Clemson 80, North Carolina 79
Q. Henri, it felt like you made about six threes toward the end of the game. Bring me into the way that you played on the outside, trusting in your shot and getting this team from what was an 18-point deficit down to one?
HENRI VEESAAR: We were just playing as a team, just trying to be aggressive. I know they played long possessions so we had to do quick offense because otherwise the clock was going to run out before we could get there. Yeah, just really trying to be aggressive, trying to get the best shot, get an early shot and then fight as hard as we can for offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, trying to just get us back into the game. Because obviously we dug ourselves in a big hole in the second half, first half, so we had to kind of -- we played desperate but we play good when we're desperate. I think we're going to keep that mindset when we go into the next games and into March.
Q. Henri, how has your role changed without Caleb obviously being the No. 1 option. Have you had to change the way you prepare for games or the way you play or the way you pace yourself in games?
HENRI VEESAAR: I don't really think that it's changed much. I think there's just more opportunity. Because obviously Caleb is an amazing player and we miss him, but I'll say that I just have gotten more opportunity. Obviously he was an aggressive player. He got a lot of shots, he got a lot of possessions because he deserves it. And I think now it's coming my way so I'm going to do the best I can from every opportunity to give us a chance to win.
Q. Henri, you drew seven fouls tonight. What went into you drawing that contact?
HENRI VEESAAR: I think a big part of it was just we were trying to have an emphasis of trying to go inside, trying to do what Coach told me to do. Trying to get to the basket, trying to draw fouls, trying to make contact first, being physical, try to get to the rim. I think that's a big part of offensive rebounds if we just go, we're going to get offensive rebounds, they're going to foul us. Because they're trying to grab and hold because I think I'm more athletic than most bigs. I can get around them just trying to get a good position, and when I go up for, they're going to try to push me, foul me. I think that's how I can draw them.
Q. Hubert, where do you think were the one or two areas in particular this got away from you guys to put you in the holes you were in?
HUBERT DAVIS: Yeah, just the inability to respond to physicality. I felt like it was the same thing Saturday of last week, and for most of the game tonight. Clemson has always been physical defensively, and one of the things I always say is you never let a defense dictate and decide how efficient you are on the offensive end. And I felt like their physicality took us out of our offense, took us off of our cuts, our screens, our moves, and didn't really respond to that until the latter part of the second half.
Then also, I've been straightforward about -- for us to be a good team, we've just got to be good defensively. I've said defense and rebounding and taking care of the basketball.
When you allow a team to shoot 50 percent from the field, especially this time of the year against good teams, that's just not a recipe for success.
Q. Coach, despite the loss tonight, obviously more to play for in March. What can you say to the strength of the ACC overall and just what's happened with the parity this year?
HUBERT DAVIS: Yeah, I think that's a great question. I'm just not there. I'm here with our team. Big-picture questions -- it's not that I can't answer it, I'm just not thinking about that right now. I'm thinking about our team and thinking about these kids and thinking about the NCAA Tournament next week.
Q. Henri brought up when you were down 18, played desperate and he said you play good desperate. Is that something you can artificially create at the beginning of a game, something you can take into March in the first half?
HUBERT DAVIS: Yes. Specifically, I talked to the team -- what is today, Thursday? Tuesday, Wednesday and today, about having that hunger and that thirst. That hunger and that thirst to compete, that hunger and thirst to prepare, to practice, hunger and thirst to play together as a team and as a group as long as we can.
We have talked about that at great length.
Q. Seth Trimble, just his leadership throughout the season, what he's done, his resolve and his play as you move forward?
HUBERT DAVIS: Well, yeah. Seth is one of our leaders on the team, somebody that should be celebrated for obviously his career thus far. But being as accomplished as a player, for him to be a four-year player, committed to his team, committed to this program, committed to this university for four years is something, as I said before, should be highlighted and celebrated.
If you were to have someone to lead a team, you would want somebody that's been in the program for a while, and Seth definitely has done that.
Q. Just five points from your bench tonight. Was there anything you would have liked to have seen to get them more activated tonight?
HUBERT DAVIS: Well, I think Clemson's bench was really good tonight. They had guys in there that really stepped up. We talked defensively that we were able to guard their actions, but it just basically came down to could we guard them, whether it's in the post or the perimeter. They took us one-on-one, and for most of the game they were able to execute and able to score.
At the end of the day, it just comes down to getting stops, finishing those possessions with a rebound, and last couple games we haven't done that consistently.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports