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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WICHITA

March 14, 2018

Brian Dutcher

Wichita, Kansas

THE MODERATOR: Coach, what's your assessment of your opponent tomorrow, Houston?

COACH DUTCHER: You know, it's Kelvin Sampson-coached team. So we know what that's about. He's had a storied career -- Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, NBA stints, and now at University of Houston.

And his team reflects his personality. They're tough. They're hard-nosed, and Rob Gray at the point is everything that Kelvin is, tough, winner. And they're going to be a tremendous challenge for us tomorrow night.

Q. Kelvin talked about you guys having size advantages at almost every position, and he joked that you were probably pretty excited, when you looked at their roster, to take advantage of some of that in the guard court and posting guys up. One, is he right about that, and how do you use that to your advantage in a game like this?
COACH DUTCHER: That's why he's the wily ol' head coach. We have length, but he has width. So we'll see where that meets, length versus width. So they're very physical. They've got depth at every position. They've got seniors and juniors in the starting lineup, and so it'll be a real challenge for our length to see if we get knocked around or if we are up for the challenge of playing a physical brand of basketball tomorrow night.

Q. I know you've talked about this at some points this season, but offensively this team seems different than past San Diego State teams. You guys have always had that defensive resumÃ© throughout the program in recent years, but more points, less time in possession, pushing pace. Could you just walk through how thoughtful that's been to be that kind of team offensively and be -- and how are you different offensively?
COACH DUTCHER: You know, that was one of the main emphasis when I took over. I wanted to increase our tempo of play. We know what the numbers were over the last couple of years. And with that being said, we didn't go on a nine-game win streak until we got better defensively.

So I'm happy with where we are offensively. I like the tempo we play with. I like our versatility. We can score from multiple positions, but the key to our success as of late is our ability to defend better and to limit opponents' three-point shots. Obviously we're going to have to rebound at a higher level tomorrow. But I'm happy with where we are right now as a team at both ends of the floor.

Q. Coach, I just wanted to ask about this experience as a head coach, because you've been to so many NCAA tournaments, but now as a head coach does this feel any different for you?
COACH DUTCHER: You know, I said to the team, and I've said publicly, as a coach, if you have any longevity, you just say eventually I'm going to get back there. And so I'm grateful that I'm here as a first-year head coach, but I'm happiest for my team. I think back to Malik and Trey going here as freshmen and then the fear of saying, wow, they're not going to go again unless we get hot. And I take great pride in the fact where Trey and Malik and Kam Rooks, who went when he was at Cal, get to finish their careers at this event and then give our freshmen, sophomores and juniors, some of them, the first taste at this NCAA Tournament.

So I feel extremely blessed to go, but I'm happiest for the team that they get to experience this and get to play in the greatest event in college athletics, the NCAA Tournament.

Q. Coach, I'm curious, Houston likes to take a lot of threes, specifically Rob Gray and Corey Davis Jr. What are your thoughts as to what you've seen on the film of those two guys and their ability to hit those shots?
COACH DUTCHER: Well, Davis and Brooks, if you give them any space at all, they're going to shoot it. And we've played against good three-point shooters all year, but some of them are more set shooters so you can get there later. Both Davis and Brooks raise up on the catch. They shoot over you. So we're going to have to pay attention. We're going to have to be there on the catch and do our best to contest those shots.

I know Kelvin wants them taking them. He wants them on the fast break if they're open to let it go, and they shoot deep because everyone knows when you get into the half-court offense and the defense is set, a lot of times you see them coming.

So we have to pay special attention to finding all three of those shooters, number one, on the break and then pay attention to them in the half-court sets.

Q. You were talking about Houston's width and physicality. I guess a two-part question. One, do they remind you of somebody you've played in terms of their size and how they play? And two, if they are that physical, how do you work with the team to make sure your guys aren't getting knocked off their spots?
COACH DUTCHER: We just have to play smart position basketball. We have to know when it's time to bang and when it's time to release pressure and try to get them under the basket and in front of them.

So obviously the physicality will be most in play rebounding. I mean, they're a Top 10 rebounding team. So to box out and to try to maintain contact, to have the guards come back and clean a lot of rebounds up, I think the physicality will be most reflected when it comes to rebounding.

So that's something we spent some time on. We do that anyway, but we'll have to pay special attention to that tomorrow.

Q. Do they remind you of anybody?
COACH DUTCHER: Probably the most physical team we might have played. It was really early in the year. Georgia being from the SEC had some big bodies. They might have been longer. Houston is just wider. They're just broader in the shoulders. So they're going to provide a challenge probably that we haven't seen this year.

THE MODERATOR: If there are no other questions, wish you the best of luck tomorrow, Coach. Thank you very much.

COACH DUTCHER: Thank you, everybody.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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