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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 11, 2018Devonte' GrahamSviatoslav MykhailiukLawrence, Kansas Q. Devonte and Svi, were you guys -- was there any suspense in this, or did you kind of have a good feel where you were going? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: I felt like I knew we were going to be a No. 1 seed. We were just anxious to see who was going to be in our bracket. Q. What's your reaction to the bracket? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: I think it's pretty good. We just got to take it one game at a time, like Coach always tells us, and go into each weekend thinking that it's a two-game tournament. Q. Did you guys watch any of the Penn game today that was on? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: I didn't. Q. All year you guys have kind of taken that people don't pick us, people don't think it's going to happen. I mean, when you see Duke, Michigan State, thinking a lot of people are going to pick them, does this set up for you guys where it's the same sort of scenario where maybe not everybody will pick Kansas? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Well, maybe. Probably not. You know, it really doesn't matter. Like we always do, we believe in each other, believe in our coaching staff, and we're going to take it one game at a time. Whoever we face, we're going to try to prepare as best as possible for that team. Right now we've got to focus on Penn and getting that W first. Q. The big thing, right, it doesn't matter. All this stuff is you've got to go play the game. Is there any significance in your mind to being a 1 seed again, three years in a row now? Is that an achievement or an accomplishment? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: It's definitely an accomplishment in that you get to play closer to home and the fans can travel, and you kind of have a little bit of home court advantage. You definitely want to try to get the 1 seed and try to play close to home as possible. Q. Did you think going into this weekend that that was at stake, so you had to go play well? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: We definitely knew that. We felt like, if we play pretty good in the tournament, that we could lock that 1 seed up, and we went in and won it. Felt like we knew that we would be the 1 seed. Q. Devonte, seven Big 12 teams made the tournament. Were you surprised that Oklahoma State and Baylor didn't get in? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Actually, I kind of was. That's two good teams who got wins over good teams. But I don't make the selection, so just happy that we're in it. Q. Svi, you shaved? Any reason? SVIATOSLAV MYKHAILIUK: Yeah. I was actually not, but I messed it up a little bit. So just got to take it off. Q. For both you guys, I guess this is your last run. How do you feel going into March, any different from previous years, maybe more of a different sense of urgency? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Answer a question (laughter). SVIATOSLAV MYKHAILIUK: We feel great, you know, coming out of three wins and getting out in front of the league. Silvio is definitely going to help us in the long run. I think we're just rolling right now, and I think we're just getting ready to go. Q. Last year some of that talk was in here this same day with Landen, I think, it was unfinished business or whatever after losing to Villanova the year before. Now that that's happened twice, do you take that kind of a chip into your tournament run and think about that kind of thing? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: It's definitely something you think about falling short in the Elite Eight back-to-back years, and getting over that hump and getting to the Final Four is something we definitely want to do. It's our last chance to do it. We're just going to be extra pumped and making sure everybody's ready to play and not come out flat. Just being focused. Q. Do you feel like this team, your roster, 1 through 9 or whatever it is, is as prepared all year as it's been for that, that focus that it takes? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: I think we're -- yeah, I think we are. I think this past weekend helped out a lot with a lot of confidence. It could have been -- I think Doak being hurt helped out our big guys' confidence a lot. Q. Have you guys seen Doke today? Is he walking around better, getting better? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Yeah, he said he's feeling good. Hopefully we have him Thursday. Q. Obviously, it's one game at a time, not looking ahead. Looking over your bracket, any potential matchups that excite either of you guys? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Well, if we win the first game, my home state, NC State, was the last two teams I picked. Playing against them would be fun for me. Q. You know most of those guys, don't you? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Yeah, I know a lot of them. Play with them during the summertime, yeah, when I go home and stuff like that. So I got a lot of friends on that team. Q. Will you leave it alone, or are you going to text and reach out and do those kinds of things with some of those guys in the next few days? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Some of them already texted me that used to play there or that's on the team now. I just, like it's just my friends. It will be a good, fun game for me personally. Q. You said that the Big 12 tournament was a big confidence booster for your big guys, but that grind it out, that game after game, day after day, you get a little bit of a break kind of in the NCAA Tournament, but how does that or did the Big 12 tournament prepare you guys for a long run in the NCAA Tournament? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: Like you said, just grinding it out back to back to back days and going to war every night, and just the Big 12 in general just preparing you for the NCAA Tournament because every night you're facing a good team. At one point, it was like top 25 teams back to back to back nights and stuff like that. So it's going to be the same thing in the Tournament, and you get a day to prepare for them. I felt like the Big 12 has just mentally and physically prepared you for the Tournament. Q. Devonte', what gives you guys confidence you could survive an off shooting night from three at some point in this Tournament? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: I think we've been pretty good defensively. You know, all we've got to do is focus in on the scout report and what coaches and them tell us to do. If we get stops and not score -- and not shoot the ball that well, I feel like we could still win. Q. When you look at 8-9s, did the team discuss possible scenarios? Because Missouri ended up getting one, and you guys already played them. Did you have any feelings about that? SVIATOSLAV MYKHAILIUK: Go ahead. He asked you. DEVONTE' GRAHAM: I don't even know what you said. What did you say again? Q. Did you talk about maybe playing Missouri or Wichita State? DEVONTE' GRAHAM: No, we're focused on Penn. That's it. We're not worried about nobody else. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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