Dec. 11, 2005

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Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams

On Facing Boston College:
"I told our guy's that we had to come out with great intensity tonight. The X's and O's are always important, but our intensity level had to match BC's. They don't let you go. They're going to be there every game. They're really impressive, the way the play and the way they go after it. Obviously I'm very proud of our team because we had to match that level of play, and we did. We did a great job in just about every situation and we had a lot of guys step up. It was a great effort on our part; it had to be in order to get this win."

On welcoming Boston College into the ACC:
"I care too much about BC. They gave me a pretty good job. If there were any feelings, it was tough for me to play this game. They don't have to be welcomed anywhere. They've proven how good they are. They've been a great team under Al Skinner. If you're a great team in the Big East or any major conference, you're a good team. You don't have to prove yourself in the ACC.

On D.J. Strawberry's intensity:
"One thing I really like about D.J. is you don't have to fire him up. It's easier to pull a guy back a little bit than pump him up. I like D.J.'s attitude out there."

On the seniors:
"I was proud of the seniors because they've taken some heat since they were the class to come in after the national championship. It's great that they're playing well right now. At 7-2, we have a chance to have a very good season. We have a top-10 win and its important for our senior class to really get positive things out of this last year."

On Ekene Ibekwe's play:
"I think it was his toughest game where he played really well. Both [Craig] Smith and [Jared] Dudley are amazing inside. Those guys are big and strong, but they have great timing. Everything they do is right at the right time. For [Ibekwe] to hang in there and not foul out, I thought he did a great job. I'm really proud of him.

On Travis Garrison's play:
"I can't say enough about him. I think he's reached the point where when he's there, our players feel very comfortable on the court, and that's very important for us to have guys that are like rocks."

Maryland forward Ekene Ibekwe

On the game:
"It was a real war. Boston College is a good team, and they fought hard. We fought harder. We came out with a victory. We have a long stretch until our next game but we're going to feel good going into it."

On playing a career-high 34 minutes:
"Foul trouble has been a problem for me in the past. I just told myself if I stay out of foul trouble, I can play longer on the court. Obviously my team needs me and I want to be out there for them, to play strong to play big inside."

On the last play of the game:
"I wanted to get the ball and get the clock going so the game could be over. I was afraid it was going to go out of bounds. I out-hustled [Jared] Dudley and chased it down. I could have made a slam dunk basket down there, but I just wanted the game to end."

On bouncing back after the BB&T Classic:
"That really helped us refocus. We obviously never want to lose. We told ourselves that we wanted to come in strong for our first ACC game, especially at home. We don't ever want to lose at home. We knew Boston College was ranked sixth in the country, but we knew if we played hard and stayed solid on defense that we could beat them."

Maryland guard Chris McCray

On drawing an instrumental charge to foul out Craig Smith:
"We have a board that Coach [Williams] put up for everyone that takes a charge. We drew a charge in the last two games. We know that their best players are big men, and as guards, we need to help out our big men. He's a big guy, but that's something I need to take for the team."

On beating a top-10 opponent for the first time this season: "It's a confidence boost but we're supposed to win this game. We're on our home court. This is the first time for them in the ACC. Everybody stuck together through the whole game."

On the season thus far:
"We've lost to two good teams in Gonzaga and George Washington, so we needed a good early win. To beat Boston College at home, the sixth ranked team, is pretty good."

Boston College Head Coach Al Skinner

On BC's free throw shooting:
"We missed some tonight and so did they. But they made 19 foul shots and we only took 15. You're not going to win many ball games when the other team takes more foul shots than you make, especially when you have a team like ours that is so aggressive."

On adjusting to play in the ACC: "It was pretty intense in the league that we came from [Big East], so once the game got started it was no different than any game we played last year. If anything, we just have to get adjusted to the personnel and the coaching styles. We played against a good team tonight, and that's why it was so important that things go well."

Boston College Forward Craig Smith

On the physical inside play:
"I knew it was going to be physical in there, because that's just the way I play. They tried to put some bodies on me and I just tried to handle it as best as I could. I was trying to find my guys when they got open for good looks. I just tried to take advantage of what they were giving me." On free throw shooting:
"It was tough, especially being on the road. That's why teams have home court advantage. I felt like our guys really didn't get in their rhythm. It was just mental."

On the ACC opener:
"There wasn't anything really that special about it to me. Basketball is basketball once you get out on the court. This league might be more transitional than most but it's not that different than what I've seen in my years playing basketball. We've been in these situations where the crowd was very hostile. It's no different."

On two consecutive games against Top 25 opponents:
"It's definitely a big help for us, because these are the teams that are going to be there in March Madness competing for the national championship. It's good preparation to play them now."