March 5, 2005

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Dayton Coach Brian Gregory

"We had a couple of good looks to start the game, but they didn't go down for us. They made some shots and then we're in a position to have to come from a long way back. We battled back from that point, got to work and did some good things, but you know what? We didn't play well enough to win this game. We didn't do the things we needed to do. And give Xavier credit for that."

"They (Xavier) were the aggressor today. That's disappointing because for much of the season, that's the role we've played in our games."

"If you would have told me we would have nine turnovers and Thornton would have just four points, I would have liked our chances. But we had some breakdowns on defense and Xavier had other people step up. Even if you have breakdowns, players have to make plays. Give them all the credit for that."

"They [Xavier] have gotten much better defensively. Sean's done a good job. And they've got the size and athletic ability to do it."

"Xavier's a good team. On some defensive mistakes they're good enough to take advantage. They shot 60 percent. Give them credit."

"When you are down five with four minutes to go, you'll usually take that on the road. But we came up short. We didn't have the scrappiness we needed to win today."

"Mark (Jones) played well and that was good to see. It helps his game when he is as aggressive as he was today. Whenever he rebounds, he scores as well because that means he is active. He's done a great job for his team. I know he'd rather have scored zero points and won the game. We have a lot of guys like him."

"We had a good run to be able to play for a championsip today, but we didn't do the things we needed to do to make this a special regular season. If you would have told me we would be playing for the division championship on the last game of the regular season when we started practice I would not have believed you."

"That part of the year is over. We have to bounce back, and just a couple of days, and play with a little more savvy, a little more poise, and be a little more physical in the tournament."

"We are capable of winning four games in four days. But if we don't come to play next week, we won't win the first game. That goes for every team in the league this year. I don't think our league gets enough credit for that. If in the ACC a lower team knocks off one of the better teams, everyone wants to talk about `balance.' If that happens in our league, they say the league is weak. That's not accurate at all."

Xavier Head Coach Sean Miller

"I thought today's game was what college basketball is all about, two rivals going head to head in an important game with a seed or a championship on the line."

"I can't say enough about Will Caudle. He was terrific. He was the best player on the floor. Brian Thornton has been in foul trouble the last few games. [Will] took advantage of it. Will plays with tremendous emotion, he's not always perfect, but when he enters the game he's working really hard. I'm very confident in Will. Our team is better when it has guys who can score close to the basket and rebound."

On Stanley Burrell: "He really set the tone. Stan, like Will, is very emotional. For him to get 25 in a game like this, he was ready to play today. He's very coachable. He wants to play well. He wants to win. He has an energy about him that's contagious."

"Dayton is a very good team. They're hard to play because they have great depth. Any number of guys can have a big game. Playing at Richmond and then Dayton at home, those are two tough games. It was good for us to string two games together like that. We have some guys on our team who have won it [the conference tournament]. We have to be that same team, when we show up on Thursday, as we were today."

"We're trying to focus not necessarily on the start [of games], but on being consistent. We've really improved on defense. If you watched us in December or in early January, teams would shoot 50 percent against us. The pride has kicked in to become the defensive team we want to be to win."