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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WICHITAMarch 16, 2018Duncan RobinsonMoritz WagnerMuhammad-Ali Abdur-RahkmanWichita, Kansas MODERATOR: Questions for our student-athletes, please. Q. Muhammad, why don't you tell us about the scouting report, your game prep. How is it going? I know it's a short turnaround getting ready for Houston. MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN: Like you said, it's a short turn around. We're just now seeing film on them. We know they're a great team. They won their first game. We just have to prepare for them. MORITZ WAGNER: Yeah, they play in a very physical and talented conference, so it's going to be a great challenge and very talented team in multiple positions, so it's not going to be easy. DUNCAN ROBINSON: Not much else to add. Just kind of getting into watching them and learning more about them. We're about to practice right now. So hopefully we'll pick up more from the coaching staff. Q. Last night you guys and Coach Beilein gave a lot of credit to the Montana defense. How much was it the layoff. Did that affect you? MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN: I think they threw some new stuff at us blitzing the ball screens. That gave us some trouble. I think you can add we did have a long layoff and we had some rust that we had to knock off, but that's about it. MORITZ WAGNER: I think some of it was definitely the lack of playing the last couple of days just you can't really match game intensity in practice. So definitely some rust off in that game. But there are also some things that we could control and didn't execute well. So kind of a mix of both. DUNCAN ROBINSON: I think it was a combination of both. Give plenty of credit to them for what they did, but like both these guys said, it's really hard to simulate game situations in practice. So hopefully we kind of got our feet under us now and we can move forward. Q. Do you guys think the stopping the Montana guards last night is any indication or helping you practice for Rob Gray tomorrow? MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN: They're both all great guards. They provide different dynamic. They play differently. But, I mean, it is good to play against little guards like that in the first game to get us ready to contain Rob Gray. MORITZ WAGNER: Yeah. There are definitely some similarities there in terms of how the guards look to attack, and obviously a good practice going into Saturday. DUNCAN ROBINSON: Yeah, I think yesterday helped, but also just what we've learned throughout this entire year, I think we've played some really good guards this year, and our guards have really stepped up and done a really good job. So it's going to take a group effort, and we're excited for the challenge. Q. Just more specifically on Rob Gray, I'm sure you guys have watched what he did yesterday. What makes him such a tough cover? DUNCAN ROBINSON: He's really skilled, and he plays a really good pace. Always under control. And he's playing with a lot of confidence right now. So combine all those things, and he's a tough matchup for anybody. MORITZ WAGNER: I think he does a really good job between getting to the line. I think he shot like 15 free throws last night. And having a great perimeter game. So that's really tough to guard. Yeah. It's a great challenge. MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN: I think he has a great balance of inside and outside game. He has a lot of experience, and he's just going to be tough matchup for us to cover. Q. Charles is often so stoic on the court and the three of you and Zavier Simpson have gotten so much press, you've been playing well lately. How much fun was it for you to see Charles play so well last night when the rest of the team seemed to be struggling? DUNCAN ROBINSON: It was great. The energy he brought yesterday specifically was big for us. We were kind of lacking it. And he's more than capable of that. He's done it many times this year, but it's a really good sign to start off this tournament to have him have a performance like that. MORITZ WAGNER: Yeah, I think that's the beauty of this team, that as soon as somebody lets down, or goes down somehow, somebody else steps up, and I think we are very confident in each other, and Charles proved that last night. MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN: It's great. It's great to see that, especially he's such a team player. He cares about winning more than anything, and to be able to see him make plays like that and have a good game, it was great. Q. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the tournament so far here in Wichita, first time at this arena, and a long time in this city. How has it been for you guys so far? MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN: It's been great, first time in Wichita, great crowd, nice arena. Doesn't get much better than this. And the fans, they're basketball crazy. So that's great. MORITZ WAGNER: Yeah. Obviously we haven't seen too much of the city yet, but been positive. Like I was surprised in a positive way from the weather. It's a cool environment. And NCAA is always fun. So yeah, it's a great experience. DUNCAN ROBINSON: Kind of going off what they said, I'd never been in Wichita before, but pleasantly surprised by the weather, first and foremost. A lot warmer than Ann Arbor. So appreciate that. And also a beautiful venue here. And just the hospitality in general has been great. A lot of friendly people and a lot of people that really enjoy basketball. So it's a fun place to play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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