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

March 19, 2016

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by our student-athletes from Oklahoma, Buddy Hield and Jordan Woodard.

Q. Buddy, this is your last game in Oklahoma, and coming from a place that's so different from here and making all the memories that you've made here, what does it mean to you to come here and have played at Oklahoma?
BUDDY HIELD: It means a lot. Being given the opportunity to come over here and fulfill my dreams and play at a high level, coached at a high level. So I've been around a lot of great people, lot of fans, lot of people that accept me as family around here. Oklahoma will always be my second home.

Q. Buddy, you had a half court shot that almost went in. What did you think when you saw the one from Northern Iowa that did go in?
BUDDY HIELD: I said I wish I had 2.7 seconds. I had 1.8. I needed the 0.9 seconds. I wish I had that extra time.

Q. You see all these upsets going on in this tournament, all these top seeds like you guys going down to these smaller schools. What kind of pressure does that put on you guys being one of these top seeds and knowing that you're facing these opponents who are living for this moment and playing kind of fearless to try to topple you guys?
BUDDY HIELD: Just you can't worry about what happens. I feel like watching those games helped us to not slip up and helped us to stay focused and locked in in every possession. We have to come out and compete. The team, it's not really an upset. They're playing in a good conference. Everybody knows VCU as being a team that's always been physical. So we're coming in tomorrow expecting to win, so I'm sure they're doing the same thing too.

JORDAN WOODARD: Basically what Buddy said, you've just got to come ready to play and make sure your team is focused. You're going to get everybody's best shot, and we've got to be prepared to deliver our best shot.

Q. What does VCU do that could give you some trouble? You can both answer in your own words.
JORDAN WOODARD: They're a real aggressive team. Their style of play, they've been playing that way for a long time, but we've just got to make sure we stay on our game plan and don't let them throw us off our rhythm because I feel like if we just stick to our game plan and execute, we'll be fine.

BUDDY HIELD: Yeah, VCU's a tough team. They kind of trap in the half court, but are solid -- they trap in the back court, but are solid in the half court. So we just need to match their intensity and aggressiveness and make strong plays and just make shots and get after them.

Q. How important will your three-point shooting be, especially if they prioritize trying to take that away from you? How can you counteract that?
BUDDY HIELD: I think it's hard to take away the three-point shot from us. We're going to shoot regardless if their hands are in our face or not. I think we're going to do that tomorrow night. We're just going to take good shots and take good offense.

Q. In terms of Big 12 opponents, you think about teams that would like to pressure you, and, as Buddy said, trap in both half and full court. West Virginia comes to mind. Do these guys resemble West Virginia defensively from what you've seen?
JORDAN WOODARD: Yeah, they're a really aggressive team, kind of like West Virginia in the way that they trap. They gamble a lot, trying to create chaos in the back court and the full court really. They press up, kind of like West Virginia.

So like Buddy said, you've got to make strong plays and not let them dictate the game by forcing turnovers.

Q. Buddy, could you compare as well?
BUDDY HIELD: Yeah, sure. They're really aggressive in the back court. In the half court, they're aggressive but they won't trap you as much. We've just got to find a way to make plays and strong plays and stay aggressive and find an open man.

Q. How much does it help the fact that yesterday the game was tied? You had a couple moments, 69-65, and I think you had an 8-0 run. You hit a big three, Jordan. Buddy, you hit one. How much in plays like that can they build on toward the tournament when things are definitely going to get tight? Does that help you?
JORDAN WOODARD: Yeah, I feel like those plays, they help us. I feel like we have a really experienced team when it comes to tournament play, so we've got to use that to our advantage. Just having a close game like that, I feel like we can use it to our advantage because we have to really focus and get stops and execute plays in a late-game situation.

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Coach Lon Kruger. Coach, your thoughts about yesterday and today?

COACH KRUGER: Anytime you can be here today is a good start. Tournament games are hard to win, as evidenced by the last couple days. Lot of good teams aren't playing today and I told our guys that, to appreciate the opportunity and not take anything for granted and enjoy it.

Enjoy it and prepare to play a really good VCU club tomorrow. Really impressed by what they do on both ends of the floor. Lot of good players, lot of depth. Coach -- you know, Will has done a great job there, and our guys respect that. The tape we've seen so far on them, that our guys have seen, it gets their attention pretty easily. They know we have a tough challenge and we'll have to play well to have a chance to win tomorrow.

Q. Coach, VCU's a team that really kind of gets up into you defensively. What do you see out of them on the defensive end of the court?
COACH KRUGER: They do that very well. They dictate defensively. They randomly will trap. They'll play a little three-quarter, mix in a little zone. From what we've seen, they do all of that well. They've got guys that are tough and challenge the ball and get into you. Our guys will have to be strong with the ball and move the ball and set good screens and do all the little things you have to to execute things well.

Q. You've made a career out of building programs up to a higher level. As someone who has done that, looking at what VCU has done over the years, what impresses you most about what they've done in building their program over the last six, seven years?
COACH KRUGER: It appears they've got a culture that players have bought in. The identity of their program is solid in terms of hard-working, tough defensively, attacking offensively. I think they've got things in place where players are proud of what they're doing. The success they've had indicates that they have done it well. It's something they can recruit to.

