Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #7 UConn on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 72, to, 73
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Final
Men's Basketball
72
vs #7 UConn
73
Redick And Williams Sit Down With Duke Inside Access
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. - Duke's J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams both sat down with Duke Inside Access Tuesday to discuss the upcoming ACC Tournament and the team's state after losing its final two regular season games. Duke will take the court Friday in Greensboro, N.C., attempting to defend its ACC Championship from last season. Duke will take on the winner of Thursday's Clemson-Miami match-up on Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
On recovering physically from the Carolina game:
“We took two days off. Sunday was off, and yesterday was a lot of feedback and meetings, a time to rest our bodies. We started right away this morning with conditioning at 8:30, so I feel great. I think in these couple of days where we have a break from games, we can definitely be rejuvenated.”
On importance of playing well in ACC Tournament:
“We approach it in the same way we approach any other game or tournament, where we're trying to win the championship. I don't buy this we would rather lose early and get rejuvenated for the NCAA Tournament. So much could happen with seeding just based on conference tournaments. You look at us last year, going into the tournament, no way were people talking about us being a one seed. We win the ACC Tournament, we're a one seed. Washington last year was the same way with the PAC-10 Tournament. That can affect what you do in the NCAA Tournament. We want to win every game. I think every school does, but from my time here I think certain teams do take it more seriously than others.”
On confidence falling:
“My confidence or whatever swagger I play with, it's not that it's shaken. I just think I put a lot of pressure on myself, I feel a lot of pressure from outside sources, and it hasn't been fun for me. I think our team kind of does that too, where we put pressure on ourselves that isn't always there. Really, we just need to have fun, and I think the ACC Tournament, for our team, can get us headed in the right direction.”
On outside pressure being because of records:
“I think there's always pressure from outside sources. There's always pressure from media attention, from family, friends. When you play here, when you play at a big-time program in college basketball, you're always in a fishbowl. The past couple of weeks, I haven't even been able to watch ESPN. It just drives me crazy. I don't want to watch college basketball. I don't want to watch SportsCenter and see NBA highlights. They can't stop talking about us or me. Give it a rest for a couple of days.”
On some pressure coming from inside seniors:
“I think it's a fine line with all the seniors, really any senior across the country, whether they're playing in a smaller conference tournament or they're in a position like me and Shelden and Lee and Sean. You want to be obsessed with the championship, or if you're playing in a smaller conference, you want to be obsessed with making it to the NCAA Tournament, but you don't want to put everything into that where you feel like if you don't do that you're a failure. It's a fine line.”
On being physically, emotionally and mentally fit:
“Physically, I just feel great. I really do. I think as the season wears on, different events, different sources of pressure, they take their toll on your mind, and it takes a strong individual to stay sharp all the time. I think as 20-21-year-old kids, we often struggle with that. You look at a guy like Coach K, and he's pretty much mastered that in his old age. It's something that as players we try to constantly work at.
“As the season wears on, there are all different things that happen that can either rejuvenate you or, I don't want to say bring you down, but kind of wear on you a little bit.”
On loss to Carolina having something to do with Duke already having clinched ACC title:
“I don't think it was complacency. I really don't. We all wanted to accomplish something special and try to go 16-0 in the conference. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and coming off the Florida State loss, where they played a really good game, and it was a tough loss for us, we had two great days of practice, and I think part of it was we tried to make the Carolina game bigger than it was. After watching tape yesterday, we were just bad on offense. We really were.”
On Shelden Williams handling being overshadowed:
“He's handled like a man, and he's been very mature about it. We talked the other day, and he looked at me and said, ?Man, I just want one of those up there,' and glanced up at the rafters at the championship banners. I think that we're in the same boat in that regard. Neither one of us are that worried about who gets what kind of attention. Both of us are here for the same thing.”
On shooting:
“I think people try to look too much into my shot. I got an email yesterday from someone I don't even know, and he said, ?Hey, I noticed a couple of things wrong with your shot.' I just miss shots. I really think that each shot has become bigger than it is. I'm putting some pressure on myself. Teams defend me well every game. I hit a lot of tough shots. It's not like people are helping me on penetration, getting wide open on spot-up three's. It's tough shots that I'm taking, and when you put that added pressure on yourself, you can have those 5-for-21 nights and 10-for-28 nights.”
On importance of this week:
“I think this week is a very important week for us. We got through with the regular season, and now we're moving onto the ACC Tournament, so having a few days of rest and a few days to analyze what we've done in the regular season and things that we need to work on to get better for the postseason has been very beneficial for these few days we've had so far.”
On teams knowing how to play against Duke after two losses:
“I guess for teams who play us more than one time, I guess they have a feel for the way we play and things like that, so our main job, especially in the postseason, is to mix things up and not be so familiar for the teams who might play us for a third time. I think it's something for us to analyze how we've been playing and how teams have been playing against us and to throw a few things in there to mix things up in the postseason.”
On what he enjoys about defense:
“Just the feel for helping my teammates out. If I see my teammates getting beat, they can trust that I'll be there for the last line of defense, and for me to be able to help them out is a great feeling.”
On what older players told younger players to recover from losses:
“Our first goal this season was to be regular season champions, and we became that. Even though we lost the last two regular season games, we still became ACC regular season champs. You have to look at it like that's what we've done, or we accomplished this, and now we have to move on to our second goal, which is to try to win the ACC Tournament. Once we see ourselves doing that, we move on to our third goal.
On ACC Tournament schedule being draining:
“I really don't think it has been draining. After a Sunday game, you still have a few days before you have to go to wherever you play in the NCAA Tournament. I think having especially an earlier Sunday game gives you a chance to rest and kind of take a break for a little bit and then move on to the NCAA Tournament.”
On whether it would be better to lose early in ACC and rest for NCAA:
“If you are any kind of competitor you don't want to take that kind of action. Any time you play in a game, you want to win that game or that tournament, so we don't have anything like that on our basketball squad.
“Any time a player is in the tournament, you plan on going to that championship game, and that's something that we plan on. Plus, we feel like we are able to do that, so we're in there for the long haul.”
On not getting as much attention:
“The position that I've been in during my whole course here is as a defensive guy, and everybody knows a defensive player is not going to be as glorified as someone playing offense and shooting baskets all the time. That's something that I have always been accustomed to, so it hasn't really affected the way I play. It hasn't really been a factor for me because it's something that I've been accustomed to. I'm the kind of player that if our team's doing well, I'm doing well, so it really doesn't matter for me to be presented like that.”
On foul debate:
“It's unfortunate that it happened for us. To be displayed in that manner has been kind of hurtful for our basketball team, but it's something that we have to fight through. We have been presented with a lot of adversity throughout the season, so it's something we have to fight through.”
On developing all-around game:
“I think I have evolved to become more than just a shot-blocker. I've been defending players out on the perimeter, and also I've been getting into passing lanes and getting steals, so I think from freshman year to now, I have evolved in those ways where I'm not just the last line of defense.”
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