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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: LOUISVILLE


March 25, 2016


Kris Jenkins

Ryan Arcidiacono

Daniel Ochefu

Josh Hart

Jalen Brunson


Louisville, Kentucky

Q. When you were at your heaviest, how much did you weigh?
KRIS JENKINS: Oh, man, I can't disclose that. No. But when I first got to college, I was around 279, 280, basically.

Q. What are you at now?
KRIS JENKINS: I fall between 235 and 240, in between that range.

Q. What does that do for you game?
KRIS JENKINS: It allows me to play with confidence and energy and effort on defense and rebounding on the offensive end. That comes second nature. So just focusing my energy and efforts on defense.

Q. How is it right now for you and Nate, watching each other, talking? Do you talk enough, talk every day?
KRIS JENKINS: Oh, yeah. I talked to him last night and let him know that I'm watching his game tonight, wish him well. It's exciting to see your brother trying to do something special with his team.

Obviously, we're trying to do something special here at Villanova. It's great. Hopefully, we can continue to win and meet up, and it will be something special.

Q. Did you guys talk about this, dream about it together over the years, before you went away to school?
KRIS JENKINS: We talked about it all the time, the opportunity to play against each other, how special it would be to both of us. So it's something that we look forward to.

But we're taking it one game at a time, one step at a time. Right now, we're focused on Kansas. That's our next game, our most important game.

Q. Did you guys share a room or anything like that? Did you have your own?
KRIS JENKINS: No, we had our own rooms.

Q. Kris, how do you get ready for the Kansas team with how balanced they are and kind of how anybody can have a big game on any given day?
KRIS JENKINS: We've got to stay tuned in, stay dialed in, come with high energy, high effort to execute our defensive game plan. Our coaching staff, they do a great job in preparing us. It's up to us to go out and execute it.

Like you said, they're well coached, well balanced. They play extremely hard. They're very talented. So it's going to be a battle. It going to be a street fight. It's something that we're looking forward to that we'll be ready for.

Q. With a guy like Perry Ellis, where do you even start when it comes to trying to stop him or slow him down at least?
KRIS JENKINS: As a team, you can't try to guard him one on one because, as we've seen all year, he's won that battle. So we're going to guard him five guys guarding the basketball. That's how we're going to guard everyone, five guys guarding the basketball.

Q. Kris, it seems like what Golden State is doing in the NBA is impacting the college game in the way teams play. I was curious with your shot last night, how much what Steph Curry's doing with his range, whether that informs what's acceptable in terms of range and how deep you can shoot, if that affects you at all, if you've watched Curry and that kind of played in last night's shot.
KRIS JENKINS: Steph, I love watching Golden State. I love watching good basketball, period, so I love watching Golden State. The only reason I shot that shot last night was because the shot clock was running down, and we didn't want a turnover. Rather a shot than a turnover. I just happened to catch it and I let it go, and it went in. That's the only reason I took the shot, low shot clock.

Q. Have you noticed at all if your range has maybe gotten bigger throughout the season at all?
KRIS JENKINS: I haven't focused on that. I just try to catch to shoot every time, no matter where I am, because I know teams, they fear my jump shot. So I'll try to catch and shoot and then make plays off of that.

Q. Is there a team from the Big East that you played twice this year that reminds you at all of Kansas, or is this something unique and brand new as far as the challenge you're facing tomorrow?
KRIS JENKINS: I think it's -- they're the No. 1 team in the country, the No. 1 overall seed. It's for a reason. They're well coached, they play hard. I think it's going to -- we've played teams in the past that played hard that are well coached, but they're the best at it because they're the number one team in the country.

It's going to be good for us. It's something we're ready for. We're looking forward to it. We'll be ready to go.

Q. Do you think they can throw something at your 3-point -- the Villanova 3-point strategy, the 3-point game that you haven't seen this year or to this point?
KRIS JENKINS: I'm pretty sure they can, but the great thing about our team is that we're just going to make the right play. We're not just guys that can just shoot. We're guys that can make the right basketball play.

Q. Both teams have been No. 1 at various points in the season. Is there any different feeling that comes with that, any burden or pressure when you are No. 1?
KRIS JENKINS: It is more pressure, but we took it one game at a time, one step at a time. We didn't try to focus on being No. 1, because as soon as you lose, you're not No. 1 anymore. So we just tried to remain humble and hungry and stay true to our core values.

