Louisville - Kentucky Media Roundup

Rick Pitino:

Quotes to Note:

--"I think they have improved dramatically over the past two weeks from where they were. I think their passing has improved, their defense has improved, their offensive halfcourt execution--if you look at their statistics, they're every bit as strong as last year. They're not as good as last year right now because they don't have a Miller, they don't have a Jones or a Lamb, and the veterans they do have are just getting adjusted to their system like their freshmen are."

--"I've known John a long time, he's smart enough to know (Gorgui's) going to play."

--"One of the toughest things to figure out is rivalry games. Sometimes guys step up that you don't expect. The one thing you'd like to see is you'd like to see both teams play great and give their best performances rather than have an ugly game."

John Calipari:

Quotes to Note:

--"And then you've got this kid, (Montrezl) Harrell, who is playing 13 minutes game because of the team that's that good. If he was playing 20-25 minutes a game, he'd be a top 15 pick."

--"And if you ask me, from what I'm seeing right now, you're talking about a team that should be, or is, the odds on favorite to win the whole thing. That's how good I think they are."

--"They are a well-oiled machine, we are a work in progress. I still like my team."

Gorgui Dieng:

Quotes to Note:

--"I can do everything with (my left hand). It was a broken bone. It's healed now. I practiced with the team yesterday. I fell like three times on it. I feel good."

--(On trying to explain the rivalry to his parents) "I told them, 'these two schools, they hate each other.' But the good thing is they don't speak English. Whatever is said, it doesn't matter to them."

--"I just want to make this clear: I'm back, not because we're playing against Kentucky. I'm back because the doctor cleared me to play. If the doctor didn't clear me then I would not be playing."

Nerlens Noel:

Quote to Note:

--(On if he's glad Gorgui Dieng is playing) "Yeah, yeah, definitely. That gives them no excuse to say 'oh, we didn't have this player or that player.'"

Wayne Blackshear:

Quotes to Note:

--"They like to get out in transition and get after it. Those guys are like a replica of last year, they're just younger."

--(On what it felt like losing in the Final 4) "It was bad. We thought we should have won that game. But we look back at it and we didn't play aggressive enough. We've still got that feeling from last year, and so now we're gonna go out and try to play hard."

Archie Goodwin:

Quotes to Note:

--"I've seen it on TV. You can see how much thought and time is put into this game by the way that they play."

--"We expect a team that's going to come a us with a lot of competition. That's gonna compete very hard because they don't want to lose on their home court."

--"You want people to doubt you, because that brings out the best in you. It's always a great feeling to prove everybody wrong."