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STATE FARM MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 2, 2018

St. Louis, Missouri - Arch Madness

Southern Illinois - 67, Missouri State - 63

THE MODERATOR: The victorious Southern Illinois Salukis are with us. They have a date in tomorrow's semifinal game, Game 2, against the winner of Illinois State and Indiana State. Coach Barry Hinson is in the center. Sean Lloyd and Tyler Smithpeters represent the student body.

BARRY HINSON: As I look back around the room here, I see Darlene, one of my former administrators at Missouri State, but then I see the guy that hired me and just went in the Hall of Fame here at the Missouri Valley Conference, Bill Rowe. Bill, congratulations. Just outstanding. He didn't fire my ass either, which is why I'm clapping for him. It was another guy that fired me.

Couldn't be any happier with what these young men not only did today, but what they've done all year long. Today was just a typical Missouri State-Southern Illinois ball game. Three games this year, all three went down to the final possession. So compliments to Coach Lusk and his staff. What a great job they did. They kept us on our heels the entire day. They kept switching defenses. Paul played different than he has the previous three games, and it was really difficult to get into a groove and into a rhythm, and I give that compliment to Paul and his staff.

I'll answer a bunch of questions later. That's just what I wanted to make sure that I congratulated Coach Rowe.

Q. Sean, can you take me through the last couple of seconds. I think you poked the ball out and then got the run-out right at the end. How good a look did you get at where the ball was going?
SEAN LLOYD: I seen the opportunity to get a steal. I'm good at defense, so I just gambled, and then it worked in our favor.

Q. Sean, what can you say about your defensive effort in the second half on Alize? Only one field goal, two points, six points all together. For yourself and as a team, what do you think of the defensive effort?
SEAN LLOYD: The coaching staff challenged me to go out and guard him and keep him off the glass, so that's what I went out there and did.

BARRY HINSON: That's a politically correct statement. We did challenge him.

Q. Can both you guys just talk about how it felt to close this game out and advance to tomorrow.
TYLER SMITHPETERS: I mean, it feels really good. I mean, we can't really celebrate too much because we're already focusing on tomorrow's game against Indiana State or Illinois State.

SEAN LLOYD: I agree with what Tyler said. We've got to focus on the next game.

Q. Question for Tyler: I've read that you actually try to get Pippen mad in practice because he brings a certain intensity when you do that. So what did you do in the game today? It seems like there was a stretch where he really pushed you guys and got you guys on a run.
TYLER SMITHPETERS: I mean, I can't really say what I said. (Laughter). No, I'm just kidding. I was positive with him. I mean, we all know what a great player he is. So just for him to have the second half he did, it helped us out tremendously.

Q. You guys both had some big three-pointers in the first half, but it seemed overall as a team in the second half the ball is going down a little easier. Can you guys both describe the difference in feel, how you got into the rhythm, how you found your flow, whatever the difference was in the second half versus the first.
SEAN LLOYD: I think it started when we got the ball to Kavion. When we get the ball inside, we try to play inside-outside, and today it worked.

TYLER SMITHPETERS: Is it my turn?

SEAN LLOYD: Yes, Tyler.

TYLER SMITHPETERS: Are you done? Really, I think everybody has confidence in each other, so if someone shoots it, we all think it's going to go in. And I think that kind of just showed tonight -- or this afternoon.

Q. Sean, you referred to that play at the end as a gamble. Did you look at it that way, that it was a risky play?
SEAN LLOYD: I'm a risky player, so I see the opportunity to go take the ball from somebody, so that's what I did.

Q. What was the philosophy on Johnson there in the second half that worked so well?
SEAN LLOYD: He's a great player going right. So I tried to take his right hand away from him, and I was trying my best to box him out because he's a great offensive rebounder.

Q. Tyler, you had a couple of drives where you got below the free-throw line and just kind of stopped and looked for somebody to pass to. What did Missouri State do to make it kind of difficult to recognize what you wanted to do there?
TYLER SMITHPETERS: Really, I just want to be smart with the ball. I didn't want to force anything that probably wouldn't go in. So I thought that was the best bet. And when I did have to throw it out, we just go into a different play.

Q. Just wonder if you guys could explain what the sensation is when Rudy puts a basket in versus some of the other guys. I mean, you exploded off the bench. Can you share what that phenomenon is all about.
THE MODERATOR: Tyler, you're first.

TYLER SMITHPETERS: It's unexplainable. No, just Rudy is a great guy. I mean, we know the talent he has, and he showed it today. We're just happy for him.

SEAN LLOYD: I'm always happy for Rudy. We came in here together. So every time he scores, I'm going to go crazy. I know he can do it. When he hit that big three for us, that kind of sparked us in the first half.

