Bill Clinton: “Thank you. I can't help noting that there's a little modest football game this weekend between Tennessee and Arkansas.…”

“Thank you. I can't help noting that there's a little modest football game this weekend between Tennessee and Arkansas. [Laughter] And both teams are undefeated, but Tennessee is much higher ranked. And both the Vice President and Senator Frist refused to give me any points when we bet on this game. So I'm either going to have more barbecue than I can eat, or I'm going to have to take out a loan to finish Chelsea's college education after this. [Laughter] But I'm looking forward to it. I'd like to say a few words about the Kentucky Wildcats. First of all, I think all of us who watched the tournament this year thought it was one of the best tournaments that any of us could remember. And the fact that Kentucky did come back by 10 points at halftime in the last game to defeat Utah--quite clearly a great, great team--the fact that we had so much competition in the final teams that made it certainly to the Final Four, but even the last 16--it was an unbelievable tournament. And Kentucky became the first team ever to come back from such a large deficit in the final game of the tournament--with heart, skill, and guts. I want to congratulate the Final Four MVP, Jeff Sheppard, and all of his teammates. There were many solid scorers, no one who ran away. Kentucky had a team. They also did something that I think is very important for great teams. They got better and better and better as the season went on, winning their last 11 games by an average of 20 points. Of course, Coach Tubby Smith faced a difficult task in his first year at Kentucky. People expected him to win all the time, and he had to start with that burden of expectation. I think the fact that he began his working life in tobacco fields with 16 brothers and sisters taught him something about teamwork. And he certainly brought what he knew about teamwork and family values and spirit to this work. Jeff Sheppard said of Coach Smith that ``he does a really good job of teaching us the game of basketball, but an even better job of teaching us how to be men.'' I think that says more than anything I could possibly say about this remarkable man and his remarkable team. Now I'd like to introduce Dr. Joe Johnson, the president of the University of Tennessee. [University of Tennessee president Joseph E. Johnson and Lady Volunteers coach Pat Summitt each made brief remarks. Players Kellie Jolly and Chamique Holdsclaw then presented the President with gifts.]”