's us and them, that's it, just like a pick-up game.
On the game:
I was really encouraged. We were really good out of the gate. We knew Clemson was going to make a run. They came to that 1-3-1 in the second half and it bothered us. We got really tentative.
On Clemson's defense:
People are zoning us. I hope it's not a trend. I think it's a back-handed compliment because no one can guard us off the bounce, so they zone us. They zoned us the whole second half, and that zone got us very tentative. But we got in a little bit of a rhythm in the second half. There was a sense of urgency that came over us in the last four or five minutes.
On Ole Miss' defense at the end of the game:
Defensively we came up with enough stops to survive, because Clemson's an awfully good team with unbelievable shooters. If you give them a crease, they will make you pay.