Head Coach Kevin Keatts met with the media for his postgame press conference after #23 NC State almost pulled off the upset over #3 UVA, falling 66-65 in overtime. The video’s are BELOW, and a bulleted breakdown is UNDERNEATH.

• I told the team after the game that obviously it’s okay to be disappointed.
• Our guys played hard. They played their hearts out. They played until the end.
• Virginia made a couple of more plays, especially in overtime, to win the game.
• I told Tony (Bennett) before the game that after playing against his team last year, I thought they were very good. In some respects, I think this team is a lot better.
  • They have a future lottery pick in Deandre Hunter, and they have some really good guards.
• I told my guys there is a thin line between winning and losing.
• We were on the other side of it against Clemson, but we fought hard.
• I hope you guys are understanding of what we are trying to build here. Obviously it’s year 2. I thought that we would be able to play this way in year 3, but we had success in year 1.
• We have a brutal stretch coming up, but I’m proud of these guys. We had an opportunity to win the game, and we just fell short.
• I just asked my guys to stay patient and to not get frustrated. Because Virginia is such an elite defensive team, they just frustrate you and they make you play one-on-one basketball.
  • If you are making those shots, that’s great. If you’re missing them, then you are just getting further in the hole.
  •  I told them to stay patient and that it would have to be a defensive effort from us.
  • We have enough firepower to score on the offensive end.
  • Some guys made some big plays down the stretch.
• I thought we did a good job of playing well without fouling.
  • I didn’t want to add that part to it, by putting them on the free throw line and letting them score free throws.
• For the most part, I felt like we defended the three-point line.
  • I know they shot 40 percent, but we held them to just four makes.
  • Kyle Guy made an unbelievable three at the end.
• That’s the Wyatt Walker that we have been waiting for. A guy that plays extremely hard, gets on the offensive rebounds, and can get big buckets.
  • When he plays that way, or we get something from DJ Funderburk, it takes some of the pressure off our guards.
  • In the past few games, all of the pressure has been on our guards because Wyatt and DJ both haven’t played well.
• Markell Johnson cramped up. He has been out for so long that his conditioning wasn’t there.
  • Honestly, at the end of the game, I didn’t even talk about the free throw. I never think that one play defines the game. I didn’t harp on it or say anything about it.
  • I just told my guys that I am proud of them, and if we can continue to play that way against one of the elite teams in the country and in the ACC, then we can be pretty good.
• I think I need to clear something up. Everyone is making a big deal about the comments from last game. That was sarcasm, and it was a joke.
  • Basically, I want everyone to know that we are a pressing team and anything can happen at the end of our games.
  • I wasn’t talking about our crowd.
  • I love our fans, and I believe that we have some of the best fans in the country.
• But I wanted to take a little jab, a sarcastic jab, at the fans that left early.
  • That being said, there were plenty of people that stayed in the arena, and they were a huge part of them going to the free throw line and missing four three throws in a row.
  • Tonight, I thought our crowd was tremendous. They were loud. That gives us such a tremendous home court advantage when they cheer that way.
  • Anyone that can hear my voice, it was a joke.
• It’s not about moral victories.
  • Certainly, you want to win those games, but you don’t know how good your team really is until you play in those games.
  • All you have to do is look at Virginia’s scores all year long, and the closest game they have had is the one at Duke, which they lost by a few points.
  • Most of the other games have been either 15 or 20 points, whether they were at home or away.
  • That being said, if you look at Virginia, they have done a tremendous job over the past two years. They have won 23, now 24 of their last 26 games in the ACC. That’s pretty impressive.
  • We were right there to win the game.
  • I like where we are. I think our guys have a chance to be good. We are going to continue to get better.