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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: OKLAHOMA

March 18, 2016

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Texas A&M-92, Green Bay-65

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by the Texas A&M Aggies, Billy Kennedy and his student-athletes, Danuel House and Tyler Davis. Coach, your thoughts about tonight's game?

COACH KENNEDY: Well, I thought once we settled down and played the way we were capable of playing and controlling the game a little bit offensively, we moved the ball and did a good job of taking care of the ball.

You've got to give Green Bay credit. They play a different style, and it took us a while to adjust. But our leadership and our older guys really settled down, and I thought that was big.

Q. Danuel, you know I have to ask you about the respect card. You played it yesterday a little bit. Do you feel like you earned a little bit back more tonight, and do you feel there is still more respect to be earned going forward?
DANUEL HOUSE: There is still more respect to be earned. People were really upset about that, and it really bothered us. But then at the same time, we knew we just had to stay together as a team, as a unit and focus on the goal that we talked about.

Q. Danuel, would you talk about the early going when they were turning you over quite a bit and what happened to kind of settle things down after that?
DANUEL HOUSE: I think Coach Kennedy came and talked to me and told me to make the right read, that I should drag the ball into the middle of the court so I can see outlets.

Q. Danuel and Tyler, what did it mean when Kyle Dobbins got in the game there in the end and made his play? That seemed to really set you guys off.
DANUEL HOUSE: It was fun every time Kyle gets a chance to play, because he's a walk-on, he's a selfless guy, he's a good teammate. He'll do anything for any one of us, and just to see him get in the game and play the game that he loves so much and represent the university brings a big smile to all of our faces.

Q. Danuel, can you just talk about how it seems like your game has picked up with the more and more you try to drive the ball to the basket?
DANUEL HOUSE: I think I'm taking what the defense is giving me. Everyone probably would quote me as a shooter, but probably feels like I can't drive the ball or dig the ball. So I feel like their pressure a lot, so then I just make the right read and the right play.

Q. The slow start, was that just opening-game jitters? Was there ever -- if you could tell us what maybe the emotion was like in the timeouts, what you all were talking about?
TYLER DAVIS: The emotion was running, especially mine. But I have Danuel and Tonny and a lot of the older guys just telling me to stay poised and keep my head. Like Coach Kennedy said, we just had to slow the game down a little bit and we did a great job of that.

Q. Can you talk about how you were able to really slow down their two stars, their two guys that were all-conference players, Fouse and Love?
TYLER DAVIS: I think it all starts with preparation and it's something our coaches do a great job of. Just getting us prepped all week with film and scouting reports, and us executing on the court, communicating and just playing hard.

Q. For both of you guys, how fun would it be to play Texas on Sunday?
DANUEL HOUSE: We're not going to get into that. We're just going to sit back and watch the game and enjoy this.

TYLER DAVIS: Well, we'll be prepared for whoever we've got to play. Like Danuel said, we've still got to watch the game first. Whoever we end up playing, we'll be well-prepped for it.

Q. For either of you or both, have you all been aware -- I'm sure you're watching the tournament and some of the big upsets that have occurred. Was there any talk about what's happening in the tournament and any conversation about making sure you all weren't on that list too?
DANUEL HOUSE: I don't think there was any talk. We know you've got to play hard for 40 minutes. So we just talked to each other and said give it your all for one another for 40 minutes, and I think that's what we did.

TYLER DAVIS: Same thing Danuel said. Just got to play hard. Coaches do a great job just reminding us every day it's another game, but the next game is the most important game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Kennedy.

Q. Billy, same question I asked them about getting Kyle Dobbins in the game at a moment like that. Seemed like a big deal to everybody.
COACH KENNEDY: It is a big deal. He epitomizes what Texas A&M is all about, the 12th man, and giving himself for the team, and the values. He represents us the right way. So these guys, you know, there is not a more favored guy. I guess that may not be the right English, my wife will -- anyway. But he's a big key to our team. Our team's got some great players and we've got some great people, and he's a combination of both of that.