Q. Was there something fun about it when you first became No. 1?
KRIS JENKINS: It was pretty cool because it was the first time in school history. But other than that, we were like, you know, next game, we're ready to go.

Q. I don't know how much of a fan you are of other sports. Some people would say this tournament is the greatest event in American sports. If you were going to make that case, how would you defend that? What makes this the best event in American sports?
KRIS JENKINS: Because it's so unpredictable. Anything can happen. It's the best basketball players in college playing against each other. Just how unpredictable it is. It's amazing that if you don't take it one game at a time, you can get beat by anyone. I think that's pretty much what makes it the best, just how unpredictable everything is.

Q. Tell us about yourself, personality. Are you kind of guarded with it? Are you really out there with it?
KRIS JENKINS: I try to be out there with it. Like Coach says, I have a good time when the time is right. But when it's time to get down to business, I'm locked in and focused and ready to go.

I think my teammates, they do a great job and we all do a great job in cutting it on and off, when to get serious and when to enjoy each other's company and have fun.

Q. What went wrong when you lost in the tournament before? Was there kind of a theme to what went wrong? Was there something specific last year? Anything you, as a team, sort of accounted for?
KRIS JENKINS: I just think the teams that we played, they just beat us on that day. I don't think it was anything that we did wrong. Of course, everybody wants to play better when they realize that they lost, and there are things that we could have done better.

But all the credit goes to the teams that we played. They played really well on that day and it was better than us, and it was good enough to beat us.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
JALEN BRUNSON: With Arch, I know scoring is everything. Stats is everything. Just being able to be a good team player, being a good leader. Really makes the most out of everything. He's just done a really good job of just showing me the ropes. And he's that bigger brother feel that I have, and really I've just been there every step this year.

Q. You talk about you know when it's your time to do something. Is that something you've always had, the ability to have that feel for where you fit in and when it's time for you to score, you score, when it's time to do this or --
JALEN BRUNSON: Definitely, I think I learned that from Arch. Arch knows when to score. He knows when some type of play is needed. Like yesterday, he came out and just started (indiscernible) as an offense.

He just knows when things are needed. And he also just taught me about that, saying sometimes you've just got to be ready to score, sometimes you've got to make a play or take a charge defensively. Just be ready to -- be aggressive all the time.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
JALEN BRUNSON: It hasn't been a problem at all. I think it started this year when Ryan went up to Coach, and I think he said, I'll start off at the two if you want me to. Just by the number of position-wise, I'll start at the two.

But I think we both know when Ryan needs the ball. I'll say, Ryan, come get it. Or he'll just come get it or say, You got it this time. Whoever wants the ball, whoever says "I got it," just go from there.

Q. How long did it take to develop that vibe?
JALEN BRUNSON: Since day one. We have the same mentality. We want what's best for the team. So knowing that we both have that, we had no conflicts of who has the ball, who doesn't.

Q. How crucial will guard play be tomorrow?
JALEN BRUNSON: It's going to be very crucial. Their big men are very well coached, very well prepared and so skilled. Their guards, like I said, are play makers. They get in the lane. They make other people better. We've got to be able to stop them or limit them and know that what we do is going to really affect them on offense and affect us on defense.

Q. At what point in this season did it all click for you?
JALEN BRUNSON: I think it's just been clicked. I don't think there's a point in time where I said, all right, this is my breakout game. Now it's time to go for it. I think I've just always had it. I had scoring nights. I had nights I didn't even score. But I know that if I just come out, play defense and help my team rebound, we'll be successful.

Q. I'm going to ask you the same question I asked Kris. You do have a great smile. When you're on the court, you're pretty serious. It's just the way you are.
JALEN BRUNSON: It's the way I've been. I think it just comes from being poised. Like I said, you can't get too high, can't get too low. Having a positive attitude all the time, just knowing that. It's like this is what I want to do. It's business, and you've got to treat it like business.

Q. Knowing when it's time to and when it's time not to?
JALEN BRUNSON: Exactly. You have to know when it's time to have fun, joke around. And us having fun is us grinding, us getting stops on defense, and us really playing for each other.

Q. Your father had one of those stoic faces. Is it something you picked up?
JALEN BRUNSON: I think, yeah, it just got passed down. I don't think I picked up on it.

