Dec. 17, 2005
Santa Clara Head Coach Dick Davey
Opening Statement:
"I think we're having trouble in an area of the game that's critical to have a chance to be successful and that's shooting the ball. Now, did North Carolina have something to do with it? Sure they did. But, I felt all year long that we're capable of shooting the basketball and we're just not doing that right now. Then, you go on the road and you play Mississippi State, you play Oregon, you play North Carolina and it doesn't make it real easy to win ball games when you're playing in a foreign territory. Hopefully we'll get a little more mature as team and get these guys back and start making baskets."
On the difference in this year's Carolina team:
"I surely thought last year's team had a good chance to win the national title when we played them last year. Even without Felton we knew they were good. I think people have a lot of misconceptions about this year's Carolina team. This team will win a lot of games and maybe even contend in the conference. I know everybody is talking about Duke and surely they are awfully good. But, these guys play hard. They're going to create a problem for other teams in the conference, even as a young team. They are pretty good young players."
On Travis Niesen:
"He was getting double-teamed a lot. That put a burden on him a little bit. But, if some of our other guys would start shooting the ball a little better, it would be easier on him. He was, in the second half, trying to feed out to people. You've just got to make some shots. But, he's a warrior."