#3, Bam Adebayo, Freshman, F
On how he thinks Kentucky won …
“Just coming together. Just being close and staying with each other. Just fighting.”
On how he was able to bounce back after a rough first half …
“Just confidence and believing in myself. My teammates believed in me, and I knocked down some big free throws.”
On the frustration due to being on the bench for so long …
“I want to be out there fighting with my brothers. The game goes the way it goes.”
On how being able to make a large comeback will affect the team’s future …
“It just proves we’ve got to fight and that we’re not backing out from anybody.”
On how he felt Tai Wynyard played …
“I think Tai did well. I love him to death. He played good. He played great and he gave us good minutes.”
#5, Malik Monk, Freshman, G
On the defense during the inbound pass at the end of regulation…
“ It was great defense. The best we could play. We ran through that play a lot at practice and worked on it everyday so I was able to lock down the shot.”
On what got him going in the second half…
“ Isaiah was way too aggressive than he was in the first half and I was able to feed off of his energy and everything that he was doing and knock down the shots he was giving me.”
On playing without Fox…
“ We knew he wasn’t going to play, but the game plan was still the same. We planned to play the way we played with or without him and fortunately we were able to execute.”
On difficulty of zone game…
“ I was pretty hard, but we worked on it for the past two days and we just adjusted to it.”
On Georgia leading 19-5…
“Our energy was just low. We just had to bring it out and I think that happened when there were eight minutes left and we started making runs and basically started executing.”
#13, Isaiah Briscoe, Sophomore, G
On coaching the team from the floor more tonight…
“Absolutely. Before the game, on his notes, he added new ones saying ‘more of y’all and less of me’. Meaning he wanted the players to coach each other and let him take a step back. Today, before the game, Kenny (Payne) said, ‘Every time somebody shoots a free throw, go over and control the team’, and I did just that. It helped me with the flow of the game, and I felt more comfortable out on the court talking back and fourth with coach. I had to do what I had to do.”
On being down 12 to start the game …
“When things get tight, everybody looks at me as the leader. I kept a positive attitude, and let everyone else around me know that we’re still in this game, it’s early. Basketball is a game of runs and everyone is going to go on a run. We weren’t expecting the 12-0 start, but we kept fighting and ended up winning in overtime.”
On what you’re thinking when Monk is in his zone …
“I feel like I’m shooting the three’s too. I swear, when it gets down to the guts of the game and he has that look in his eye, he says, ‘Yo Zay,, come on bro, get me the ball, get me open’, as the point guard, as the leader. I want him to score because I know he’s good for it towards the end of the game. I just kept finding him and he caught fire.”
