Postgame Quotes - Wake Forest vs. No. 2 Virginia
1/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning
Opening Statement…
"I thought Virginia came out in the second half, and obviously shot a much higher percentage than they did in the first half. Their offensive rebounding was key in helping them create some separation."
"I thought in the first half we did some good things. I thought we moved the ball well. We did a good job of attacking the paint. In the second half, we got into the bonus and I thought we should have attacked the paint a little bit more. They're a very talented team and we didn't do enough in the end to come away with a win. We've got to continue to work."
On Virginia's offense creating open three-pointers…
"They run kind of a wheel offense and we weren't close enough to three-point shooters. We've got to do a better job of staying in front of the ball so we don't have to help as much. They also do a good job of moving the ball."
On the team's first half defense…
"I think we did some good things. I'll have to go back and watch the game and break it down. Historically, Tony Bennett's teams are going to score in this range. I thought they missed some shots, but we played pretty good defense in the first half. In the second half, they got to the free throw line a lot more. They didn't shoot any free throws in the first half. They got there and they capitalized."
On the offensive comfort level against Virginia's defense…
"I thought there were different points of the game where we got comfortable. We got a couple shot clock violations as well. The thing you see with them is their big guys do a great job of hedging ball screens. When teams come out that aggressively, we've got to do a better job of getting the ball reversed and moving it into the post."
On what needs to improve…
"It was a 10-point loss for us. It's disappointing. In the second half, we got a couple leads, but just didn't do enough to close out the ball game. We've got to rebound as a group a lot better. Doral Moore had 13 rebounds and the next highest guy has three. We've also got to do a better job of cleaning up possessions."
Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett
On tonight's game…
"Wake Forest is close. Danny Manning did a good job with those young kids, I watched them against NC State and UNC and they're very close. Unfortunately, that's this league. It is such a battle and I knew this game would be tough, especially remembering our last game here. For example, at the start, we got up 17-10 and then started getting careless with the ball and they took advantage of it. In the second half, we took advantage of the zone, and got some clean looks so that helped us. I thought going into the half it was good to be behind and we wanted to find out more about Wake Forest and how to play them."
On the second half…
"Kyle Guy surely got us going by making key shots, but we also battled defensively. In the locker room, we talked about playing with more effort offensively and avoiding some mistakes and turnovers that hurt us in the first half, and really making sure to tighten up defensively."
On Wake Forest's height…
"Wake Forest is long, and you saw that when Doral Moore tipped over Isaiah Wilkins. We went small with De'Andre Hunter and Isaiah Wilkins, so I was concerned about that coming into the game. In our last few games we've been giving up more defensive rebounds so that certainly was an issue. Coach Manning ran good plays, and it was hard for us to get anything going at the rim, so we really focused on being in position and making Wake Forest earn each point."
