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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2016

New York, New York

Seton Hall - 87, Xavier - 83

Q. For Khadeen and Isaiah, what's it like for you two? You grew up as friends, you're from Brooklyn, you're playing on this stage, playing as well as you guys possibly can right now.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: Well, it's a great feeling. This is what we came to Seton Hall for. This is what we talked about before we even came here, getting Seton Hall back on the map back to where it was. I think we're doing a great job of it right now.

We beat a good team tonight. Now we're just going to get some rest, enjoy this one and get ready for tomorrow.

ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: I really can't say anything after what he said. It's the same thing. Just to do it in front of our friends and family and especially beating a tough opponent in Xavier. They're a great team. Still at the end they didn't give up. It's really a great accomplishment to get to the championship game.

Q. For Kevin, what does it mean to you personally to get to the final of this tournament that you played in and watched your whole life? What does it mean to you?
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, you know what, it's the most gratifying watching these guys having fun and go out there and play. I've always watched a lot of teams. It's fun to have a team that you kind of just let go out and play and enjoy it and having fun. We have our moments at times, too. These guys are playing hard. They're having fun and playing well.

More than anything, just watching these guys play well for me is the greatest.

Q. Isaiah, there's a stretch about six weeks ago where you guys lost four or five games. Since then you've only lost two games, both to Butler. What sort of changed about you guys, your mindset or anything like that?
ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: I think we just got more confident. I think that week off before we played Providence was big for us to really get better, and really just get back to what we're used to doing, and that's defending. When we do that at a high level, I think we can compete with anyone in the country.

Q. Kevin, especially in the first half what can you say about the team (inaudible), every 50/50 ball with Xavier?
KEVIN WILLARD: They came out real quick, and I felt once we got to the first TV time-out we got our second wind, and then we really picked it up defensively. We made them take tough shots. I thought Angel did a good job making them work in the post.

When we got up 17, Zeke got a second foul, and it took us a little bit out of our rhythm defensively. But sometimes you've gotta get to that first TV time-out in big games.

I thought these guys did a good job. Once we got there, Zeke made a some big shots and Dino made a shot and all of a sudden we got our second wind back.

Q. Kevin, during that skirmish late in the game, you grabbed Isaiah and kind of pulled him away. What's your concern when something like that happens? Talk about your team's toughness down the stretch when they came in --
KEVIN WILLARD: He had gotten one technical already. So you don't want him to get a second. And the other thing is just, you know, this is the Big East. This is a physical conference. This is what we struggled with last year, is that we were a little, I used the terminology, we were puppies last year. Now we're starting to turn into dogs.

These guys are tough. I wouldn't want to play the five guys that are out there on the court. They stick together. Someone gets knocked down, the other four guys are right there. It's very close-knit, probably too close-knit at times. Sometimes we have that same issue together.

But, you know what, it's a great group to be around, because you know, they all have each other's back.

Q. Coach, there were a lot of similarities to the game you played against Xavier just February 28th on your court. Were you able to take a blueprint from that game and play it here or tweak things approaching Xavier for the third time?
KEVIN WILLARD: No, we walked through for about 30 minutes today. That's all we did. It helped that we played them 12 days ago. It's going to be a little different with Nova because we haven't played Nova in a while. We knew what we were doing in our pick-and-roll schemes. We knew what we were doing -- for the most part I thought we felt much more comfortable against the 1-3-1 zone than we did last time.

We went to Baruch and walked through for about 30 minutes. We didn't watch much film. We only watched about five minutes of film. Not because we didn't respect them or didn't need to; we just played them. It's a nice thing about the double playing everybody twice; by the time you get to the Tournament, you really know what everybody is doing.

Q. How big an opportunity is this playing Villanova ranked No. 3, defending champion? And what are the particular challenges facing them tomorrow?
ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: They're a great team. Just like you said, they're No. 3 in the country. They're tough. I mean, they have a lot of weapons that can beat you. They shoot the three really well. So, I mean, it's a great -- it's going to be a great game. I'm looking forward to it. I just can't wait for it.

Q. Isaiah, have you ever seen Khadeen shoot the ball the way he's shooting the ball?
ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: Of course I did. We work out all day every day taking shots, working on different moves. It was a matter of time before everything started falling for him. I'm happy to see him succeeding.

Q. Kevin, what do you make of all the stuff Lavin has been saying? Does that motivate you guys? Are you going to buy Steve a beer?
KEVIN WILLARD: Do you know messed up with Lav? I love him. He texted me for two tickets (laughter). He texts me for two tickets. He said, hey, I need two good tickets behind your bench. Can you take care of it? I said, Of course. No problem, Steve. Not twenty minutes later he's on there saying, I really like this Seton Hall team. I think they're going to win games in the NCAA Tournament, but I like Creighton.

He's the best. He said, We talked before. I said, no, he just wanted two more tickets tonight. That's why he switched it around.

Q. Isaiah, go back to that foul when they were reviewing it on Jalen. You guys were on the court, Angel was dancing, what was going through mind?
ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: We just felt good. We really battled all night and just to have an outcome like we did. I mean, I would probably say it was probably a mistake doing that, because of the way they finished the game it really wasn't over. But, I mean, once we get our adrenaline pumping like that it's really hard to slow down.

Q. Coach, you've been dealing with some serious foul trouble the last few games. How have you been able to manage it so effectively?
KEVIN WILLARD: I have a lot of confidence in our bench. I really do. I know that they're not playing much, but this time of year everyone shortens their bench. Veer came in and gave us four good minutes. Rashed Anthony comes in and gives us good minutes. He just fouls -- I think he fouls four fouls per minute he's played in his career. No, he has. We looked it up the other day. We were on the bus, everybody started laughing.

You know, obviously Derrick has played great the last two nights. I have confidence in the bench. It's just that right now the way these two knuckleheads are playing, the way Desi has played all year, it's tough to get them off the court.

Q. We talked quite a bit about how special this building is. You played here, as we discussed. What's it like to be coaching a team and having a crowd chant "this is our house" in a semifinal game?
KEVIN WILLARD: It still hasn't hit me, to be perfectly honest with you. To be playing in the Big East Championship in the Mecca in New York City on Saturday night. I think these guys are starting to understand the greatness of this tournament. I've tried to talk to them a little bit about the tradition and the great programs, the great players. I've shown them clips of my defense in the Big East Tournament.

ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: It was terrible, by the way (laughter).

KEVIN WILLARD: I know.

ISAIAH WHITEHEAD: Just wanted to get that out there.

KEVIN WILLARD: Khadeen thinks I've shrunk. That's the first thing he said to me. They didn't say anything about my defense.

It's an honor, to be honest with you. It's an honor and a privilege. We're the first team to get back there since Coach Carlesimo. He set the bar so high, PJ did. Everyone who has followed him tried to achieve his greatness. To get back to where he did it, I think it was in '93, that in itself is an honor. He has been a great supporter of the program and of mine.

Q. Kevin, how important was it to get Angel involved in the offense?
KEVIN WILLARD: Really important. Really important.

Q. Khadeen, back in October media day they asked you what were your thoughts (inaudible), they said you guys weren't listening to it at all. I want to ask you, was that motivation for you guys? You finished third in the Big East and now playing the final.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I'm still not listening to it.

KEVIN WILLARD: He's lying. These guys listen to the worst music. They don't listen to me. They don't listen to -- they listen to momma 1 and momma 2. That's who they listen to. That's it for me.

THE MODERATOR: Seton Hall, thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2016

Khadeen Carrington

Isaiah Whitehead

Kevin Willard