Q. He's poised too.
JALEN BRUNSON: He still is. He still is. But, I mean, I think it was something that just got passed down. I honestly don't know where I kind of got my poise from or my game face. It's just -- it just came with experience and how I wanted to play.

Q. What's that father-son dynamic been? Has it always been positive?
JALEN BRUNSON: The father-son has always been positive. The father-son part has always been great. I know he loves me all time. He can be a fan sometimes. But the hard part is the coach and the player. I think when I split those two up, when I knew when he's being the coach and when he's being the dad, it made it easier. So I didn't take anything personally when he was coaching me. So it just made the whole process a lot easier.

Q. How long did it take?
JALEN BRUNSON: I think seventh grade is when it really just picked up. I knew that we were outside, we were working outside for like three years straight in the summer. It was hot and it was awful. And I just never took it personally after that.

Q. Your mom's been a big part of it, too, right? She was an athlete. And did she give you a different part of it?
JALEN BRUNSON: She definitely gives me a different part, more of a loving part. Not saying my dad isn't loving, but he's so hard on me.

Q. He's a tough love?
JALEN BRUNSON: He's a tough love. He gets on me all the time. As of recently, he hasn't been as tough as he was in the past because I'm kind of starting to get how to --

Q. Letting go?
JALEN BRUNSON: Not letting go. I think I'm just getting better as we go on. I don't think he's letting anything go. I mean, he's been doing a very good job of knowing when to talk to me, knowing when not to.

Like I think before practice today he said, I'm not going to talk to you too much. I forget what he said, but I know he said, I'm not going to talk to you too much. We'll talk a little bit.

But I think our relationship's just incredible.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
JOSH HART: That was a big turning point for this team. Hopefully, we can continue.

Q. Are you going to send your cousins some Villanova shirts?
JOSH HART: They got a couple. They better be wearing them tomorrow when they come too. If they don't, they might not have any tickets left for them.

Q. (Indiscernible) can you shoot at a 60 percent clip throughout this tournament?
JOSH HART: I think so. That's one thing about the tournament. That's the beauty of the tournament. You have Cinderellas. You have underdogs. You have 15, 16 seeds that can move on. It's not about being the best team. A lot of times it's who's hot. And we're hot right now.

I think we can continue that, but I think the biggest part of that is defense. Our defense fuels our offense. So if we're able to get easy shots, cash in off turnovers, holding the opposing team to not too good of a field goal percentage, I think we can sustain it and make a little bit further of a run.

Q. Is there any element of it that when you see teammates' shots go through the net -- I know personally that can have an effect. Does that happen when your teammates are doing it? Does that rhythm carry over from game to game? Has it the past three games?
JOSH HART: It has. It's great when we get a stop and we come down. Ryan or Kris hits a three. You're just as happy as they are. You get hyped when you make a great defensive play and you're able to get in, get a dunk, get an open shot. To see that go in, it elevates everybody's play. You just get amped so high.

So, obviously, seeing those shots go in is very contagious. Hopefully it will be contagious for three more games.

Q. Josh, when you saw the brackets come out on Selection Sunday and you're paired against the No. 1 overall seed, you guys thought you got a case to be in at least the top two, was there a feeling a little bit of disrespect? I know you guys have tried to play it down a bit. Was there a point where you felt disrespected?
JOSH HART: We never really felt disrespected. We took it as a challenge. If you want to be the best, you have to play the best. They're the best team in the country right now. They're the overall No. 1 seed for a reason. So it wasn't any disrespect. We just looked at it as it's a challenge.

It would be a challenge to get there, to play against them first. And then it will be a challenge to play against them. It will be a street fight. This will be a dogfight.

Q. The way you're shooting, the way you're playing, dominating teams, can you beat anybody?
JOSH HART: I think so. That's something that we can't get complacent in how we're playing now. We have to be humble. We have to be hungry. We have to focus on getting better. That's the biggest thing. If we do that, I think we can beat anybody. But that's the tricky part, getting this deep in the tournament with all the hype around it. It's tough to stay humble. That's something that this team does a great job. Ryan, Daniel, Coach, they do great jobs of keeping us humble, keeping us locked into reality and not the outside world.

Q. What family do you have in Kansas?
JOSH HART: I have three cousins, an aunt, uncle. My grandfather's out there. So they're going to be coming up tomorrow for the game. But they'll be in the Villanova shirts that I gave them.

