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STATE FARM MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 2, 2017

St. Louis, Missouri - Arch Madness

THE MODERATOR: Southern Illinois Salukis are next. They are the 4 seed, will play Loyola on Friday. Barry Hinson is the head coach. Mike Rodriguez and Sean O'Brien represent the student body.

BARRY HINSON: Obviously, this is our favorite time of the year. We love St. Louis. We love Arch Madness. Golly, this will be my 14th Valley tournament. I look forward to it every year, and I especially look forward to it this year because I think we've got a group of men, young men, that are really playing well at this time. I expect nothing but for us to play well tomorrow.

Q. Coach, the Valley is a unique conference with the amount of in-state schools. How exciting is it knowing that throughout the course of the year you're facing coaches and players that are from the similar area? And given tomorrow's opponent, is it exciting building sort of that in-state rivalry within the conference?
BARRY HINSON: I don't know much about the in-state rivalry part because this is only the second year they've been in the league. For me, being in the league as long as I have been, for Southern Illinois, I think your rivalries are kind of naturally built in. It goes back to the days of Southwest Missouri State, but Missouri State saw obviously a huge rivalry, Illinois State is a huge rivalry.

Any time you take the league leaders and Wichita comes in, everybody obviously thinks that's your rival game because their ranking at the time.

So I think the great thing about this league -- and I've always said this -- is the coaches and the fans. Regardless, when you travel in the Midwest, if you're wearing a Salukis shirt or a Panthers shirt or a Bear or a Shocker, somebody says something to you and recognizes you, and you're able to have communication with those people. There's no hatred in the Valley. There's a mutual respect for each team. I think that's incredible.

You know, I came from Kansas, and there was a hatred for Mizzou and Kansas. There's not any of that type in the Valley. I don't hate any school in the Valley. As a matter of fact, I have great love and respect for each and every team in the Valley, specifically, their fans and their coaches, and I think that's a difference.

Q. This is for each of the players. Both times you played Loyola, you guys won close games. Can you kind of review each of those games and what you did well and what you think you need to do well tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Mike first and then Sean.

MIKE RODRIGUEZ: I think offensively we executed well through both games. Defensively, the first game, I think we did good. The second game, that's why I think that game was a little closer than the first game.

SEAN O'BRIEN: Yeah, like Mike said, the first game was -- both games were really like a grind-it-out game. That first game, we really played well defensively, I thought, because they're a really good offensive team.

And that second game, I don't think we played quite as well, especially down that stretch. We were kind of just trading baskets.

So Friday we're going to have to play better defense than we did last Saturday.

Q. Two-part question, Barry. First, you sure about that Kansas hatred for Mizzou? And the second part relating to the Valley, you've been here -- two teams, obviously, for a long time, like you said, 14 years. Does it seem like this league has cycled around some in terms of the degree to which you find yourself defending it?
BARRY HINSON: Well, I've always defended this league. So let me answer the first question. All I remember is the first time I ever went to Mizzou as a Kansas Jayhawk. Coach said, they're going to show you that, when you come in on the bus, a lot of people are going to show us we're No. 1. At that time, I didn't realize the number 1 digit had changed to the middle finger, and it was for about a mile coming into the stadium. So, yes, I am quite confident in my statement of the hatred between Mizzou and Kansas.

I've always felt -- this is the first time I've ever worn a whistle with a suit and tie. I'm sorry. We just came off the practice floor. I've never once hesitated defending this conference. I think we're beating ourselves up a tremendous amount. We lost Creighton, and that has had a huge effect on this conference. If Creighton were still in the league, we'd have three top 25 teams in the league right now, and people would be talking about can they get three or four teams in the tournament?

I'm disappointed any time I hear somebody in the national media say the mid-majors are going to struggle getting anyone in. This conference deserves Wichita State and Illinois State in the tournament regardless of what happens in this tournament, regardless. Their resume, their strength of schedules, what they've done and what they've accomplished is a good enough resume to get in.

The faltering point is we don't have a guy in the national media -- there's no one on CBS, there's no one on Fox, and there's no one on ESPN that represents mid-majors nightly. And until those networks invite somebody into the media network that sits down with Seth and Jason on a nightly basis and all they do is they talk about -- let's talk about tonight, let's talk about Middle Tennessee and how good they were, how good they are in the mid-major level. Let's go and talk about Gonzaga here, let's go and talk about this team here, UNC Wilmington, let's talk about Illinois State, let's talk about Wichita State.

I just think until we get to that time -- and it's your job this week as media members to make sure we do everything we can do to get those two teams in the tournament because St. Louis is the only large market area that we have right now that is truly covering this tournament.

Q. Mike, when you got here, you hoped to make the NCAA Tournament. Just how would you describe how the team is feeling, and how do you guys put together three wins or four wins here in three days?
MIKE RODRIGUEZ: Well, going into this tournament, I think we go in with confidence, and this year I don't think we played like a full game yet. So going into this tournament, if we can get one or two of those, I think we have a chance.

Q. Sean, senior in Mundelein, how exciting is it over the course of the year saying you've stayed in state and you've been able to build a good foundation for future classes coming in at Southern Illinois and getting another chance to play Loyola? Is it fun being a kid from the suburbs playing a school from the city?
SEAN O'BRIEN: Yeah, obviously growing up, I always considered maybe going to Loyola. I'm just glad I was able to stay in state and just play at this great university for four years. Kind of when I got here, we weren't in the greatest position. Hopefully, I can look back after this season in a couple of years, and me, Mike, Leo and Tyler and some other guys can be like we're the group that turned it around.

It's really cool, though, to be able to play Loyola in this situation. This is my favorite time of the year. Just trying to enjoy every moment and not take it for granted.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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