What they were saying Saturday at the NCAA Tournament:
Villanova coach Jay Wright, on making it to the Final Four twice:
"I think the first time, you're kind of in shock. You don't know what to expect. This time, you know what it is."
Kansas coach Bill Self, about being angry at some late calls:
"Certainly, as upset or sad or mad that you are about certain things, it doesn't do any good now. I mean, if we had a next game, you could use that as motivation to prepare the next time, but it's over. So there's no reason for us to worry too much about things that we have absolutely zero control over."
Wright, on his emotions in the locker room after Villanova advanced to the Final Four:
"Coaching is a lot like parenting. You just believe in your guys so much and you're telling them how great they can be. And you know it. You see it in them, but they're 18 to 22 years old. Sometimes they don't realize it and you get them maybe 75 percent of the way there and they leave you. You feel good for them, they got partly there, but you feel like you failed them a little bit.
"I could tell in that locker room, they had more fun in the locker room soaking me. They were having fun with that. But after that, it was a real sense of accomplishment, and I think they really felt good about themselves individually. And that's the greatest thing that you can experience as a coach."
MORE: Villanova erases recent results, advances to Final Four
Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, being told he had been compared to Kobe Bryant by some Oregon players.
"I'm not Kobe Bryant, and they should not compare me. I'm far away from him. I just make shots. It's kind of cool, but me and Kobe are in two different classes and I don't need to be compared with him."
Oklahoma’s Khadeem Lattin, on coach Lon Kruger:
"I don't know if we got him to the Final Four or if he got us to the Final Four, but we're going."
Oregon coach Dana Altman, on Mike Krzyzewski calling Saturday to apologize for what he said to Dillon Brooks in the handshake line after their game Thursday:
"He called and apologized, and I told him he didn't need to. Someone that has accomplished what he has accomplished and makes a comment to one of my players is perfectly fine with me, and it didn't bother me at all. It bothered a lot of people. It didn't bother me. It didn't bother Dillon, and Dillon's response proved that."
North Carolina coach Roy Williams to the media, on the pronunciation of Notre Dame’s Zach Auguste’s name:
"Is his name Ogoost? Because if it is I've been mispronouncing the name for three years. Let's go with Auguste. I'd rather you mispronounce it than me. He can get back at me; he can't get back at you."
North Carolina’s Marcus Paige, about the Tar Heels’ 78-47 pounding of Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament:
"I guess if I was them, I would try to use that ACC game -- like if it was us that got blown out, we would be talking about that nonstop up until the game, trying to get ourselves fired up for revenge. And I'm sure they're feeling that way. But at the same time revenge can't be the only motivating factor in a game that gets you to the Final Four . . . I don't care what happened in the past, and I'm sure they don't either. This is a one-game opportunity to change your season."
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, on if he has watched the tape of that loss to Carolina:
"That's been misplaced."
"I thought the best-coached team in the tournament I've seen this year is Stephen F. Austin. I thought they were the best-coached team, just watching how they played on offense particularly. I just said, `Wow, look at that team.’ I guess Oklahoma State thought that, too."
Virginia’s Tony Bennett, about the reason for a team door knocker:
"It's just hanging on a wall, just a simple door knocker, and we just before these guys go out and the coaches go out for a game, everybody just knocks on it, and it's just symbolic of just keep knocking. Sometimes the door gets slammed in your face, sometimes maybe you open it an inch or you get your foot in the door or your shoulder, but all we're in charge of is continuing to knock and maybe we can get that foot in the door."
Boeheim on his habit of watching lots of basketball games:
"I watched Long Beach state play four times this year. I don't think there's many people that can say that."
Bennett, on the one thing he heard his father and former coach Dick yell in the stands Friday night:
"'Build the wall,’ I heard him yell on transition defense. Build the wall. I've heard that many times."
Brey, on the value of being in a tough league that usually gets many NCAA Tournament bids:
"When I was in the Big East, it was, oh my God, you're in the Big East. Well, 4th of July, when I'm at my beach house . . . I can say, wait, if I get to the top nine, I'm in. Okay, my sanity is pretty good then in the summer. But the ACC my first two years we only got six bids. Now, fortunately one of the years we got them. I'm thinking if we're only going to get six bids I may be back at Delaware. So I love that we have set a tone for depth like the Big East."
Brey, on injuring his leg while coaching Friday:
"I've got to remember I'm not the 41-year-old guy who got the job in 2000, that probably I need to sit down more."
Boeheim on his image:
"I am really fairly humorous and witty, but I guess I haven't convinced too many people of that."
Boeheim on his playing days in the Chicago Bulls’ camp:
"I was down to the last cut on that team, which fortunately I got cut and I went back to Syracuse and had to figure out what to do, which turned out good. But I was in that camp. I remember rebounding for Bob Boozer. He was about 6'9" or 6'10", and he made 27 straight 17-foot jump shots, and I caught every one. Every one did not hit anything, and I said, `Hmm, these guys are pretty good here.’"
