Kevin Willard quote book: Kentucky

On Seton Hall's effort and what it says about his team:
"I think playing Saint Louis, playing Louisville, losing those games were tough, but this group has -- what I like about this group more than anything is they stay -- they continue to work, and that's kind of how I set this schedule up. I needed to get these guys battle-tested, so I loved this game. The fact that it was Kentucky was huge, but to get them in the Garden and get them Garden experience, get them ready for the Big East tournament, there's just something special about this place and the first time you play in it when you're freshmen or even sophomores, it can be nerve-wracking. It's a big win. I'm really proud of the way they fought and the way they played."

On Myles Cale's go-ahead three-pointer in overtime and the offensive sequence prior:
"I didn't want to call timeout. Each time I call timeout, you're giving a Hall of Fame coach a chance to set up his defense -- and they're really good defensively and long -- and with the guys we had left, it was going to be tough to run something with screening action, misdirecting action. Every guy on the floor really made a big play at the end of the game. They made some really good passes, Q had a shot, ball-fake, drove middle, snapped it, and I have confidence in Myles Cale. The reason why he's out there for 44 minutes is he's going to be a special player one day. It was a great ball fake, and he knocked it down."

On how well Cale's shot was contested:
"It wasn't contested because the guy flew by him, so the second guy came a little late, but it was an open look. It was one of those things that you gotta take, and it was a big-time shot."

On Seton Hall's postgame celebration and Willard wearing a T-shirt in the press conference:
"I started it. It was me. They got me at Miami, I got them here, so I started it. I can't blame them for throwing the water, I threw the water first."

On significance of this win in his career:
"I think it's an important win for this year. Every win's big, it really is. I actually -- and you guys are going to think I'm nuts -- I think the New Hampshire game for us was big, because it gave us some confidence again. Playing this game is great, because again, it shows how far we've come as a program. I had a hard time getting games early on. I think I played this game because I lost four seniors, too. That could have been it, too. I kind of do that every once in a while."

"It's great. It feels great, it's important for this season, it's important for this group. It shows them they've -- no matter what, they've continued to work hard. I love this group, it's one of my favorite groups I've ever been around because they're good kids, they play hard, but they continue to work even though we've had some hiccups early, they've continued to show up to the gym with a great attitude, and that's all I ask. I knew eventually they were going to get it and they're going to get better, and they're starting to get there. We're not there yet, we're still a long way away."

On Kentucky forward PJ Washington:
"I'll tell you what, that kid, he's gonna make a lot of money. Watching them on film, I thought I was really impressed, but then when you see him in person and you see his size and athleticism in person -- I think these guys will agree -- he's the real deal. He really is. And I love the way he plays, too. He plays hard, he doesn't just float to the outside, he gets inside and posts up. He's the real deal."

On what he learned from his team:
"Jared Rhoden played some huge minutes and did some really good things for us. We got in -- this is really the first time we've been in bad foul trouble with Mike and Sandro both being out, and they're my security blankets on defense because they know what to do and they help everybody out. And then not having them both out there, I thought Taurean played some great minutes, Jared was out there with him, and when you have -- technically -- a freshman and a sophomore trying to battle those guys, I thought it showed me a lot."

On Madison Square Garden and Seton Hall's success there:
"It's amazing -- there was a little kid when I was doing the radio -- a little kid running around the court, and his mom and dad were taking pictures. I told him -- I think he was six or seven -- and I said he would remember that for the rest of his life, because I still remember being -- I was running around this building when I was in third grade. I still remember running around this building when I was in third and fourth grade, and I can remember every second of it. it is a magical place. It's one of those places that I think the kids understand the history. It's not a brand-new building, it's not something that was just built and has all the bells and whistles, it has such history and nostalgia and so many great players, concerts. I say it all the time: When you walk in this building, there's a different energy, and I think both teams played unbelievably hard. These kids left it all out there, and it was just -- either team could have won -- it's just a magical place. I think it always happens here."

On coaching against John Calipari:
"Most handshakes after games are pretty short, but before the game, we got to talk, though. I have such respect for Coach Calipari. I find it amazing that every year, he has to reinstall a system, he has to re-teach everything he does, and the buy-in that he gets from his freshmen and his young kids, I think is absolutely amazing what he does, and I've just got the utmost respect for Coach Cal."

On Kentucky's half-court shot to tie the game at the end of regulation:
"I was so mad. It was my fault. I've never, ever put a guy on the ball. We practice with a free safety. It makes no sense having a guy on the ball, and I've never had a seven-footer, so I thought I'd be smart. And I didn't even have Ro going in, I had Shavar going in to play defense and be the free safety, and then it took so long for them to review it that I had too much time to think, and I said, 'let me outthink myself.' And I put Ro in, and it was just stupid. The one thing you try to cover is the middle of the floor in that situation because if a guy's shooting at a sideways angle, the odds of him banking it in are almost zero. But if a guy shoots it straight on, the odds of him banking it in go up a lot, and it was just a good shot."

On adding an extra four-tenths of a second after Myles Powell's go-ahead shot:
"I thought the refs did a phenomenal job."

On Taurean Thompson:
"I think T's spurts were really good for him. He's a guy that when he goes in for four or five minutes, he can really affect the game. I thought that was his best job, by far, defensively. I thought he was locked in defensively. He had a couple of breakdowns a little bit, but he's so talented offensively. We're trying to get him to be a little more aggressive just going to the rim. He's just 6-foot-9 and he's got a big Euro step, he's crafty around the rim, and when he's locked in and being aggressive, he's as good as anybody."

On guarding the inbounds pass at the end of regulation:
"Where'd Christian Laettner make the shot from? Right in the middle of the foul line. So if you have a free safety and you can force him to the sideline, the shot becomes so much harder. I'd rather have two guys try to play the guy in the middle than one. I've never had -- South Carolina two years ago almost hit a full-court shot on us, but it was from the side and we had a free safety -- it's just I'd rather have two guys be able to guard the middle and force them to the sidelines, where the shot just becomes so much harder."

"It wasn't smart, I'll tell you that much. I had too much time, and I was sitting there looking at Ro, and at the time, there was only 1.1 seconds on the clock and I'm thinking like, 'they can't take a dribble with 1.1 really, you gotta turn and catch, let's try to make it as hard as possible.' It's not a smart move, it was stupidity. They bailed me out."

On comparing Kentucky with Louisville:
"I think Kentucky's much more physical, they have a much more physical presence inside. I think Louisville shoots the basketball much better, I don't think it's close."

On what Saturday's win means for the program:
"Again, I think it's big for these guys more than anything, because it just shows the fact that if you continue to work hard, good things happen."