Dec. 12, 2001

Columbia, Mo. - Coach Quin Snyder

Opening comments:

"It's exam time, so we haven't practiced in a few days. They've really been focused on that and rightly so. It's always hard to practice during exams - kids are drained. We'll try to get a little sweat and a little run. We'll worry about Iowa on Friday when guys start to finish up. We just don't want their minds overloaded on things."

On Clarence Gilbert:

"I was really excited to see Clarence recognized as Big 12 Player of the Week. I think it's something he deserves and he was recognized for the diversity of his performance, not for getting 43 or whatever he got against Iowa State or for hitting 8 three's, but for making plays to help us win games - and that's terrific!"

On the team's improvement over the last two weeks:

"I think our team is at a good place where there's a recognition on their part that there are some things we can absolutely improve on. I don't know if we had that recognition two weeks ago, but they've accepted that over the course of the last week and have focused on getting better and using Iowa and Illinois to that end."

On the four game stretch before Big XII play begins:

"I think it's important to the extent that we need to get better. This is their last opportunity to do that. I look at it as two separate chunks: the Iowa/Illinois chunk and the DePaul/Coppin State chunk after Christmas. You hope during Christmas time that the guys stay in shape and get away and enjoy themselves. We are a team that can really improve. We haven't yet hit our stride anyway. I don't think Kareem has played his basketball but I think he's starting to. I think the Southern game for him was big. He played a good game. The thing that's good about that is we are growing. Kareem is a junior. There's recognition on his part of what he wants to do on the court. I think AJ is starting to figure it out a little bit more. We've got guys who are capable of improving individually and I think our team is also capable of improving. This four game non-conference stretch is when you have to do that. You need to do it the whole year, but I think this is our last opportunity before non-conference play - obviously - to do that. Particularly, defensively, we have to be better defensively."

On the value of close games:

"Absolutely, it's a situation that you're in that some teams...I know a few years ago - my last year at Duke - we blew everybody out and you get in a close game and it's different. But when you are in a lot of close games you become better. You don't necessarily win them all. You become better at them. Another situation is at the end of a half. We have two end-of-half tapes that we watched the other day, the Saint Louis game and the Southern game. We gave the ball away to Southern at the end of the half to take what was a 26-point lead down to a possible 16-point lead. That's a huge turn. Saint Louis - we should have gone in at the half up three. We shot quick, gave up a three, turned it over and they laid it in. Just like end-of-half, end-of-game experience is very important. When you can have it in a game, you can use it to teach and hopefully become better."

On Kareem Hype:

"I think it's distracting. It was distracting to him a little bit earlier in the season. I think he's figured it out a little bit right now. The fact of the matter for him is that it was all given to him. It's just like our ranking. He finished the year unbelievably with a broken thumb. I think part of the reason people are so intrigued by him is because he did all that with a broken thumb. But he hasn't done yet what Jason Williams has done. And our team hasn't yet done what Duke has done. That should make you even hungrier to do it. I've liked [Kareem's] in the paper lately about where he's going. I think that shows more of a maturity about where he's going. You don't know what it's like until you go through it and better to have him go through it pre-season than mid-season."

Senior Guard, Clarence Gilbert

On time off for finals:

"It's tough for us having this much time off. I can't feel where we're going or where we've been after being off for this long. I haven't seen the guys in about two days. I'm ready and excited to practice again."

On Iowa:

"Iowa - they're a tough ball club and well coached."

On Iowa and Illinois:

"We're here to focus on two top 25 - top 15 teams and we just have to try and get ready for them."

On the necessary factors in defeating Iowa:

"We just have to really get after them defensively and take them out of their offense as much as we can."

Sophomore Forward, Travon Bryant

On the next few weeks in Missouri Basketball:

"These are big games - Illinois and Iowa - and we just have to get out there and just take care of business. But first we have to take care of business in practice and slowly work our way up to being able to play Iowa. We just have to continue to progress and get better every day."

"It's going to be another tough game. They are going to come in here with a chip on their shoulder knowing that they probably should have won the last game. We pulled it out so we expect an even tougher game."

On playing against physical Iowa players:

"That's one thing we talk about on this team: Iowa has players like Reggie Evans and Glen Worley who are real active. They help you out being able to play in the Big 12 because there are a lot of players who are real active. It's a challenge that we have to accept and we are not going to back down."

On the team's success thus far:

"These are great things that we've accomplished but we don't really reflect on them too much. What's in the past is in the past. So we just have to continue to get better and look toward playing against Iowa."

On the team's resiliency:

"This team shows a lot of character. We have a lot of heart and we are not going to back down until the clock has double zeroes on it. That's just one thing we go out there and do. The Saint Louis game was real tough, Iowa played us real tough so we know we're going to expect the same thing."

Junior Forward, Kareem Rush

On the break for finals:

"It was a long layoff for us. We had a chance to rest our bodies. We anticipate a tough day today in practice, but we are ready to go."

On the Iowa game:

"We are approaching it like a regular game. We are not going to do anything special for Iowa. We know they are going to try and come in here and try to beat us. So we are just going to play our game. Whatever happens - happens."

On practice before a big game:

"It's important (to have a good practice) but if we lose we are not going to blame it on a bad practice. We are going to do what we always do in practice: just go out there and work hard and prepare for Iowa. We are ready to go now and we'll be ready for Saturday."

On the first Iowa game:

"It was a tough game. It took an incredible comeback for us to win that game. It could have easily gone the other way. We are going to come out there and play hard. We are ready for them."

"We hate to come back like that. We want to have the game under wraps. We are going to play our best. We want to come out here and show Iowa what kind of team we are."

Kareem's definition of a good team:

"The sign of a good team is a team that can finish. Good teams can win when they are not playing their best. Against Iowa and against Saint Louis we didn't have our best game, but we still managed to find a way to win. That's a sign of us maturing. Hopefully, we won't be in too many of those situations, but we know we can pull a game out even if we are not playing our best."