Kevin Willard quote book: New Hampshire

On difference in energy over each half:
"I really thought our defense was really good in the first half. Technically, we only gave up 16 points, they hit a three late. I thought we were active, I think offensively, they started off in zone and then they went a little softer with a real soft man-to-man with being tight on Myles (Powell). We got off to a good start, but we kind of just -- the ball started sticking a little bit, but I thought our defense in the first half was pretty darn good."

On Sandro Mamukelashvili and his improvement:
"I think the biggest thing with Sandro is the more confident he gets, the more comfortable he gets on the offensive end. He's doing a really good job rebounding the basketball, I thought he had a big offensive rebound in the second half to put the game away. I think he's kind of doing a little bit of everything, to be honest with you -- rebounding, I think he's defending pretty darn well for the most part -- I wouldn't say he's doing one thing great, I think he's doing a lot of things well."

On not playing Taurean Thompson, Anthony Nelson and Romaro Gill:
"Taurean sprained his left ankle late yesterday in practice. I forgot to put that out, I didn't see Tom (Chen, Seton Hall's men's basketball media contact) today. And then Ant didn't play the first half, Ant was at a funeral and wasn't going to play, but I just thought that the more work he could get in the second half -- and he asked me to play in the second half -- so that's why. That's just not a good team for Ro."

On Thompson's availability for Saturday against Kentucky:
"I think he'll be fine for Saturday, we'll see how he looks tomorrow, we're doing lifting and individuals. I saw it happen, he came right down on someone's foot, so it's one of those things that -- in my opinion -- I think he'll be fine."

On what Seton Hall must do to remain competitive against Kentucky:
"I think the biggest thing we've got to continue to work on -- obviously, we're going to have to defend and rebound at a very high level against them -- we've got to work offensively a little bit on just being a little bit more fluid at times, especially in stretches when we're actually playing good defense. We're just not taking advantage of certain opportunities on the break, and I think it's killing momentum, to be honest with you. It happened in the Louisville game, it happened tonight in both halves. Whether it's a fast break and we're not taking advantage of it, or if it's just in the half court, we've got to be a little bit more fluid throughout the game."

On how much of an opportunity Saturday's game represents:
"I think the biggest thing is I'm excited to get this group into Madison Square Garden. Obviously, we've played a neutral-site game there, I think, four or five straight years now, and I think it's a great opportunity for those guys to kind of get -- before you go into the Big East tournament -- to kind of get a feel for playing in probably one of the best places to play basketball. It's a great opportunity for us, but I think it's also another stepping stone for this team to kind of mature and get better and learn."

On Myles Powell:
"MP, although his numbers weren't great, the fact that -- all the other guys' numbers were great because they showed him so much attention, and I think he really did a good job of not forcing a lot, he only had a couple of charges that were tough -- I thought he did a good job of kind of just 'if they're going to take me away, I've got to try to figure out how to find my other guys,' and I think that's something that -- I think he's the best player in the conference, and he just has to get that mentality that he's the best player in the conference."

On being presented with a commemorative jersey honoring his 200th career win:
"The fact that Myles Powell gave it to me was kind of special. I love that little man. It was nice, I'll just leave it at that."

On Seton Hall's three-point defense:
"In the first half, they were 4-for-14, and they made one late in the first half, and I thought we did a really good job in the first half of just understanding. I think in the second half, we got a little lax, but that was -- we just kept talking about it -- they took 30 out of 56 shots were threes, so that was the one way they were going to stay in the game and beat us, and I thought in the second half, we got a little lackadaisical when we got up and kind of let them continue. But I think we're getting better defensively, I kind of like where we're at and where we're going defensively."

On passing Bill Raftery for fourth place on Seton Hall's all-time wins list:
"I'm sure I already have a text from Coach Raf -- he doesn't text, I'm sorry -- I'm sure I already have a voicemail from Coach Raf. I said this on TV, I think it's what makes Seton Hall special. I think the university is really growing in the last eight years that I've been here, but I've always thought that the people that coached before me -- Raf, Coach Carlesimo -- were really special people, guys who represent this university, guys that are still huge fans and still text and still call after every win, still go out and no matter what, buy you dinner, or let me buy them dinner. I think it's what makes Seton Hall a very special job, to be honest with you. It's the fact that you still have those two great legends who are actively involved in the program, and actively want the program to do well."

On Mamukelashvili's confidence factor:
"I think he's getting more and more comfortable each game, I think they all are. It hasn't been an easy ride. They haven't had a chance to kind of breathe yet, but I think the fact that they're getting beat up a little bit and they've had to really work to either score or defend, I think you're going to start seeing guys get more and more comfortable quicker. I think Myles Cale, as much as everyone says he's struggled, he's done so many good things defensively for us, and the fact that I think he's always got a 6-foot-7, tough, hard-nosed guy defending him, I think it's going to pay big dividends as we get into Big East play."

On Myles Cale's two-way ability:
"He's capable of doing this on a daily basis, and I think the biggest thing is when he's active, he's rebounding and he's defending the way he is, it just gets him involved in the offense that much better. It takes a lot of pressure off Myles Powell, and I think -- again, it hasn't been an easy schedule, so these guys have had to kind of fight through it and learn, really battle -- their attitude has been great, their work ethic has been off the charts, we practiced for two hours yesterday. It's just a matter of them -- us as a group, me getting used to rotations and who can play with who, who can't play with who -- I think we're all getting a little bit more comfortable with where we're at."