Dec. 18, 2002
On the feel of this game~ This game is kind of like a bowl game in the middle of the year. It's kind of a game onto itself, and it's a great game. Bill (Self) is a great coach. Someone that I really admire, and I love how his team plays. They're guarding really well, and they're playing unbelievably well together. This is a terrific test for our guys.
On the significance of this game~ The overall significance of the game come March may not be as great as it feels right now, but the nature of the game dictates that. The fact that you don't have a game for a little while before gives you a kind of a build up, and you have the holiday afterward so it kind of sits in your mouth. I know the last two Christmases for me I was watching the Illinois tape. I was upset that we lost. I think the way the game is placed on the calendar kind of creates that. I do think it's a really big game. I think both teams have approached it that way.
On how both teams are similar~ Both of our teams are in very similar situations. They lost Williams, Bradford, and Archibald. We lost Clarence and Kareem. In both cases, they were our go to guys. They return Cook, but they have young kids playing. We have young kids playing. This game will tell you something about where you are. As a coach, I don't think you should look too much into it. It is a singular game.
On the key to Saturday's game~ You have to be prepared to make adjustments. That's the one thing about the timing of this game. You don't have a season of tape to know who people really are. You only have a few games to look at. You don't have as good of feel as to who everybody is that you would maybe in February. Even in how you guard, you have to be prepared to adjust.
I think both teams are playing really good defense. I think that puts a premium on execution. I would expect both teams to show up ready to guard. You have to be able to execute against whatever they're doing. When you get into good games, teams have to make plays.
On how the Illinois rivalry compares to the Kansas rivalry~ They're both fun to play. You don't always enjoy the outcome. You want the outcome to be a certain way, but I certainly feel you enjoy these opportunities. That's not why you do it, but it's certainly the excitement of both coaching and playing. And, Kansas and Illinois have both been top-10 teams since I've been here.
On his first practice with Mizzou at Vashon HS two yrs ago:
It was first practice and it was kinda rough on me. Coming into a new setting just not knowing what to expect, kinda knowing what you were getting yourself into but not actually getting the competition but I mean it was my first experience and that's one of the memories that I'll always keep with me until I leave here.
On playing Illinois and where Mizzou is as a team:
For us this year, people say we haven't been playing anybody. That we came up and played Memphis, they say that we had a good showing; they say we kinda just really haven't played any real stiff competition. But Illinois is going to be our toughest competition up to this far because they have great inside play and they have good guards. So we are going to have to be on top of our game.
We feel that we can kinda measure ourselves to see and kinda give us a grade on where we are at during the season. And we know we have to go out and play a tough physical game.
On "Big Guy" defense:
A.J and myself have really demanded a lot of double teams from a lot of the teams, and that makes it more important that we can kick the ball out and just have our guards drive the ball. With Illinois they have Brian Cook, but they also have good post players as well that compliment him. We just have to neutralize him and keep him off the post and be very physical with him because we know he likes to play outside on the perimeter. And all of the big guys kinda like to toss it out to him but we've got to knock his legs out from under him.
On how Jimmy feels playing in STL.
Just playing in St. Louis for him is big; every body is coming to see him play. We are two pretty good teams playing so I can imagine this being a big game for him.
I think there would be some pressure just to perform well. It's a good team and you want to do well in front of your fans, but also you want to win. In that perspective I think it would be tough.
On playing Illinois and where Mizzou is as a team:
I think so definitely, I don't know about them but for us. They are a really good team and they have good guards and a skilled big man and it just shows that we have to execute our game plan. I know it's going to be a tough team to play. Any let ups we have where we don't play together, that's going to cost us the game.
On Memphis and beating the full court press:
It's something we've been working on throughout practice. I think with that game it was because we kinda had the lead and we were trying to still attack but not force anything. I turned the ball over and we made some small mistakes and we're working on that.
Junior Center Arthur Johnson
On the evolution of Rickey Paulding and himself as Tigers:
Where we come from back home we and others talk about it a lot. We still haven't done what we want to do yet, we're only juniors and we still have a lot of time to accomplish a lot more of the goals that we have set for ourselves. It feels good because we're doing it together and we've been on good teams with good coaches, so we'll only continue to get better. That's what makes it so much more enjoyable, knowing there is more to come.
Freshman Guard Jimmy McKinney
On playing in the Savvis Center in front of his family on Saturday:
It's special, just going back home and playing in a place I played in for four years, but basically it's just another game. We're just gonna go out there and compete like we've always been doing and just play hard and try to come out and get a win. This is not about Missouri-Illinois, it's about winning. It's a border war, Illinois is going to bring it to us, we know that, but we're going to be ready too.
Dee Brown We just focus on what we are trying to do. It is not really a one on one battle with Dee Brown.
On the Illinois game
It is a battle of 10 or 11 guys in the locker room. That is one of the things that Coach (Snyder) has been stressing. We do not want to turn this into an us against them. We want to turn this into us against ourselves. We just want to focus on our defense and play basketball.
Preparing the young guys: Yeah I think that there is no way you can prepare them. You can only tell them what it is going to be like. You have never really experienced it until you have gone through it one time. They are all really anxious to get out there and they know the importance of the game. I think jimmy knows he grew up around it."
Importance of game
It is one of those games that is huge for both schools it is almost like they (Illinois) are 7-0 and we are 6-0 you know it is non-conference and one of those things where it feels like a conference game because we play them year in and year out. It is always a great game because every kind of throws the rankings out, and we do battle."
Game as a barometer
Yes, Illinois is going to be our toughest test yet. When the other school is undefeated that make's that game bigger. We just have to bring the same intensity that we brought last week. We just have to keep it up especially the defensive intensity. We can use this game, as a measuring stick Illinois is a great team. It should be a lot of fun."
Team progress
We have gotten better each game that is what Coach Snyder has stressed to us. Where we are going to be five games now reflects on where we were five games ago. We have made so many strides from when we played American in that opener, and I think what life going to be like for us three weeks from now, and we will be that much better."