For the first time since his second-half benching against South Florida on Saturday, Jerome Dyson spoke to the media following today's game. Dejected, he sat slumped in the locker room and took questions from about a half-dozen scribes.

Here's part of what he had to say:

(What happened today?)

"We played bad. Personally, I played like (expletive)."

"We couldn't get the ball up the middle, and we gave them a lot of 3's."

(You've struggled the last few games. Are you OK physically?)

"Umm … somewhat. But, the last couple of games, I've just been playing terrible."

(How did you feel about being benched for the final 16 minutes of the USF game?)

"It hurt. My last regular season game, and I was on the bench."

(Will this team be ready for a potential NIT game next week?)

"We can definitely come out and play, but it just sucks to know that the (inaudible)."

(Have you been confused on the court the last few games?)

"I don't know if I was confused, I just felt like I didn't know what was going on. I can't really put it into words. I turned the ball over too many times, couldn't get a shot. It's probably a game that I'll never forget."

(Do you understand why Coach Calhoun benched you vs. USF?)

"I really don't know, I mean … I don't know."

(When did you find out you'd be playing today?)

"Right before the game."