Georgetown University Head Coach John Thompson III
On Georgetown shooting just 32-percent against Villanova ...
They're a good defensive team; they make every possession hard. As I said yesterday, they do a very good job of helping each other.
On if early missed shots in the paint hurt GU's interior offense ...
I don't think it stopped us from going inside, it kind of took the wind out of our sails a little bit. It could've. We got it down there at point blank range and the ball just didn't go in.
On staying close with Villanova despite not shooting well from the floor ...
I don't think the message changed. Early in the second half, for a large chunk of the second half it was hard to get a rhythm. We just stayed with it, the ball went in a few times and we got some penetration and got some stops.
On how much of Georgetown's shooting woes was Villanova and how much was Georgetown ...
A little bit of both.
On not being able to close out against Top 10 opponents this season ...
I don't want to go back and rehash all of them, but today's game we had too far to come back. We ended up down 10 or 11, I forget what their largest lead was in the second half, but we had a ways to come back and just didn't have the time.
On switching to a 2-3 zone in the second half ...
It was effective. They scored, but I thought out zone against them was more effective during that stretch than our man-to-man. We kind of got back in (the game) when we did that.
On if L.J. Peak's effort to get into the paint was planned ...
Yeah, we wanted to get L.J. going downhill. We were hoping to get a bucket and maybe get a foul. We got the buckets, but didn't get the fouls. It is what it is.
On Georgetown's offense in the beginning of the second half ...
I think if you go back and look at it – which I have not done yet – I think we were missing shots. We already talked about it, but we got some point blank shots in the paint that didn't go in. We got some open looks for guys we want open looks for and they didn't go in. Leading up to the game all the question about history and tradition and Georgetown – Villanova, that was a BIG EAST game right there. We shoot 32.7 and they shot 38 percent. Neither team was pretty, but to answer your specific question I don't think it was anything tactical. We got the looks we wanted, the ball didn't go in.
Georgetown senior guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera
On Villanova's defense ...
They were being ultra-aggressive, like they always are. Part of it was we had some shots that we usually make not go in and part of it was they packed the paint and were really aggressive on defense.
Georgetown sophomore forward Isaac Copeland
On Villanova's 2-3 zone defense ...
I don't really have much to say about that. We just have to identify what defense they're in early and know what play we need to run to attack it.
Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright
Opening statement ...
"Great road victory for us. We have so much respect for Georgetown, the program and this team. We knew it was going to be this kind of game. Georgetown wouldn't go away. I thought we made a couple good runs where we had a chance to put them away and they just kept coming back, hitting big shots. I thought our defense was pretty tough tonight. Daniel Ochefu had a deep bruise in his butt and then had the flu. He has not been out of bed until game time and I am just proud of him. He just really battled. And Ryan Arcidiacono and Josh Hart also led our team both offensively and defensively."
On Villanova's zone defense ...
"We are getting to be a pretty good zone team. We've never been, but we've been really working on it this year, we put it in when we think we need it and we practice it a lot, but we just don't use it enough. But we are getting better. I thought we did a good job in the 2-3-zone today."
On No. 25 Mikal Bridges ...
"He is only a freshman and he loves to defend and he's really long. He's got great mobility. We've put him on some really good player, [D'Vauntes] Smith-Rivera probably one of the best and I thought he did a great job overall. Smith-Rivera still comes up with 15 points but he had 10 at halftime and we knew he had the ability to just go off. We did a good job on him."
On Villanova having only one field goal in the last 8:50 and still winning the game...
"That's how you have to win on the road. You just know it's not going to be pretty. [Reggie] Cameron had those two 3's at the end and you kind of hope not this one. But when you're on the road, that's how you have to gut it out. It's just not going to be pretty in this league. This league is really good. This league is starting to approach the old league. It's always going to be different but night-in and night out we are starting to approach the old BIG EAST."
On Villanova being undefeated in BIG EAST play ...
"We really don't talk about that at all. We just talk about where we are this year. This is a different team. However, when someone talks about it, we are proud because are just so proud to be a part of this league. We think this league's the best league in America and if you're winning in this league, you're really good. Talking with the coaches we say that this league is a beast, so anything we do in this league, we take great pride in."
No. 15 | Ryan Arcidiacono | Senior | Guard
On the last three minutes of the game ...
"We knew that Georgetown was making a little run and we just have to respond as a team. I think we executed our press offense when they started to trap, we were able to get open and everyone was able to make some free throws at the end of the game."
On defending D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera
"We try not to say it was one person defending each other. I knew Mikal [Bridges] did a great job on Smith-Rivera. We just try to switch it up on him, change the length and the size. But we try to say that we defended everyone as a team so I think as a team we defended him well. I don't think that they got many back cuts and we were able to load and over help whenever Smith-Rivera was in a ball-screen or in an isolation."
No. 3 | Josh Hart | Jr. |Guard
On improving from 1 rebound in the first half to 12 rebounds by the end of the game ...
"Coach Kyle Neptune is on us every day about rebounding, tagging and just pursuing rebounds and he told me that I had one rebound during half time. In the second half I made the decision that if I am not going to score, not going to do anything I am going to rebound. I am going to help my team. In that aspect I knew that Daniel [Ochefu] was hurt and he was giving us all he had, so it was just something that I came into the second half focused on rebounding."
On developing into a more complete offensive player ...
"It's been a process and I have to attribute that to Coach Wright, Coach and Coach Dunleavy for really helping me, putting in the extra work with me and with my shot. If you saw my shot my freshman year you probably would have thought it was one of the ugliest things, so I've just been working on it."
