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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SPOKANEMarch 18, 2016Bill CarmodyRobert ChampionMalachi AlexanderSpokane, Washington Oregon - 91, Holy Cross - 52 THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student-athletes. COACH CARMODY: Thank you. Well, we're all disappointed that we didn't give a better account of ourselves this evening. Oregon had something to do with that. There's a reason why they're a No. 1 seed. We really were not effective offensively and it seemed like we played pretty tight. And then as I told Coach Altman afterwards, it's a very good passing team, and they share the ball very nicely. We really didn't have any answers to stop them. We have been sort of running guys, trying not to allow three-point shots in most of our conference towards -- in the playoffs and it was effective. We told the team, this team, we're more concerned with them driving and penetrating and so we -- you want to close out and contain them, and we weren't able to do that. Maybe it was because we didn't play a certain way now for about three weeks now and when we went out on guys pretty hard, they were able to get into the seems and either score themselves or find guys around the basket. So, we're disappointed. Again, I think that's a very good Oregon team, but we feel like we had a nice run here, and we have something to build on for the future. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Robert, you were high scorer of the game. Talk about what Oregon did and compare their physicality to some of the other teams you recently played. ROBERT CHAMPION: Yeah, we knew they were going to be physical. They got big strong wings. They play kind of a matchup zone that kind of threw us off a little bit. They changed defenses and we struggled to score. A team like that, when you get open looks, you got to knock them down. I think we struggled doing that in the first half and in the second half. But, yeah, Oregon, they're a very physical team. I think you saw that on the rebounds, too. But it's not really like any team we've recently played, I would think, which I think is part of the reason why we struggled with it so much. But they're a No. 1 seed for a reason. Q. Robert, you guys seemed pretty relaxed yesterday. Were you nervous at all when the game started or in the moments leading up to it? ROBERT CHAMPION: I don't think so, no. I think we had confidence going into the game. Maybe somewhere along that line we lost that, but I couldn't tell any difference going out there and playing today or going out and playing Wednesday. So, I don't think it was any nerves or anything like that. We just struggled making shots and struggled rebounding. Q. Malachi, when did you guys feel the game slipping away? MALACHI ALEXANDER: I think it was just gradual throughout the first half. Like we -- they just made us uncomfortable on offense. And then like Coach said, we allowed a lot more paint touches than our past games and that was really key. When you get down by that margin against a team of that caliber, it's just really tough to get back into it. Q. Robert, what have you learned from an experience like this? ROBERT CHAMPION: We learn a lot. It's something that we look forward to building off of. We got the majority of our team coming back next year. So, like we said in the locker room, we need to take a couple weeks off and get back in the gym and keep working. It can only be positive, the stuff that you take away, you learn from the negatives, and you've realized what you've done and what you've accomplished and you move forward and try and do it again. Q. Could you guys just comment on the Champion kid, number 25. Your impressions of his athleticism and whatnot. MALACHI ALEXANDER: Of who? Q. Boucher. MALACHI ALEXANDER: Oh, yeah, he was a huge presence inside for them. He gave our defense fits just because of his length. And I think we had to do a better job of rotating on that back side, but, yeah, he's a good player. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you, gentlemen, we'll dismiss the student-athletes and take questions for coach. Q. Obviously, you had a tough schedule getting in here early Thursday morning. Do you feel that affected your team at all coming in so early? COACH CARMODY: If we lost by seven, and we were dragging I would say that. But, yeah, this is how we have been. We have had a tough travel schedule for about three weeks now, three and a half weeks. So, I wouldn't even think about bringing that up, to tell you the truth. Q. What can you say about Robert's performance not just tonight, but throughout the post-season? COACH CARMODY: Yeah, tonight he was -- he seemed to be the lone confident guy out there to me. Anthony was confident enough, but he was missing shots. But Rob was aggressive which we stressed to the team, but everybody was hesitating out there, and we get the ball inside and fake up three times and then we just didn't come through. I think Robert or Malachi said that they made us feel uncomfortable and they did, but he's been very good. We wouldn't be here, he hit a circus shot to beat Bucknell, and he's played very well. It's -- he's grown throughout the year, as a kid, too. He's sort of taken charge a little bit in telling guys what to do, in a good way. So, it's good as a coach to see that kind of development. Q. Did their athleticism or ability to play above the rim allow them to attack the back side of your zone in ways that you guys hadn't really seen yet? COACH CARMODY: No, the Patriot League doesn't have guys like that. But a lot of guys that can jump and run and they throw the ball up a lot. But these guys, their passing, it was on the money each time. Every single pass was just right. Certainly, the size and the athleticism, but I just thought they were precise the way they went about their business on offense. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you. COACH CARMODY: Okay. Thanks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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