Q. Josh, I want to ask you about Daniel. He does so many different things that a lot of centers, forwards don't do. Defending guards out on the perimeter. That multifacetedness, how dangerous does that make him out there?
JOSH HART: Very dangerous. To be able to have a five -- I wouldn't even call him a five-man. To be able to have a basketball player at his height be able to make the right play, a lot of times, especially here, it's easy for a big to be frustrated just because a lot of times guards take shots. We have the ball in our hands a lot. It's easy for a big to get frustrated.

That's something he never gets frustrated. He's always focused on this team. He's always focused on making the right play. He's never focused on his individual stats.

It's not like he hasn't got the ball in three or four possessions and he gets the ball and he's like, I have to score. He doesn't get the ball in three or four possessions, he gets the ball, he's focused on: I need to make the right play, whether that's me going to score or getting someone an open shot.

Having someone who can do that, who can pass, who can score in the post, who can pass out the post, who can defend, who can get on the perimeter and defend guards, it gives us the next element offensively and defensively.

Q. He's playing his best now.
JOSH HART: I think so. He's basically -- he went through four years at Villanova, and he basically -- at this point he's basically a graduate. He's basically an O-head. So he's definitely playing his best basketball right now.

Q. Arch sees the game differently than anybody. As his teammate, do you have to be aware of what he's seeing and step ahead with him?
JOSH HART: I think a lot of that contributes to him having such a clear head. A lot of times, guys are coming in thinking I need to score. I need to do that. I need to do that. He comes in thinking I'm just going to do the right thing in every possession I can, and that contributes to him just being so far ahead of the game.

He's so mature. That's just contributed to him having a clear head. We always have to be on our toes. So we always have to be on our toes for him. You know he's going to make the right play. We know if we're open, we're going to get the ball. You definitely have to be on your toes, but it's something you like.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
DANIEL OCHEFU: We play Villanova basketball to the best of our ability, we can win the game. We're not invincible by any means. We go into a game and we're slow, we can definitely get punched in the mouth and be down like in the Seton Hall game in the Big East Tournament.

So starting off games right and letting it be known that we have a lot of confidence in our defense, our offense, and going through the game like that.

Q. You mentioned you expected the team to be shooting like this all season long. Obviously, this kind of run is unsustainable for a whole season --
DANIEL OCHEFU: Steph Curry.

Q. Is it possible to do that for a whole tournament, though?
DANIEL OCHEFU: I don't see why not. It's just the amount of confidence I have in my guys. I see them every day, every morning, every night, in the gym, getting shots that we're going to make. Honestly, I honestly have been thinking, I've been waiting -- we've had two or three games all year, but I thought this was going to be cutthroat for a good part of the season.

Q. So no matter what defense, you're going out there, you're shooting 60 percent every game?
DANIEL OCHEFU: We were hoping we could do that, but we are definitely always banking on our defense to win us games. The fact that we're shooting so well right now is just really just showing that our defense is up to par. We're an extremely tough team to beat.

Q. You're blowing out teams. Are you going to forget how to win a close game if you have to?
DANIEL OCHEFU: Definitely not. I think just because myself and Arch have been in that situation so many times. Josh and Kris have been in the same situations as well. We're definitely not going to forget how to grind out wins and take it to the last minute, last 30 seconds, stuff like that.

Q. Is this the toughest hurdle you guys will face, the toughest team you guys will face?
DANIEL OCHEFU: Most likely. They're the No. 1 team in the country. They're playing great basketball right now. It's the Elite Eight. This is the eight teams left in the tournament. They're the top eight teams in the country. Kansas is No. 1 overall seed for a reason. And it's definitely going to be a battle, definitely going to be a barrier we have to get over.

Q. Do you feel like it did you a little bit of good to jump all over Miami but then they came back and made it a game and you had to re-win the game again? Do you think that was good rather than just blowing them out from start to finish?
DANIEL OCHEFU: Definitely. I think if we had blown them out, we'd be thinking we're shooting well, we're just blowing teams out. We could just be expecting that. But we haven't been expecting that. I think we're doing a good job of when teams go on their run, we just come back, we recollect and recommit to Villanova basketball.

