March 23, 2006

Connecticut Guard Marcus Williams

On avoiding costly lapses
"We just need to all stay on the same page and keep focused. If we can keep our focus and stay within our offense, we'll be all right. Every team has lapses, but ours are more noticeable because our team is so talented."

On playing their best as the season ends
"We've been shining all year. We were ranked #1 in the country a few times, so we just need to keep up that level of play. But we know that all these teams got this far for a reason. We can't take Washington lightly, and if we win that game, we can't take the next team we play lightly. They've been beating good teams, too."

Connecticut Forward Josh Boone

On playing close to his Mt. Airy, MD home
"It's a great feeling, because I get to play in front of people who haven't had a chance to see me play in person so far this year. I've been getting a lot of requests for tickets, but that's always going to happen. I just need to keep working and stay focused."

On the absence of the #2, #3, and #4 seeds
"We don't really think about these teams in terms of what seed they are. All the teams that are here got this far because they beat those teams that were seeded higher, so they're just as good if not better than those higher seeded teams that we could be playing. Right now, our goal is to beat Washington, and then if we do that, we'll move onto focusing on the next team we play."

Connecticut Forward Rudy Gay

On playing close to his Baltimore home
"It's good to be here. It's a little bit warmer than Storrs, but not too much warmer. I've heard from a lot of people about tickets, but I just need to keep focusing on why I'm here and let that stuff take care of itself."

On the matchup with Washington
"It's going to be a fun game. Washington is a team that plays a lot like we do, so it's just going to be one team against another. It won't really be much of a `thinking game,' it will just be a matter of us throwing our stuff up against theirs."

On Washington star Brandon Roy
"He really impresses me. He never thinks about his last shot, whether it was a miss or a make. He just works to get his next shot, and that's going to be tough for us to guard."

Connecticut Guard Rashad Anderson
On playing in Washington
"We've only played one game here in my four years, but the fact that it's close to home for guys like Josh [Boone] and Rudy [Gay] is going to get them pumped. The fact that we have a chance to get into the Elite Eight is going to be enough to get everyone else ready to go, but it's going to be really special for those two."

On carrying over the play from the Kentucky game
"It starts with the guards. If we bring the same type of game to this game that we brought against Kentucky, we'll be all right."

On previous NCAA experience
"I don't try to tell the younger guys about how hard it is going to be out on the court, because that's something that we're going to go through together. I tell them stories about going to the Final Four and how it felt to have everyone watching. That really shows how special you are as a team."