I think you always want to have that consistency one year to the next regardless of who is there, that you're playing a certain way that others appreciate what you're doing and the effort that players are putting forth. VCU clubs over the years and this year for sure have done that. They play extremely hard and are well organized and get after you on both ends.

Q. What do you see are some things you've got to do against VCU tomorrow? It's basically a home game for you, but they kind of relish things like playing that underdog role they have in the past. What do you have to do tomorrow?
COACH KRUGER: Have to be strong with the ball. Have to be attacking. Have to finish at the rim. Have to do a good job of getting the ball out of our hands and making plays for each other.

Defensively they've got a lot of weapons, so you've got to cover the ball on the perimeter. A lot of different guys that can shoot the ball well and the big guys inside are very effective in establishing low post position.

Again, like with any good club, VCU is a really good club. You've got to do a lot of things well on both ends of the floor.

Q. Is their pressing style similar to West Virginia when you've faced them? Are there similarities?
COACH KRUGER: Any press there are similarities. Different in that they seem to be a little more zone oriented initially and trap randomly, where West Virginia may be a little more man on the ball initially and then trapping randomly. So similar, of course, because they're both pressing, but different in that base starting point. But both effective. Both very good. Both tough.

Again, you have to be strong with the ball. Receivers have to be available. Have to get it out of your hands. Have to meet passes and all the things that you have to do against pressure teams.

Q. You mentioned in your opening all these upsets that we've seen in this tournament, all your tournament experience. How much of a challenge is it going against some of these lower seeded teams that are able to play a little bit more reckless, little more loose and avoiding those upsets? Also, does it get any different past the first round? Is it easier to combat some of that as you move through the tournament?
COACH KRUGER: I don't think people -- maybe this year more than others even, that the seeding number doesn't really mean as much it seems like this year, because there is so much balance and so many good teams. I don't think -- our players don't think about the seeding of VCU or ourselves as much as recognizing VCU is a really good ballclub. And just like the teams, I think they're a club that line up and play in the Big 12 just like the other seven or eight that are in the tournament. So, no, our guys have total respect for VCU and they certainly aren't thinking about them being the lower seeded team at all. That doesn't enter our minds.

Q. At times in yesterday's game, Cal State looked like they had you guys just a little bit out of rhythm at times. You had said after the game that the performance level was not what you would like it to have been and that you need to figure it out before tomorrow. Have you identified exactly what it is that you need to figure out and what they did?
COACH KRUGER: I thought Cal State Bakersfield did a good job of disrupting us a little bit, knocking us out of rhythm. Even though we didn't turn it over that much against their pressure, we didn't attack effectively against their pressure either. I thought they knocked us on our heels a little bit with regard to getting into a flow.

I thought our receivers could do a better job with spacing yesterday, getting the ball -- oftentimes when you look at people who are getting pressed, you look at the guy with the ball and point the finger at him. But oftentimes it's the receivers not being where they need to be or spacing the floor appropriately. I thought we had a little problem with that early on. Did a little better job in the second half with it. But hopefully that will carry over to tomorrow.

Q. That said, all that, that you have to do better and you've also been over what VCU does well, what is your biggest concern going into tomorrow? Is it what VCU does scouting? Making sure you have all the Xs and Os crossed? Or is it your own team, your own needs?
COACH KRUGER: Really at this point I don't think many games are about the Xs and Os as much as making plays and instinctively reacting to each other, spontaneous decisions, getting loose balls, finishing opportunities at the rim, taking advantage when you have an advantage to finish.

You watch games on TV, there are so many. You miss a lay-up here and it results in a three there. All of a sudden there is a five-point swing. I think just being more efficient, being more attentive to finishing an opportunity when you have it.

VCU blocks a lot of shots around the rims, so you have to pump fake. You have to be strong. You have to do a good job of finishing a play, then getting back and getting loose balls, 50-50 balls. All those things are important always. VCU does a great job with that. So we've got to match them in those areas.

Q. A little funnier question here. Will Wade was asked about being one of the youngest coaches in D-I and having that youthful appearance. He actually joked that he was mistaken for a player on the team by his bus driver. Have you ever been mistaken for a player on your team or anyone else for that matter connected with the team?
COACH KRUGER: Not recently, that's for sure. Maybe 40 years ago, I don't know. But, no. Will does such a good job. You don't think about him being a young coach. You think about him being a very good coach when you watch his teams play. I can see that happening. Not that I remember those days. But, no, he's done a great job. A great job.

Q. Ryan's kind of struggled at the free-throw line. Looked like he lost a little confidence. Is that something you talk to him about or let him work through it himself because he's a senior? How do you handle that?
COACH KRUGER: We talk to him about it. It's a confidence thing. He's lost a little rhythm up there and it's a matter of trusting your routine, stepping up there, getting a good base. Rhythm is easier said than done. When it's confidence related, that's a tough thing to work through sometimes. But, yeah, we address it square on and encourage him to step up there and want to be there and knock down that first one and string up a few.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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