This was probably the toughest game since I've been back. I was tired with like three minutes left. I kind of looked at him (Calhoun) for a sub and he said we had a TV timeout coming up. So I waited. I waited it out, but I was tired.

We talked about coming out fast, but when Ivan was taking over, everyone else was off. We have to get everyone going.

As a freshman you go in there and you step into deep water. Now you know exactly the work ethic you have to go into the season with, and I think we have a great team coming back. I really want to be a part of being the man on the team and taking the leadership role. That will help me grow. This team will have the potential to do a lot of big things.

Playing with Craig makes it a lot easier for me. And I think what's a lot easier for me is a lot easier for our team. When I'm coming off a lot of off-the-ball picks, it's more of a 4-on-3 game than it is 5-on-5, starting at the top and trying to set up the offense. When I'm coming off screens, I think I can make my teammates better because their man is going to have to step up and guard me. I think I can drop it off. If not, I think I can make plays alone.

It's going to be a grind-out game. It's going to be a Big East game. It's not going to be a walk in the park. With No. 1 on our chests, a lot of teams are coming for us, especially Pitt. With their gritty attitude, it's going to be an intense game...This is like a fight. It's more like 1-on-1-on-1-on-1-on-1.