Q. I know you weren't as keen yesterday on the respect angle as Danuel was. But do you feel this is the kind of group that feeds off of that, or do they even need that to play as well as they did tonight? And did it help, do you think?
COACH KENNEDY: You know, I don't know. Our mentality, our mantra is pretty much the same, just stay the course. One game at a time, one day at a time, pretty boring. Saw wood and let's move on. Whatever motivates Danuel, if that motivates him, I'm all for it. There is some truth sometimes.

We haven't been good at this level for a couple of years, a few years. We knew coming into the season we had a good team, good seniors. In the publications, there are people who don't recognize us, but we haven't done anything either. So you know, I can understand where he's coming from to some degree. But we've gotten pretty good attention the last couple of weeks.

Q. Coach, can you address how when the bench came in it seemed like you guys started to play more at your pace and got the ball down to Tyler a little bit more?
COACH KENNEDY: Well, that's kind of been the case the last month or so. Sometimes putting another guy in, the ball moves a lot easier. Jalen had four turnovers, I think, the first seven minutes of the game, two fouls. He was going kind of fast.

Again, Wisconsin-Green Bay does that to you. They took away our point guard a little bit. Anthony had a hard time getting the ball, so we had a different guy bringing the ball trying to get us in the offense. They trapped House in the beginning of the game. They did some different things than we're used to seeing at this stage, and that was a big part of it.

Q. It seems like when you guys switched to zone and then also they got in a little foul trouble and couldn't pressure as much that things changed for you.
COACH KENNEDY: Tyler getting the ball and getting the big guy in foul trouble is a big deal. Because that kid's a good player, Kenneth Lowe is a big piece of their team.

Then going zone. I watched a lot of film on them and I thought that our zone, because it's bigger than most, could slow them down a little bit. We tried to go zone, like the third possession of the game and press back to zone, but they got it out so quick they scored on us. But the zone was very effective. And watching them in their league and the conference tournament, nobody played them hardly any zone. So I thought that that could help us and fortunately it did.

Q. What's it mean to you to pick up a win tonight in the NCAA Tournament?
COACH KENNEDY: Well, we've got a good team. We expected to come here and win games. We know how hard it is to win games in this tournament when you see the teams, West Virginia just getting beat, Stephen F. Austin, this tournament's about match-ups, and anybody can beat anybody on a given night if the match-up's the right way. We were fortunate we played a Wisconsin-Green Bay team that liked to get up and down the floor a little bit and we were able to explore some opportunities, especially in the second half, to break the game open.

So we've got to -- we expected to be here last game last year when we lost to Louisiana Tech, and it's come full circle. So now we've got to continue to -- you've got to be good every day, every night because one slip and you're out of here fast.

Q. I couldn't get your players to answer the question, but would you discuss the possibility of playing Texas and what that would mean as a spotlight to the entire state for basketball if you guys were to meet on Sunday evening?
COACH KENNEDY: Well, I think somebody kind of prepped them before they came in here in that situation.

Texas is a good program and a good team. Shaka Smart's done a heck of a job getting them back to the tournament. This team was in the tournament last year, so this is not a surprise by any means from my standpoint.

But Northern Iowa is really good, and this game will be a heck of a game. Whoever we play, we've got to be good.

We know -- because we played Texas a little bit, we know a little bit more about them. Our guys know their guys. So it will be a little more interesting in the state of Texas. But as a coach, I'm just thankful to be playing the next game.

Q. Coach, you just talked about match-ups. You've got to feel pretty good about your team matching up with most other teams because of the diversity that you have and what you can do?
COACH KENNEDY: Yeah, Tonny Trocha-Morelos, I mean, he has been a big-time player for us. When we've won big games, you go back and look at how he's played and he had 15-6, he had handled four assists, he didn't turn it over.

Admon Gilder comes in and he has 11 points. D.J. Hogg. Tavario Miller gave us some good minutes. So we've got some weapons and all of them helped us win, and we'll need them all to continue to win.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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