Arkansas 94, Mizzou 61 - Postgame Quotes

Head coach Kim Anderson

Opening statement…
"I would say I'm embarrassed. I think coming into the game we certainly felt good, after the way we played the other night against Auburn. But tonight, we didn't respond very well early in the game. And I would be remiss if I didn't give them credit. I thought they played great. They came out in the beginning and made shots. When we made a run, we got it back maybe to nine or something. They did a great job of coming back and controlling us offensively. So, the performance is unacceptable. Obviously, it starts with me. We've got a lot to work on. We will get back to work tomorrow."

On how Arkansas played offensively…
"Our biggest concern was Bell and the three-point shot. Hannahs and Bell made shots early and got us back on our heels a little bit. But, right up there was Kingsley because of his physicality. I thought he dominated the game from start to finish. We didn't have an answer for him. We tried everybody. Even if we tried to double, they would move the ball around. We didn't play the type of game that we, obviously, wanted to. You guys could tell that. Nobody wants to lose by 33 at home."

On what he saw in Mizzou's play…
"It wasn't the margin. It's the way we played. Now, obviously, the margin plays into it. I wouldn't say it was lack of preparation on their part or our part. One of the things that we've had a problem with is getting punched in the mouth and not punching back early in games. That's happened before, and we just didn't respond. We did for a while, in spurts, but they would punch us again. If we were a prize fighter, we would have gotten knocked out. That's why I'm embarrassed. But, they played well. You have to give Mike Anderson credit, you have to give their whole team credit. They played great. I'm sure when I go back and look at the video, I'll see that some of those shots were contested and they made them. So, give them credit, criticize me."

Mizzou freshman guard Terrence Phillips

On what did not go right against Arkansas…
"Arkansas got off to a fast start, and we couldn't recover at the moment."

On the loss at home…
"We always come in everyday with a lot of confidence, especially with our 8-1 record at home coming into this game. This does hurt, we take a lot of pride in taking care of home court advantage here. We just need to regroup. There is a lot of basketball left, and we are a great team. We are going to work hard everyday and continue to play hard everyday."

On his performance tonight…
"All of our guys make plays every night, and tonight so happened to be my night, in a way."

On Arkansas press…
"In all honesty, I thought we did a pretty good job with their press, especially when we got some lay-ups and jumpers in. We just have to execute better."

Mizzou freshman forward Kevin Puryear

On battling Arkansas' Kingsley inside…
"He definitely was a presence inside, and he is a great player. We just didn't do a good enough job of containing him."

On Arkansas' ball movement…
"They move quite well, and we did not execute the way we had planned prior to the game."

On Arkansas' defense…
"We got off to a slow start, they pressured the ball and there was also a lack of execution on our part. We just have to be better."

Arkansas Head Coach Mike Anderson

Opening Statement…
"What a tremendous effort by our basketball team. That is one of the better games we have played on the road. I thought from the start of the game our team was very focused on the defensive end. I think when you look at the stat sheet, we also did a great job sharing the basketball. When you shoot 60 percent on the road, you're chances of winning are pretty good. We got Moses going early on the inside. Our defense created some offense for us. We have some guys that can knock down some shots. I like our approach, playing from the inside out. I challenged our bench. This man here (Jimmy Whitt), along with some Watkins and Beard. I thought they gave us a big time lift. Missouri did a good job of attack the paint in the first half to get to the free throw line and they kept it close. We were able to amount some more energy and finish off the game on the right note."

On winning on the road…
"I think most importantly, we improved from the last game. For me, it's confidence that they are listening. This team is growing, changing right before our eyes. Guys like this guy (Jimmy Whitt) are staying focused and locked in. Just playing to win. I thought they played to win tonight."

On being 3-1 in the SEC…
"I'm more interested in us playing well and playing up to our capabilities. If we go out and do the things we are worried about each and every game, the record will take care of itself. We want to be prepared for every game. Every game will be a war. We have to come focused and play hard for 40 minutes, every game."

Arkansas guard Jimmy Whitt

On playing at home…
"To come here and get a win was first and foremost what we were trying to do. To contribute like I did, is a big confidence booster going into future games."

On having a season-high after not scoring the previous game…
"I owe it all to Coach Anderson. Every day in practice he keeps pushing me and pushing me. I know it's not going to happen overnight, but to do it at home was pretty special."

On winning on the road…
"It's a step in the right direction. Every game, we try to get better and better. Three wins is something to build off of going into the next game."