Q. Tyler, you guys were up 14 with about seven minutes to go. What happened?
TYLER SMITHPETERS: I mean, they went on a run, obviously, but I think the biggest thing is we kept our composure. No matter how -- when they trimmed it to two points, A.C. made the big layup at the end. I mean, really, I just think, like I said, we have the confidence in each other to make plays and just keeping our composure.

Q. Hey, Coach. You had five guys with double figures and two with seven. I guess this is what you'd call a team victory.
BARRY HINSON: We said going into the tournament that we would have to play -- or in this tournament, in order for us to be successful, we referred to it as 6, 7, and 8 would have to play, play major minutes, and have to give us a great contribution. I'd have to go back and look at the stat sheets, but I think it's the first time in two months we played eight guys double-figure minutes.

We called the play for Rudy. That's why the bench was so excited because we asked Rudy -- I said, "Rudy, we're going to run this play for you." Rudy has not shot a three or made a three in the second half of the year, and he's a good three-point shooter.

Rudy has really struggled with his confidence, and we've really tried to convey to Rudy that, if he would just have as much confidence in himself that we do as a team -- and so I don't know, it was just a gut call. It was a two-for-one situation, and I just looked at him in the eye, and I asked him point blank, "Do you want to shoot this? Because if you don't, then I'm not going to do it." He said, "No, Coach, I'll shoot it if I'm open." And I said, "Yeah, you can't shoot it if you're covered, but shoot it if you're open." And when he made the three --

Guys, I don't mind telling you, I think that shot helped us win the game. I thought it was the -- I know a lot of times plays of the game don't happen in the first half. I thought it was the play of the game.

Q. Barry, Kavion missed his first four shots. What did you like about his effort in the second half and finishing a little bit better?
BARRY HINSON: Well, in Kavion's defense, he's never played in a conference tournament before. I remember Desmar Jackson's first time when we were at Southern, and Desmar was our best player, and he just couldn't get going. I mean, it's hard. We take that for granted, and there's a lot of guys that just played their first game out there today in a Missouri Valley tournament.

So we just kind of hung in there with him. We made our mind up coming into this tournament we were going to be positive, accentuate the positive. The only thing that was negative that was said today was when Armon was an idiot and got the technical. I think I broke my foot when I did my stomp, but I was upset. That's the most upset I've been in a long time with these guys.

But with Kavion, we just kept saying, just keep shooting. And at halftime, we challenged Sean defensively because we switched. We put Armon on Rhodes for his length, and we put Sean Lloyd on Alize, and it didn't have any length involved with that, just toughness. And then we challenged Kavion to go score, that we were going to get him the basketball. And we did. And he produced. He didn't have a point at the half, right? Zero? He got 11 points. That's a pretty good second half.

Q. Coach, after the technical that ended up leading to a five-point possession right there, you guys went on the double-digit run. What was done? What was said that kept that from being a moment where the momentum really changed in favor of Missouri State.
BARRY HINSON: Well, Armon came over to me and apologized to me and apologized to his teammates, and I calmed down and said, "Make up for it. Make up for it." And all of the team said, "We've got your back." So that was one of the things that happened.

I'm going to answer a question asked a while ago: We were up 14, and somebody said, well, what happened? What happened is they're a good basketball team. Forrest Gump, stuff happens.

But they're good. They're good. And there was never one moment that I thought, okay, we're up 14. We're going to walk away with it. It just doesn't happen like that.

And I give credit to Missouri State, they did not falter one bit at all.

Q. Sean was talking about being a gambler on that play. Talk about defensively, is that kind of typical or what you'd like to see from him?
BARRY HINSON: Oh, yeah. Sean's our best defensive player. He's best at getting steals. He's got the strongest hands of anybody on the team. And I kid him all the time about he's from Philly. I said, guys from Marlow, Oklahoma, and Philadelphia are tough. I thought that was funny, but anyway. You guys obviously haven't been through the streets of Marlow, Oklahoma. Those are tough, tough streets there.

Q. Coach, can you talk about Aaron at the end. He had the big layup earlier, but then he goes in and doesn't make the shot but comes right back with the ball for the final seconds. Just his composure, his want-to to have the shot, and just the overall, the final minute or so, him handling the ball for you.
BARRY HINSON: We told him, when we put him back in, I said, "I'm going to put you back in, and I'm going to put the ball in your hands." And I just said, "I just want you to make good decisions. That's it. Do what you've done all year long." And how about seven assists and only two turnovers today? That's pretty impressive.

I always think Marcus and Aaron and Brendon and Armon, I think it's really tough when you come back home. We came back to this tournament for four years, and Blake, I love him to death, but he really struggled coming back to St. Louis because all the family and the pressure, and it's just so much. We've really talked to those four guys this week about come back and just do what you do. Don't try to do any extra. Don't get caught up in the distractions of tickets and all of that. Just do what you do. And I thought Aaron Cook did that today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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