On what he sees as he watches Minnesota: “I have watched them and I lose sleep. You’ve got a great coach who has had more time with them. There was really a quick by in last year because of coach (Tubby) Smith’s success. I was impressed with them last year, but now they’ve added four, five players that have given them more depth. I’m impressed with their presence on the floor. They play with confidence, they’re aggressive, they execute. There are a lot of factors there, but so much of it comes from the quality of leadership and the talent they have.’’
On if the quick turnaround at Minnesota was expected: “We all expected it. It’s fun for a competitor to see how you match up against the best, not me individually, but team wise, can we compete at the level of a team that executes as well as Minnesota does. Different systems, coaches emphasize different things, but they are well executed.’’