That's one of the biggest things we're doing this tournament, everybody getting on each other. Guys getting on me, me getting on guys, and Coach Wright not having to be in the middle of the huddle dealing with guys. And everyone's responding. No one's getting into their egos or getting down on themselves.

Q. Coach Wright said for a while Villanova had the reputation of being Guard U and it was hard for him to recruit a big man. What convinced you to essentially take a chance coming here, not getting overshadowed by a bunch of guards?
DANIEL OCHEFU: For the record, I think it's Four U now. Just for the record. But just coming here I know I was going to be playing with great guards, and this is -- I think that's a big -- I don't know why. I think it's a big man's dream, playing like guys I have on my previous teams and the team this year.

For me, it was really easy. If you're playing with great guards, it gets you easy shots. I take one or two dribbles and I'm right at the basket and they pass me the ball great. They come off huge ball screens great and they're great defensively as well. I like playing with great guards. It's not going to be any different at the next level either.

Q. You heard him talk about you up there. How do you feel about being kind of the centerpiece that he was talking about to help facilitate everything?
DANIEL OCHEFU: Oh, it feels great. It's just for your coach to have pride and confidence in you is definitely something I take personally. I've been working on that my whole career, just being able to be the guy that no matter what situation, I can be on the floor and Coach Wright can be 100 percent confident in me being out there.

Q. We're doing like a fun story on you guys, asking your roommates what they think about each other. Did talk to your roommate first.
DANIEL OCHEFU: Which one?

Q. Wells.
DANIEL OCHEFU: Okay.

Q. All right. He said -- we're doing pet peeves. Let me hear your pet peeve about him.
DANIEL OCHEFU: I want to hear his first.

Q. May sometimes chew with your mouth open. I don't know.
DANIEL OCHEFU: I don't think so. Pet peeve.

Q. Make it good.
DANIEL OCHEFU: Let me think. I really have no complaints. I get to the room, and I fall asleep. Every time I'm in the hotel room, I'm asleep. He doesn't wake me up because I'm a heavy sleeper.

Q. You're the only one without a complaint.
DANIEL OCHEFU: I'm trying to think. He's not dirty, he's not messy.

Q. Come on, something! Smelly sneakers?
DANIEL OCHEFU: I'm serious. Every time I get in my room, takes me 15 minutes -- unless there's a great game on, it takes me 15, 20 minutes, I'm knocked out.

Q. You're a saint.
DANIEL OCHEFU: I'm serious. I'm trying to think. Yeah, I have nothing.

Q. She called you a saint, but I read someplace your mom wanted you to be a priest. What happened with that?
DANIEL OCHEFU: My mom, I think it was a little wishful thinking on her part. But that's my mom. I love her. I think she still might have that dream in the back of her mind. But I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to break it to her.

Q. Was it ever close?
DANIEL OCHEFU: Not even a little bit. You have to be special to be able to do that.

Q. You talked about the family at Villanova. What made you want to come? She really loved it, too, when you first visited, right?
DANIEL OCHEFU: She did. I mean, even just going off her wanting me to be a priest, Villanova did their homework. They knew my mom was a religious Catholic. When they came, a section of my visit was we met with Father Rob and she sat down, had a conversation with him. She was sold on that because Villanova's number one from there.

Q. How will you celebrate Easter?
DANIEL OCHEFU: I'll definitely be going home, going to church Sunday. My mom's probably going to church Saturday, probably go again Sunday. Hopefully my mom cooks so I'll get some home cooking.

Q. Do you remember destroying the living room?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Yeah, we actually broke my mom's wedding picture. So, yeah, that was over the TV. I remember -- I forget how old I was, but someone blocked a shot. Just completely. The ball went flying across the room. And my parents weren't home, so we hid it for a couple weeks. My mom found out, and she was pretty furious.

Q. Thankfully, you're a lot more accurate now. Talk about the way this team is shooting. I know you guys want to talk about defense and rebounding, but this team is red-hot, absolutely killing it right now in shots.
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: We're shooting the ball well. I think we're sharing the ball, taking the right shot. I think that's what's given us the ability to shoot a high percentage from the 2-point range is because people fear our 3-point shots and get up on us. Once we drive by, get the twos in, they start backing off, and that leaves us open for three.

Q. Are you amazed about how well you're shooting?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Not really, no. I think we shoot the ball well in practice and we work on spacing and everything that we've shown in the games, but I think to be able to do it in a game on a consistent basis like we have is pretty surprising.

