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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: ST. LOUIS

March 18, 2016

St. Louis, Missouri

Wisconsin - 47, Pittsburgh - 43

THE MODERATOR: The Wisconsin Badgers are with us, coach Greg Gard and student-athletes Ethan Happ and Vitto Brown. Coach, an opening statement.

GREG GARD: Extremely happy for our guys from the standpoint of, as I told them after the game, I wasn't sure five months ago that if we could have counted on our defense to win a game. But this game obviously came down to being able to get stops defensively when offensively the gears were grinding, and we were having a hard time putting the ball in the basket. To be able to lock down and really play defensively as well as we played in a long time.

And then get on the glass the second half was the two reasons, I think, we won this game, to be able to get to the free-throw line, control the glass most of the second half, get to the offensive glass, and then to be able to turn the points-in-the-paint tie from the first half to the second half. The defensive job is obvious when you look at numbers that Vitto did here on Michael Young as well as other guys, and the job we did on Artis, two terrific players that the more and more film I watched, I was a little nervous about our defense. But obviously these guys have done a phenomenal job. I'm extremely proud how they worked and battled and keep finding a way, and that's obviously this time of year you find a way to get things done and move on to what's next.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Coach, what did you think of Ethan's debut performance in the NCAA Tournament?
GREG GARD: Well, I'll be able to find things on film that he can work on. He asked me if he could still keep the two plays I put in for him. But I thought he really got us going in the second half. We tried to get some things going to the rim. We wanted to get a lot of paint touches. We needed to get to the free-throw line. That's how this team has kind of grown in its identity through the year, of really playing in the paint and growing and maturing there. And obviously he's one that's grown up a lot throughout the year.

But for him to step on to this stage and do what he did and produce and help us, help his team get this victory is obviously important for his growth, but more importantly, it's great for our team.

Q. Vitto, could you describe, please, the 3-pointer with a couple of minutes to go off that offensive rebound and just how big of a shot that was? And then for Greg, just how often were you able to get what you wanted offensively regardless of the missed shots?
VITTO BROWN: First off, to be able to keep the ball alive, that was the biggest thing. And we knew at that moment of the game we had to make them pay for every mistake that they make. So it was an open shot. I was ten toes to the rim, so I was just ready to shoot it. I think from then on that helped us with our momentum and we were able to get another stop in the next play.

GREG GARD: Well, I thought, for the most part the shot quality was pretty good. I will go through the film tonight and evaluate and grade every shot, but I thought for the most part we got pretty good looks. There was several times, and I won't go through them individually, but we had a chance to finish around the rim. We had perimeter players get there on dribble drives. We were able to touch the post whether it was off a cut or a direct post feed that we didn't finish and complete plays inside. And that's an any that this team has tried to grow through and mature as the years gone on.

We were able to make enough. Obviously the 3-point play there at the end that Ethan had was a big one, to be able to finish that play. But this is an area that this group has tried to grow in, in terms of finishing inside. But I think for the most part I thought the shots we took were decent. And the 3s for the most part were wide open with -- I thought we had a little jump-shot happy early. I thought early we didn't touch the post enough as they ran out to the 12-3 lead or so, but I thought as the game settled in a little bit we got better at touching the post and we went back to a few more set calls to make sure the ball went in and then played inside out. And obviously still have to make enough shots to get things done. But the quality, I think, I'm pretty satisfied with.

Q. I have a little bit of a different question for each one of you. Ethan, you came into the team this year and no one really knew who you were, yet you led us tonight with 15 points and really did what you had to do when it mattered. What has it been like to really have gotten such a huge role on this team so quickly? And to Greg, what has it been like watching Ethan develop as quickly as he has? And then to Vitto, can you teach Ethan to shoot the 3-pointer, please?
ETHAN HAPP: I mean, I gotta credit my teammates for helping me along the process of the season. I've had good games. I've had bad games. And they've told me not to get too high or too low and coach has echoed that to me as well. In the second half of the season, Coach started kind of making it a point to get me the ball a little bit more and that helped me take another step up the ladder that I needed to. And I think those are two of the biggest things.

GREG GARD: Well, I think as he said, he's matured as the year's gone on. I think he's figured some things out. And he's going through the typical pattern that a freshman does. There's games when he looks like a junior or senior, and there's games when he looks like a freshman. So sometimes it's within the four-minute between media timeouts, he changes back and forth.

But I think he's become much more consistent. Probably since our Nebraska game at home, I think, is where I really noticed him turn the corner in terms of becoming more consistent. And he didn't play well in that game. But he was able to rebound from that. And since then I've seen more of a consistent demeanor with him. He doesn't get frustrated as quickly and as easily as he did earlier in the year. And like I said it's not anything that I haven't seen any other freshman go through. But the big thing for him was to stick to it and not deviate from the plan and process. And he's done a good job of that.

