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

March 20, 2016

St. Louis, Missouri

Syracuse - 75, Middle Tennessee State - 50

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis and student-athletes Darnell Harris and Jaqawn Raymond. Coach, some opening comments.

KERMIT DAVIS: My hat's off to Syracuse. Jim's team played terrific today. We came out sluggish. We weren't physical, weren't mentally alert, ready to go. We got it back just with some physical plays in the first half.

In the second half, kind of got the crowd back in it and they took over. Their length bothered us around the goal. We couldn't get anything in there. And I just thought their perimeter players are absolutely terrific in the open floor.

Our team will not be remembered by this. I told these guys they've got a firm legacy and history of our school and history of this tournament, and that's what we'll be judged on.

Q. Kermit or Jaqawn, how much did it hurt you guys when he got his fourth foul and how did that impact the offense?
JAQAWN RAYMOND: To me, I think that was a turning point in the game because we really didn't have a true point guard in the game. And me getting the fourth foul, I was kind of mad at myself more than anything because I knew I wanted to be in there fighting for my team and to go down the way we did. But I can't control what the refs call.

KERMIT DAVIS: Yeah, I thought it was critical. We've had Jaqawn ad he has really been kind of the rock of our team the last couple of weeks. The loss of Jacob Ivory, our point guard. And it did, it hurt us. I thought it hurt the flow. I don't think it determined the outcome because Syracuse was so good today. But it did. It was a big foul for us.

Q. Darnell and Jaqawn, how different is that zone in person versus what you saw on film preparing for this game?
DARNELL HARRIS: We knew the zone was good but playing live out there against it, they do a good job denying the wings, playing up on the wings. They play the middle. Their wings are long. Their bigs are athletic. It's like we just couldn't score over their length and we couldn't make shots, so it bothered us a lot today.

JAQAWN RAYMOND: As for their zone, we really just set up for a lot of outside shots early in the game and their zone really bothered us getting the ball from the wing to the corner because most of our plays go from wing to corner. So we tried our best to get balls to the high post and protect the rim, but their length really bothered us tonight.

Q. Kermit, it seemed like Tyler Lydon was the guy who most regularly was the toughest matchup for you guys especially on switches. What was he doing to be effective against you?
KERMIT DAVIS: He's a lottery pick in time. He's something. He's something. I saw him in the Bahamas tournament just casually watching Syracuse. He does so many skill levels so high. He looks like he's so young still. You imagine him in three or four years. But he's got skill level. I thought he competed hard today. I mean, he rebounded it and it was just really hard to score over him.

Q. Kermit, same question for you about the zone. You obviously prepared for it. You knew what they were going to do. Were there any wrinkles in there, or is it just a little different when it's --
KERMIT DAVIS: It's just when it's live. And everybody that we talked to, you can tell, you've got to get in the game to really feel it. I mean, you really do. You can try to do it in practice. But you can't, with the length that they have and their out and up, and just their length around the goal. I thought we got the ball in some really good spots around the goal. We just couldn't even get to the foul line. We only got to the foul line eight times and got the ball within 10 feet of the goal. They do a great job with it. They really do. Their concepts are great. And it really is, you've got to beat them in a low-scoring game.

Q. A moment ago you said that your team won't be defined by today, that their legacy in the NCAA Tournament is solidified. What is that legacy?
KERMIT DAVIS: Well, you know, they're just a team that about three weeks ago, had two or three really hard injuries. To kind of go through the conference tournament like we did, and to have the matchup and be that big of an underdog against Michigan State, I think that will be the legacy. That was a great thrill. It was great for our university. It was great for our players. We're going to forget this one really, really quick and move on.

Q. After the handshake line, you came around and had quite a talk there with Jim Boeheim, what was said in that conversation?
KERMIT DAVIS: Jim Boeheim, he's a guy that I've admired for a long, long time. He just talked about us and our run. He had some great compliments about our team and how we've played. I just wished him the best of luck in the tournament.

Q. Kermit, we talked before the game about what another week might do for this program. But as you said you've got this win Friday. What do you think this sets you up for moving forward?
KERMIT DAVIS: You know, the end of the year, I think it will help in recruiting. It will help assure our fan base, help with ticket sales next year. I think we have a really good team. We're going to miss these three seniors tremendously. But I think we have a good base of players for next year. I think just kind of the brand of Middle Tennessee being out there helps our whole university.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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