Q. What about yourself, your shot?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: I've been shooting the ball pretty well. I feel pretty good out there. But just like everyone on the team, we're trying to pick our spot. That's what I was trying to do. I know Josh got in foul trouble last night, so I had to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end. Found myself open a couple times and was able to make a couple tough baskets.

Q. Are you and Kansas the hottest teams in the tournament?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Yeah. Any team that's made it to the Elite Eight so far is definitely playing really well. I think they've really played well and shown throughout their first three games. We've shown it. We know it's going to be a big-time game and just, hopefully, one of the better college games of the year. Hopefully we can end up on top.

Q. Taking you down memory lane. Do you remember three years ago, playing them, ten seconds left?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Oh, yeah, the Bahamas. My only made shot of the game is that one shot. So it's definitely a game to remember. That was a whole tournament to remember, but we just remember that team being real tough. They were really young with Wiggins, and Mason was only a freshman and Perry Ellis was only a sophomore.

They're a really good team, and we know they're that much better. And we've seen the last couple years, how good they've been.

Q. Talk about the poise of your team that thinks you guys can just get anywhere, you guys can get --
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: We just have confidence in each other and confidence in our defense. If we defend and we rebound, we're going to get out on the offensive end. And we think we're a tough team to stop with the shooters that we have and the ability to make twos and threes.

Q. What gives you the most pleasure on the court, satisfaction?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Can I say anything?

Q. Whatever.
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: I think taking a charge is one of the better things on the floor. Puts in the mindset of the other team if they're going to drive to the basket, they're not going to be able to dunk or finish an easy layup, they have to go through a couple bodies.

That's a big-time play, and it happened last night. I know Jalen took a few at the beginning of the game. A couple weren't called, but I think that set the tone and gave Miami the mindset they weren't going to get any easy baskets at the rim.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: I mean, we shot 32 threes that game. We made four, and I think we've just gotten so much better throughout the season. We really have a young team and we've gotten more experience throughout the season. But I think everyone -- Coach emphasized catching to shoot, so everybody is catching to shoot and letting it fly and not mixing up, getting in the lane and getting to the rim and taking a mid-range jump shot.

So I think that was one of the games where I think everyone had in the mind Coach was emphasizing it. We went from catching to shoot, shooting a ton of threes to not shooting any threes in the middle of the season to a good balance right now. I think we only shot 15 last night. We'll take the good ones. That Oklahoma game, I think that was a different team, different Villanova team.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: I think they're the same team in that they're really, really good. I think they defend and they rebound and they have so many guys on the offensive end that can be effective and can score the ball. They've got so many guys to focus on, it's going to be tough.

I think you can't really take much from that game, other than it was an ugly game. No one had an offensive rhythm, and it's going to hopefully be like that tomorrow.

Q. Arch, when you're playing, are you aware that you're seeing the game a little differently than most of the other guys? I mean, can you get that? Do you have to sort of make sure that your teammates have a feel for that as well?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: I try to have the same mindset as everyone, but I try to think of the game one step ahead and just kind of look at it from a player's perspective and a coach's perspective and what I can do to the flow of the game and to see who's made shots when they've made shots, who's in foul trouble. I try to know who on the team has fouls, what their foul situation is, how many timeouts. I try to be a coach on the floor and just try to affect the game on the floor as much as I can.

Q. Is that something that you've developed over time? Is it something you had in high school?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Honestly, I've had that -- I've always wanted to just out-smart people when I'm playing too. So I would say even when I was in like fifth and sixth grade, I'd try to know every situation because I think any little advantage that I can get, I'll take. I just think I've grown and developed to learn every situation, even throughout high school into college.

Q. Do you see yourself becoming a coach when you're done?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: Try to focus on this game now. I could definitely see myself coaching later on. I just don't know when. I think it will be good at Villanova, but I'm not sure if I can follow Coach Wright.

Q. Defensively, how important is it to lock down Kansas' guards, neutralize them?
RYAN ARCIDIACONO: It's real important. We know there are so many guys on the perimeter that can make plays. They can get hot, and they can also finish at the rim with Selden, with Graham, with Mason. They can all do everything out on the floor. So just being able to contain them and have them play one on five and not just one on one is going to be big.

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