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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: BOISEMarch 14, 2018CJ MassinburgNick PerkinsWes ClarkBoise, Idaho THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome the student-athletes from University of Buffalo. Q. Million dollar question, how do you begin to slow down an athlete like Deandre? WES CLARK: Focus on making the catches hard, making him work for everything. We know he's a force, one of the best players in the country. But we're not going to let that deter us from what we're trying to do, where we're trying to get. Q. You guys played in this tournament two years ago when you guys went to Providence. Last year you didn't make the tournament. How gratifying is it to be back here and how much did you learn from the first time around? CJ MASSINBURG: It was definitely an honor getting back to this tournament. When you begin the season you've got one goal in mind, two goals, actually, winning the conference tournament, and the second goal, which is more tournament, is getting to this tournament and trying to get some wins. We came up short last year, but that made us more hungry to get here this year. NICK PERKINS: Pretty much what C.J. said. We came up short last year, and we worked our butt off all summer and all spring to get back here, and now we're here. Q. How are you embracing that underdog role, given the task at hand? WES CLARK: I think the No. 1 thing we're doing is just trying to focus on playing one play at a time. We're used to being the guys with the targets on our back. So for us to go out and hunt one time is fun. CJ MASSINBURG: Definitely. One thing that is circulating in the locker room is we don't have any pressure on us, we're not expected to win the game. So we don't have anything to lose. So we're not going out there with a bunch of pressure like we have to beat this team. We're going to go out there and give our all. It's March so upsets happen. NICK PERKINS: To be honest, I wouldn't even call it an upset. We're supposed to be here. We were winning all year, winning at a high level. We're supposed to be here. It didn't surprise us. We're supposed to be in this game. I think it would be great for us if we win. It is what it is. But we're planning to win. We're ain't here to just say we got here; we are trying to win the game. Q. You've known Nate for a long time, you played for him in high school. Describe the man he is and the type of leader he is for this program. WES CLARK: Very confident, man, and a team coach. I've had some coaches where you felt a disconnect from the coach and the players. Our coach does a great job connecting all the players. I don't know one guy on the team that he doesn't have a great bond with. Just to have that family figure around and that type of effect is a different type of game. A different type of coach and a different type of team. Q. Buffalo sports fans are sometimes known to be a little crazy, especially Bills fans. Is there any crossover with your fans? And if so, will we see some fun fans here in Boise? WES CLARK: Our fans are great. I think they're the same, the Buffalo Bills fans and the Bulls fans. I can't say they will be any different. They'll be out and go hard just for us like they are in Buffalo. CJ MASSINBURG: We definitely have the greatest fans in the NCAA. We have one guy, we have a student section called True Blue. We have one guys that comes in Speedos and is naked all the whole game. He's called you be naked. He wears a cape. He shows personality to our fans and stuff and we appreciate him. Q. Whichever one is the best politician, there will be a ton of neutral fans in the arena tomorrow. What would be the pitch to Boise to get behind Buffalo? What stands out in your program and your team that people may like? CJ MASSINBURG: Just to the neutral fans, you know, everybody likes, I won't say a Cinderella story, but people like to root for the underdogs. Neutral fans, we are hard-nosed, fierce competitors, don't back down to anybody type of guys, hey, root for us. You'll see what we bring to the table. We're very easy to cheer for. WES CLARK: We have a great group of guys. A lot of guys that's handsome, you'll enjoy coming to watch us. We play hard, we're going to fight, we're also nice at the same time. THE MODERATOR: I want to hear more about how these guys look when they play. We'll wait for Coach Oats in just a moment. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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