UVA basketball coach Tony Bennett on win over Pitt

On talking to his players about the regular season title and ACC Tournament:

“We talked about it, for sure. There’s something I read in a book, but it was a coach talking about the joy of a competition and the fun in a pursuit of a championship. We’re fortunate for the conference to be in the pursuit. So have joy, have fun doing then, and then you better be locked in and ready to go. But, they’d be aware of it I didn’t say anything, but knowing that that’s where you’re at. Over the regular season conference title, if you’re in contention for that, that’s a test. That’s long, a lot of games, and very important.”

On season-low minutes for Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome:

“We’ll play on Monday, our third game in however many hours or days, so, they did they job early and to start the second-half. It was a way to also reward the guys who work hard in practice. So, of course, to do be able to do that was important. I like the way we came out defensively. I thought we were alert. I thought we were together in how we needed to play. Pittsburgh is a young team and they’re athletic and they’re aggressive and we had to be in position. If we weren’t, those guards can get into the lane. I thought we were locked in defensively, moved the ball, and played the right way.”

On Kihei Clark’s performance:

“[Kihei Clark] did a good job. Obviously, his assists. That was quick on quick when you’re talking about [Xavier Johnson] and [Kihei Clark] going at it. Those are two quick guys. I thought [Kihei Clark] really set the tone for us defensively and then he set the tone with his ball security. He touched the paint, finding some guys. I thought he really ignited our defense.”

On the Saturday-Monday turnaround:

“In a sense, you have to be ready to go. You have to be smart with your preparation, the day between, and then you’re usually in a hostile environment. It’s certainly a challenge and, again, we’re in some important games so I think it’s a healthy challenge. To have them all on the road, you have to travel, you got to get there, and then lock in and be ready to play. We’ll go against a talented Syracuse team. They’ve been one of the best zone teams in recent years and in the game. So, their ability to play that way and it’s an important game for them, too.”