Kevin Keatts on Facing Virginia: "We Have To Play Our Style"

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media today to discuss the upcoming game against Virginia.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.  Below are some select quote from Keatts.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to you guys since the big shot from Braxton Beverly, but I looked at that thing about 20 times. We had fun with it.”

“It was a tough game for us, we found a way to win.  Give the players a lot of credit... no timeouts, C.J. Bryce could have forced a shot up, turned the ball over, but made an unselfish play.”

“We’ll turn our attention to Virginia, who I think is probably a little better than the team last year who was No. 1 of the No. 1’s.  Tough to score against, always has been, but offensively they are moving the ball more and scoring more points.”

“They are very good... they are one of the most talented teams I’ve seen on tape all year long.”

“If you stand around and don’t get ball movement, aren’t able to make shots, certainly it can be a long night for you.

“I’ve watched pretty much seven or eight games of [Virginia] and every game is very similar. The last game was them against Clemson and all I kept thinking about was Clemson had two points with nine or ten minutes left in the first half.”

“We have to do a great job of moving the ball, penetrating and pitch, and those shots that are open, I’d love for us to knock them down.”

“They do a great job of defending the paint. They make you take jumpshots, they limit you to one shot, they are very big and do a good job of blitzing you.”

“They don’t really have a lot of breakdowns [defensively], and that’s a challenge when you are playing those guys.”

“It was the first time I saw Tony make an adjustment in that area... at one point they went with Shayok and put him at the five, went five guards against us... he played an unbelievable game and transferred right after.”

“We moved the ball well, but my Wilmington team was much smaller, quicker and probably shot the ball a little better than now.  It’s a different team and will have to be a different strategy.”

“Hunter is playing the three and he could play the four, the five. He’s so talented.  Their front line is as big as an NBA front line and they are skilled, athletic, and very physical.”

“It’s an important game because it’s the next game for us.”

“In the AP poll I think they came out at No. 3. We’re excited for the opportunity tomorrow.”

“We’ll try to play the way we play and we’re a pressing team, but the challenge is you have to score the basketball to get into your presses. That’s the way we’ll play.”

“Those are the two guys we have of size and I want to rotate them in... last year we had three guys but we really only have two bigs. For the most part you’ll see four guards and one of those guys on the floor.”

“I am focused on Virginia. It’s the ACC.  It’s a brutal stretch we have coming, and we play in the best conference in basketball.”

“We have to play our style.  We want the tempo. Now, they are different than in the past. They are scoring, taking shots quicker in the shot clock, getting into transition... they are playing a little faster.”

“When you’re coaching a team and in the season, you have to find the way to win all types of games.”

“You’re going to have more close games than blowouts and it meant a lot for our guys. They believed... with 30 seconds left in the game every guy in the huddle felt like we could win the game, and we did.”

“I’ve forgiven everybody that left the game and want to thank everybody who stayed... I had a good time for it and I love our fans. I threw that little jab in there because I want them to stay for the entire game, no matter what the situation is.”

“They certainly are into doing what Virginia does. They won’t play different because of who we are.  Same thing with Notre Dame, they are going to be deliberate and run their offense.”

“It comes down to who can control tempo.”