March 13, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland head coach Gary Williams and several players talked about not getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament after the field of 65 was announced Sunday evening.

Gary Williams
On not making the NCAA Tournament:
"First of all, we're proud of going to the NCAA Tournament the last 11 years. We're one of only five teams in the country to do that. We're very disappointed of not being in the NCAA this year. However, we had our opportunities to win games, which would have allowed us to go, probably. As long as you have the opportunity, that's all you can ask. We had the opportunity this year to get there, and we didn't make it. When you look at the last 11 or 12 years and how hard we had to fight some of those years to get there; this year we just didn't quite do it."

On the difference of the NCAA's now and then:
"When you look at that board, nowadays you see a lot of teams that you didn't see 12 or 14 years ago. There are a lot of teams that are playing really good basketball. That's the toughest thing, I think, if you're in a major conference now, is just to stay in that upper level each year. We've been able to do that, and that's why we've gotten to the NCAA. We couldn't do it this year, so we didn't get there. There's really no griping, no complaining about the fact that we didn't get to the NCAA Tournament, because we certainly had the opportunity."

On the Big East and Big 12 placing more teams than the ACC:
"I don't quite understand that because I thought our teams went down quickly. Not just us, but other teams ranked in the Top 25 early and then lost to a really good team because it was in the best conference in the country. I'm not just saying that; statistically, [the ACC] was the best conference in the country all year. Losing is losing. You have to win games."

On losses that stood out:
"When you look at the home games we lost, certainly the [North] Carolina game, we were in position to win that, the Clemson game we started off so poorly, the N.C. State game we started off so poorly. I'd say take your pick of those three games."

On the team's injuries:
"It's not good. We've got several guys banged up. Whether they will be healthy or not [to play in the NIT], that's still up in the air."

On playing in the NIT:
"I respect the NIT because they've given a lot of teams the opportunity to play in the postseason, teams like Oklahoma last year, Syracuse a couple years ago. I think it can help you for next season in addition to playing against good teams this year."

On his feelings before the Selection Show:
"The only hope for us was to get as many teams in as the other two conferences that got more than us because we were rated higher than them, conference-wise, during the season. But that doesn't guarantee you're going to be in there with the teams that automatically qualify. The upsets last night hurt us a lot. I was hoping [to still get in]. I wouldn't say fully expecting."

Nik Caner-Medley
On the team's disappointment:
"When our name wasn't called, it became a reality that we weren't in the tournament. Obviously, the first thing we felt was disappointment, but now we have more games to play, and that's what we're dealing with. We had a lot of opportunities to make it an easy show for us to watch, but we lost some games that could have secured us a spot. As a team we have to take responsibility for what happened. We're responsible for not getting it done, but now we're responsible to deal with what we have."

On playing in the NIT:
"At the beginning of the year, one of our goals was to win the national championship, but we're not in that tournament. As a player you always have to be motivated. Personally, I'm motivated even when I'm just playing in a pick-up game. To have the opportunity to play in a national tournament and to be able to play basketball, I'm motivated."

Chris McCray
On playing in the NIT:
"We have to play to win. It's just like the NCAA tournament, we have to play and win. We have the opportunity to win a championship, and to keep playing basketball. We're definitely looking forward to it, but at the same time, it sill hurts. Whether you're playing basketball in the NCAA tournament or the NIT, you just have to try to win every game that you play."

On the team's mood:
"Everyone was pretty down, but we know that if we would have won a few more games that we should have won, we would be in the tournament. We all chose to come to Maryland for a reason. There is a lot of tradition here, and we definitely feel like we let everyone down, especially the coaching staff."

Mike Jones:
"Sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to. Things happen for a reason. Now we just have to start preparing for next year and start a new streak [of tournament appearances]."

"A lot of guys are very disappointed. At the same time we understand what should have been done. We're definitely keeping a level head about the situation and just coming out and getting some extra shots in at practice and preparing for the NIT."

Ekene Ibekwe:
"We had some key wins. We obviously play in one of the toughest conferences. But they looked at what we didn't do more than what we did do. We'll accept a bid to the NIT and we'll go from there."

John Gilchrist:
"Our destiny was definitely in the selection committee's hands and I felt that they did their job and picked the best 65 teams. Unfortunately we weren't one of them."

"There were a lot of things that happened this year. We had injuries. We battled through a lot of adversity. A lot of times, things are overlooked over the course of a season. We made strides this year and we really learned about one another as teammates and that's just going to make us stronger."