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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WICHITAMarch 14, 2018Matt MacDonaldDarnell ForemanAJ BrodeurWichita, Kansas Q. Darnell, could you just talk about now you're out here, you're in this environment. Just what this feels like to you? DARNELL FOREMAN: Like I've been talking about before, it's a dream come true. We got in last night. We're just enjoying everything. It's been a lot of stuff going on, a lot of excitement around us, around the hotel. And we're just excited. This is a great feeling being here. Q. All you guys, obviously, Kansas is Kansas. You played Villanova. Can you tell me what you learned from a game like Villanova that could maybe come into play even a little bit? AJ BRODEUR: Yeah, so throughout our year, we play -- obviously we play Villanova every year. They're a great team, just like this Kansas team we're about to play is. Getting that experience to play against teams that operate at such a high level with the incredible amounts of talent that they have, I think that prepares us for games like this. We spend our whole year preparing for our postseason, the Ivy League Tournament and then obviously the NCAA Tournament. And I think throughout that learning process we have of playing against those teams like Villanova, it's only getting us better and more prepared for games like this. DARNELL FOREMAN: More or less just matching our energy and again finding ways to get stops. That's key in order to compete with a team of this magnitude. MATT MACDONALD: Yeah. I'd also say that I think we're a better team than we were at the beginning of the year, like you were mentioning, playing Villanova. So I think it's all about just how we've continued to get better throughout the season, and like AJ was saying, just hopefully we've improved enough and we're very confident in ourselves and just excited to play a great team like Kansas. Q. For AJ and Matt, what do you think the biggest misconception of Ivy League basketball players? AJ BRODEUR: I think people under estimate how tough and how hard we play. You know, obviously the Ivy League schools are known for their high academics. And getting -- when you think more about that, you start to think about how maybe they're not as tough as the other teams that they play. But I think that the league we play in is some of the greatest games we play all year. We play a lot of non-conference games and in-conference games, and I think it's clear that the ones we play in-conference are some of the toughest, hard-nosed games that we play all season. MATT MACDONALD: Yeah. I would just add just what it takes to win a championship in this league. I'm not sure if people around the country -- you know, we play back-to-back games every Friday, Saturday. So just the level of energy, skill level, and toughness it takes to play a game Friday night and then turn around and play another game Saturday, and also having to play those games on the road, going to play Dartmouth on a Friday night, turning around having to go play Harvard, traveling that night, it's not like we're flying charters or something. It's obviously a challenge, and night in and night out I think it proved throughout the year that any team in this league can win a game. So it's certainly a challenge, and it's one that we're very proud to represent the Ivy League on this stage. Q. For any of you guys, you have one of the best three-point defenses in the country in terms of your three-point percentage and running teams off the line and disallowing those sorts of shots. Obviously Kansas said that's one of their strengths, being able to shoot from the perimeter. Is that something that you guys think you can use to your advantage, and how do you think you match up with Kansas in terms of being able to defend the three? AJ BRODEUR: I think that's something we try to do every game, no matter who we're playing. Our main goals are to limit the three-pointers taken by flying around, making the shooters activate their dribble, start to get to the hoop and then guarding at the rim without fouling, forcing long contested twos are ideal for our defensive system. And I think that as long as we stick to our principles and we stay focused and we stay into our game plan, I think that's what's going to help us in our game tomorrow. DARNELL FOREMAN: Just to piggyback off of AJ, like the way the game is played now, a lot of teams emphasize the three-point line, and it's big because, you know, obviously it's more points. So our focus is just to limit those things, like AJ has been saying, and force teams into taking tough twos and contested twos, hopefully to knock off their balance a little bit. MATT MACDONALD: Yeah, like both these guys said, definitely just trying to run teams off the line, and like they were saying, just doing everything with a great amount of energy and just toughness. You can say all that and have that as your philosophy, but if you don't play hard to a certain extent and really try and execute the game plan, it really means nothing. So we've definitely tried to focus on that all year. That's been one of the strengths of our team so far. Q. For AJ, Darnell and Matt, a lot of people are surprised that you guys were a 16 seed because of what you've done this year. Were you guys disappointed in that or were you expecting better? AJ BRODEUR: I'm going to say we were a little surprised by it, but at the same time we're excited. Like that's an opportunity for us. All season we've been kind of counted out. We've been underappreciated, I think, in our league, and I think that as time goes on, we're able to prove more and more of what we're capable of doing, and I think this is just another example, and we're going to just try to go out there tomorrow and show what we can do. DARNELL FOREMAN: I mean, he pretty much said it all. We're just happy for the opportunity, you know. Playing against Kansas is a great team. So we're just going to come out there and just play as hard as we can play. MATT MACDONALD: Yeah. They both really said it. I mean, the only thing I would add is we were picked fourth in our league, so really being counted out is nothing new for us. It's not something that we actively talk about that much. But it's something that's definitely, you know, we're all aware of it. But, yeah, like they were saying, we're just excited for the opportunity just to go out there and compete tomorrow and hopefully play at a high level. Q. Just talk about defending Devonte' Graham, Big 12 Player of the Year, and maybe people that you've seen up to this point that remind you of Devonte'. For any of you. AJ BRODEUR: Yeah. Like I said before, we're going to be sticking to our main defensive principles, run them off the line, make sure there's no wide-open catch-and-shoot threes, guarding him at the rim, making sure he has no open layups, especially, because we know he's good at getting into the foul line. So throwing our hands up, jumping back is going to be huge this game in defending him. As for players we've guarded like him, I can't -- I know at Villanova they've got some great guards. We play them, like I said, every year. That's the closest I can think of a Devonte' Graham-like player. But he's his own unique beast, and we're looking forward to being able to guard him and the Kansas team tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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