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NCAA MEN'S FIRST FOUR: DAYTON

March 15, 2016

Dayton, Ohio

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Holy Cross student-athletes Robert Champion and Malachi Alexander.

Q. Malachi, what does it feel like to be out here?
MALACHI ALEXANDER: It feels great. I think the team is over, you know, the whole excitement behind, you know, figuring out who we play, like the selection and all of that. And I think we're ready to get focused on, you know, get a good practice in today and focus on Southern and take care of business while we're out here.

Q. Malachi, considering where you guys came from during the season and the run you went on, can you think of anything in your career or in your life for that matter that's more surprising?
MALACHI ALEXANDER: Not really. I mean, the fact that we were able to do it wasn't surprising. It was just really gratifying to see the way we came together at the end of the season, just because it was so rough during our regular season. And our guys really came together well and gained a lot of confidence as we made our run through the playoffs. And it's really gratifying to be where we are now.

Q. Rob, what have you learned about Southern and what will be the keys to beat them tomorrow night?
ROBERT CHAMPION: Well, you know, they're a good team. I mean, everyone this year is obviously a good team, a team that, in their case, won their conference. They have over 20 wins and anytime a team is over 20 wins you know they can play. And we went over their personnel yesterday. They've got experienced guards, guys that can really score the ball. But I think that throughout our run we've been focusing more on us and what we have to do to be successful. So obviously we're going to go through some of Southern's stuff and things that they do and players and things like that. But I think as long as we keep focusing on what we need to do to win the game, then we'll be all right.

Q. If you'd both respond to this. Given your regular season record and what you had to do to get to the tournament, how does that affect how you prepare for this game? Do you come in with a chip on your shoulder or what to try to prove that you belong here?
ROBERT CHAMPION: Yeah, you know, I think that there's some type of chip on our shoulder, kind of show we proved that we should be here. We definitely think we should be here. I don't think our record is very reflective of how our season's went. We lost a lot of close games especially towards the end of the year. And we could kind of see, if we changed a few things here, a few things there, we could turn some of those losses into wins. And that's what we're able to do. So I think there is some type of chip on our shoulder. And obviously we just want to keep playing. We're going to do whatever it takes to keep that going.

MALACHI ALEXANDER: Yeah, I would go along with what Rob said. We can't get away from what got us to this point. I think we were always playing with a chip on our shoulder, because teams would look down on us as like we didn't deserve to be playing in the game. And even our play-in game in our own league tournament, you know, we were the underdogs going into that. So I think we've stuck with that, and it adds a sort of toughness to our team that I think will easily translate over.

Q. Robert, you mentioned, well, we needed to change a few things here and there. What were those things that you needed to change, because it's a dramatic turnaround?
ROBERT CHAMPION: Yeah, changing our defense was key for us. Going to the 1-3-1 helped us out a lot. And we tried to do some things with it earlier in the year and weren't very successful with it. And I think it just goes to just playing harder and then trusting it a little bit more I think during the regular season when it wasn't really working for us. Some sides wouldn't trust it or trying to do a little too much when we just had to trust our teammates that our slides would work and that the defense would take care of itself. And I think the other thing that was key for it was finishing everything with a rebound. I think during the regular season we struggled to rebound out of the 1-3-1, and I think over this past run we've done a lot better job of limiting teams to one possession, which I think is also going to be very key in the Southern game.

Q. What was Sunday night and Monday morning like on campus, after the announcement, when it was official before you left for Dayton?
ROBERT CHAMPION: Yeah, it was -- I mean, it was a lot of fun. This whole week has been fun around campus, everyone was coming and talking to you and supporting you, and not just around campus but the city of Worcester has been great to us too. The selection party was great. We had a lot of fans come out and be with us, and we're happy to be able to share that with them. And I think it's just great overall for Holy Cross and the school and just kind of show everybody what we're about.

MALACHI ALEXANDER: I would say the same thing. It's been crazy. It's just been a dream last Sunday night, going to Monday morning. It's all pretty much been like a fantasy, just because you envision that growing up, and like I said earlier, I'm just very grateful. I know everyone else on the team is as well to be in this position.

Q. Malachi, what can you say about Karl Charles and the way he's contributed this season?
MALACHI ALEXANDER: He's been huge for us. The way he's been able to come in and make an immediate impact, a huge impact as a freshman is pretty remarkable. Even our playoff run, he's been very big for us. And I have no doubt he'll show up tomorrow for us.

Q. Malachi, was there ever a point during the season when things weren't going well but you showed signs that maybe we're not this bad -- we are better than this? Was there a sign that then showed itself in the tournament?
MALACHI ALEXANDER: For sure. There was plenty of signs, even in the regular season when we were taking losses, we would just have bad starts to our games. But we were always able to fight back and make the game competitive. And we knew if we could put that fight together for 40 minutes we would stand a chance. And then like Rob said towards the end of the season, we were able to start putting runs together again, rebounds and key possessions. And then when we made our run, we just played hard for 40 minutes and we trusted ourselves, trusted our teammates and that's what you saw -- I think we just came together as a team at the right time.

Q. Do you dare look ahead to see how fun that would be to play a top-ranked team after this point? Would you even allow yourself to do that?
MALACHI ALEXANDER: It's definitely in the back of our heads. But our sole focus is Southern right now and tomorrow's game but you can't help but think about playing the 1 seed and how huge that would be for us. So it's in the back of our minds. But our focus is Southern.

ROBERT CHAMPION: The same as Malachi. You know, I think part of the reason why we did so well in the tournament is we didn't -- in the Patriot League tournament, we didn't look forward to the next game. We focused on the game that was playing. And we knew going into the Army game if we win we have a chance to play in the championship against Lehigh. And so obviously every time we play a game you know the next game's in the back of your mind, but I think we've done a great job of focusing on the game at hand, and I think that's what we'll do for Southern, too.

Q. After your practice today, what's your plan for the rest of today and tonight? Any pre-game ritual, any more studying of Southern, what are you thinking?
ROBERT CHAMPION: Well, we are focusing right now on our practice today and taking it one step at a time. We're going to go back and I'm sure relax, watch the games, the two games tonight. We're looking forward to doing that, kind of seeing what the crowd's going to be like and just the environment. But personally I don't have any pre-game rituals or anything. I'm not sure if anybody else on the team does, but I think we'll just kind of keep doing what we've been doing throughout the tournament, the Patriot League tournament for this one, too.

MALACHI ALEXANDER: The same. I think it's important that the team just relaxes and enjoys watching the games today and just staying off our feet, to make sure we're ready for tomorrow.

Q. Malachi, you were player of the tournament. Is that the best run of games you've ever had?
MALACHI ALEXANDER: Yeah, yeah, I would say so. I think that I would give a lot of credit to my teammates just because they gave me a lot of confidence going into the playoffs. And when I had that big game against Loyola, you know, they continued to tell me, you know, keep shooting the ball, stay aggressive. And I just tried to do that for them throughout the rest of the playoff run. So, yeah, I would say it's probably my best stretch of games.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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