Dec. 3, 2006

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Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri Basketball Missouri vs. Evansville Dec. 3, 2006

Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement
"It was a quick turnaround for our basketball team. We played against an Evansville team that has been playing pretty well, especially on the road. I thought it was going to be a gut-check for our guys, as a follow up to the Arkansas game. It was an emotional high, of course our guys were listening to people patting them on the back, telling them how great they are, and so sometimes that goes to your head when you come to play the game. And this is one of those dangerous games. I thought we came out a little flat. Even though we had the leading score, I thought we were a little flat. But, a lot of that credit goes to Evansville because they just wouldn't go away."

On J. T. Tiller
"I thought the second half we came out and we had an injection, I thought, an injection of energy from J.T. Tiller. I thought he was the guy who came in and gave us some big minutes and before you know it, that energy spread over to some other guys. Players like Darryl Butterfield and Stefhon Hannah picked it up on defense. That was a big lift for our guys and I felt like our guys responded in a positive way.

On our defense
"I felt like our defense was pretty good. We held their guards to 0-of-20 from the floor. We rebounded the ball; you look at a guy like Kalen Grimes and he almost had a double-double in the first half, so, he continues to rebound the basketball and that's what it's going to take for us to win basketball games when we go on the road."

Evansville Head Coach Steve Merfeld Quotes:

Opening Statement
On Missouri's Style of Basketball
"Missouri's style of basketball, force of tempo and that's all they know. That's all they have done for the 9 games. We can't say enough about what Coach Anderson has done in a short time period."

On Evansville's Shooting Performance
"We had some good looks and you won't see Anslinger and Holsinger shoot a combined 0 for 20. It's not going to happen very often."

On Missouri's Defensive Pressure
"We made a nice run at the beginning of the second half. But if I remember correctly, they pressured us and got the pace back to their liking."

On Stefhon Hannah
"Tremendous. I've known Stefhon for a few years now. He's what a point guard is supposed to be. He's what makes the team."