VITTO BROWN: We plan on making him shoot threes this summer. We're going to keep working with him. He's going to help me on the inside and I can help him with his shot. We're rooming together all the time, so we'll work on it.

Q. Vitto, great game tonight. Obviously you like did very well on defense keeping the guys like to low scoring, tough shots. Offensively you also stepped up, one of the best percentages shooting tonight. Would you consider this one of your best overall games this year, and how has like the previous experience in the tournament helped you with that?
VITTO BROWN: Yeah, I don't look at it as an individual performance. I think it was a team effort all the way through, whether or not it was guys squeezing off other guys helping me on the inside or just boxing out, because I wasn't always boxing out like I should. They really picked up for me in that way. But, yeah, last year definitely helps. I played a few seconds here and there, but I still got to know what it was like. I've got to know how hard teams do go and it was no different this game.

Q. Ethan and Greg, in a game where points were at such a premium, to see Vitto hit a couple of the big 3-pointers like he did. Ethan, from your perspective what was it like to see one of your teammates hit a big shot like that? Greg, from your perspective as a coach, what was that like?
ETHAN HAPP: Vitto is my brother. We've been rooming together for two years now. I was so proud of him. I mean, like he's been my older brother since I stepped on campus, and to see him hit those big shots when we run down the court, I was giving him a high-five. I was really happy for him.

GREG GARD: I think anytime you can get a boost like that, and again to be able to score off an offensive rebound whether it was getting fouled off the offensive rebound, like we did late with Nigel, or finding open 3-point shooters, anytime you can see the ball go in it's always good for the confidence. And good for the soul. So obviously to be able to get enough of them to go in, I think we were a little bit offensively the second half. We were very good defensively both halves. It's always a welcome sign.

And obviously Vitto how he's grown and matured. We talked about Ethan's growth and maturity but how far this kid has come from a year ago when he came into the game to give Frank Kaminsky a cup of water and then he was right back out before -- right, Vitto? So for his, what he's been able to contribute and help this team grow this year is obviously a huge compliment to him.

Q. This will be a good segue, because Vitto you said yesterday I asked you how many meaningful minutes you played during the tournament. You said meaningful? None. And Ethan you were redshirting. I wonder what your coach, what his role is, what the bond was like last year to keep you guys up and feeling a part of the whole thing, which of course you were, but behind the scenes. And to help him get his first NCAA Tournament win now, how special is that part of it that you kind of, a milestone for him?
VITTO BROWN: Yeah, like you said, it's easy to get discouraged when you're not playing and I know he was redshirting, and that was tough for him. But in the same token, what's most important is the team's victory. And whether or not it's meaningful minutes or seconds, it's a purpose why we went out there. And whether or not it was to give Frank a cup of water, that's what he needed, so that's what the team needed, and we're fine with that. We also knew that our time would come for this and we would be counted on some day. So we never got down on ourselves about that.

ETHAN HAPP: On getting Coach Gard his first NCAA win, it's easy to play for a guy like that who, I tell my friends and family how much time he puts in watching film other teams, not only that, but practice film of us, and when a guy cares that much, it's easy to play hard for him.

Q. Crazy things happen. That's why it's called March Madness as you saw with Michigan State. Is tonight's game just kind of a perfect example of it's just about advancing, moving on. Sometimes it doesn't matter how great you play it's just about getting that win, right?
VITTO BROWN: Yeah, like you said, it's not always going to be pretty. And we saw our fellow Big Ten brother get knocked out today. I think that was good for us to see in the sense that we know anything is possible, like you said. Any team can beat any team. So we definitely went out there knowing that Pittsburgh was going to come at us real hard. And we did a good job of counteracting that.

Q. Ethan, I know this was your 35th game of the season but your first of the NCAA Tournament. Were you playing through any nerves at all tonight?
ETHAN HAPP: Yeah, there was definitely, I mean, I've been waiting to do this since I was a little kid. So anytime you get to accomplish a goal, a dream you've had, you're going to be a little nervous in it. It just lasted a few possessions. I was a little too excited and I think once we had that first media timeout after, like, six, seven minutes in, I think that's when I started kind of settling down a little bit.

Q. Greg, after Ethan hit that first free throw, were you guys debating whether to have him miss the next one intentionally and how did that sequence play out?
GREG GARD: Yes, we were. But then we decided, told him to go make it. But then he missed it. But then we got the offensive rebound. So, hey, it worked out great. Missed it, ran off more time and he got the ball back and went back to the free-throw line. Just how we drew it up. Yeah, we were debating it on it, and we decided we were going to go ahead and let him make it and then play it out from there.

