Feb. 10, 2008

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Stanley Burrell

 

"Years past, we probably would have folded. We probably would have quit. [It's] the three seniors. Our younger guys, they follow us."

 

"I'm happy our guys didn't give up, particularly today when we're trying to honor our past guys [1958 NIT Championship team], when we're trying to honor the Xavier tradition."

 

On B.J. Raymond's 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to give XU a 74-72 lead

"We believe in him regardless, even when he's 1-for-9 or 1-for-10."

 

On switching defense to Pat Calathes

"I couldn't let him finish the game on us. It was a war. You've got to give them credit. I have scratches all over me."

 

Drew Lavender

 

"This was a really big win for us. But we're just trying to get better every day in practice. We're growing, we're keeping our composure."

 

Josh Duncan

 

On the close win

"It helps us a lot. The past two games have come down to the wire."

 

Saint Joseph's Head Coach Phil Martelli

 

"That God [darn] [Stanley] Burrell. Every God [darn] game he makes a shot against us. When does he graduate? I want to be here to make sure he graduates."

 

"I'm always appreciative of the atmosphere here, of the way the game is played here. I think it's great for the league, I think it's great for Xavier."

 

"That's a team that's headed for the top 10. I think Sean has done a remarkable job."

 

"The thing that gets me about this team is, I think, is their defense and their ferocity. They've got a lot of Sean [Miller] in them. He looks Clark Kent-like, but he's going to fight you."

 

"They're [Xavier] going to be a 2 or 3 seed. They're a top 10 seed."

 

Xavier Head Coach Sean Miller

 

"Today was one of our best wins. There were so many different times in the second half when we could have just folded against a very good Saint Joseph's team. But we just didn't."

 

"We talked to our team about playing for the teams of the past. And for the great players of the past. Our seniors, their mind is in the right place, every one of them to a man. Down the stretch today, those three guys [Stanley Burrell, Josh Duncan, and Drew Lavender] turned it up a notch. They did a great job in finding a way to win."

 

On Josh Duncan

"To me, he hit the biggest basket of the game at George Washington. To me, he hit the biggest basket of the game at UMass. But no question, today was one of the best games he's played."

 

"If there was a defining moment for Drew [Lavender], it was that pass [to B.J. Raymond] at the end of the game. He understood that B.J. was open."