USF vs. Niagara
Dec. 14, 2008
Postgame Quotes

Niagara Head Coach Joe Milhalich

On how Niagara played...
Obviously it was a great team effort for us. I thought we got a lot of production from a lot of people. That is one of the charms of our team. We have a lot of balance and a lot of people that can hurt you. It was a good team win.

On the new USF players...
I think it is going to take a little while for those guys to blend in. They have to get some minutes for Gilchrist. He hasn't played in a while. Mercer hasn't played in a while. I think that team is going to be just fine. We were lucky to get them in their first game, because they are still shaking the rust off.

USF Head Coach Stan Heath

On his team's performance against Niagara...
The intensity level we had was poor. The teamwork and chemistry weren't there. We saw a team that was discombobulated. They didn't know their roles and the intensity level that we have to play at. We will be a better team down the road. That was a message that slapped us right in the face.

On the sloppy play...
I didn't expect us to make so many casual turnovers. We didn't hold on to the ball. We missed some layups. Free throws have been a struggle. I didn't expect it to be to that degree. I did know that we were going to have our hands full, and that would have to play well. We didn't do that.

USF Guard Mike Mercer

On his performance against Niagara...
I think in the first have I tried to do too much. That is something I thought about before the game, but I got out there and lost my head a little bit. In the second half I slowed down a little bit and focused on my defense. I tried to get my teammates involved a little bit, but unfortunately we fell short.