Q. What did you think of the crowd that was here tonight? Badger fans always travel well but tonight seemed like they were getting behind you a lot?
VITTO BROWN: I looked in the pregame and it was kind of sparse out there. So I wasn't sure. And then all of a sudden we were making that run back in the second half. I was, like, when did all these people get here? It's crazy. It felt like we were really at the Kohl Center, and I think that was a big part of our success tonight.

ETHAN HAPP: I think, first of all, thank you to the fans that came out, because that was -- it was like a home game. I mean, because there weren't as many Pitt fans for sure. And whenever we were making a run, you can feel the energy and feed off of it.

Q. Coach, I saw you before the game, you definitely had your game face on. How different was this experience for you now as the head coach, we talked about before we left Madison, but how different was it and how good does it feel to get that first victory?
GREG GARD: It was definitely different. I probably had the same pregame nervousness as Ethan did. It's my first lap through this, too. So, once we got going, you know, it really probably hit me yesterday when we came for our open shootaround, like holy smokes, you're the guy that has to walk around and change all the drills and do that and do all the interviews. Then this morning, too, when we came for our shootaround. So when you caught me I was probably doing my nervous pace, collecting my thoughts before I went to talk to the team. But these guys have made this transition as easy as anything could be in terms of how they've responded, how they've worked. They've answered challenges for the most part that we've thrown on the table for them throughout the years. But it's an exciting time. There would be something wrong with me if I wasn't a little giddy and wound a little tight before the game. So it's an exciting time of the year. It's what these guys work for. They put a lot of time hopefully to be in this position and you always want to seize the opportunity, and these guys did a terrific job of that tonight.

Q. Ethan, you were visibly frustrated after the Nebraska game saying you didn't do what the coaches wanted you to. Would you say that you did what they wanted you to do tonight?
ETHAN HAPP: I mean, in the grand scheme of things, yeah, I didn't shy away from contact, but I know going through film and watching the game there's going to be a good amount of mistakes by me. I'm sure we'll watch that a few times. But I think from what Coach told me to do from the Nebraska game, I think I applied those in the game a little bit more.

Q. Ethan, you had 15 points, 12 in the second half. But you also had nine rebounds and some big defensive rebounds. You had three dimes, some big ones to set up Vitto. How happy are you that you were able to contribute in so many different ways in this win?
ETHAN HAPP: I mean, it's nice to hear those numbers, I guess, but at the end of the day you're just playing the game and doing anything you can to help your team win. I could score zero points and have zero assists and if our team still wins, I'm still at the same level of happiness.

Q. Greg, have you heard from Bo, and did you before the game and have you since?
GREG GARD: I haven't checked my phone yet, I've been doing all the media requirements. So I haven't had chance to check my phone. But before, yeah, he said good luck, all those types of things. I'm sure he's watching or would be watching. But I haven't got to my cell phone yet since after the game.

Q. Coach, you guys only shot 25-percent in the first half, which is pretty below par for you guys. Did you have to say anything to the guys to keep them focused and keep them going at halftime or did they take it upon themselves to really buckle down and go back after the second half ready to play?
GREG GARD: Well, all we talked about that as long as we were getting good looks and the quality of the shot was good, the ball was going to go in. The biggest thing we talked about at halftime, there were points and times in that first half I didn't think we matched their physicality. That's what we talked about four days since Selection Sunday how physical this game was going to be. Every time we've played Pitt it's been a very similar type of game. The scores fluctuated a little bit in the years we played them. But it's been a very similar type, 15 feet and in, extremely physical, buckets are hard to come by. So it was just a matter of making sure we continued to be solid defensively. But we needed to win more physical battles. I thought that's where we were much better tonight than we were a week ago in the Big Ten Tournament. We battled better tonight and we were on the floor more tonight. We were more physical in the paint, and that ended up being the difference between what we did on the glass and then what we were able to do defensively.

Q. Vitto and Ethan, if you could describe maybe in just one word what your emotions were once Nigel hit the second free throw to ice the game, what would you say?
VITTO BROWN: Ecstatic. That's why my voice is a little bit gone because I was yelling so hard, harder than I had all season when he got that rebound.

ETHAN HAPP: It's going to be weird because I was nervous because I wasn't aware we were up by four. I thought we were only up by three. So it wasn't like selfish, like trying to get a steal at the end there. I was just trying to stop them from making a game-tying full court shot.

Q. Ethan, you said you had the nerves at the beginning of the game. The second half, did you really feel things click and start to get going for you at the beginning there?
ETHAN HAPP: Yeah. Obviously Coach did a good job of calling up some plays for me, and my teammates got a ball into me. Anytime you have confidence from your teammates and your coaches, the only thing left for you to do is to put the ball in the hoop. So it was kind of a shaky start for me, but then things started to flow in the second half.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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