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

March 17, 2018

Chris Mack

Nashville, Tennessee

THE MODERATOR: The head coach of the Musketeers is with us, Chris Mack. We're going to ask him to start off with a statement and then we'll go to the first questions right here. Chris?

CHRIS MACK: Sure. I mean, we'll always feel fortunate any time we can advance in the NCAA tournament. Now there are 32 teams. Probably less now, 30 teams left to win a national championship. And we play a very talented, together, hard-playing group in Florida State tomorrow.

We're going to have to be at our best, certainly have to take care of the basketball. And keep them off the glass. If we do that, hopefully we can figure out a way to win.

Q. Chris, the old adage about, you know, anything can happen in the NCAA tournament, that's why they call it March Madness seems to always hold true.
I'm wondering, as the head coach of a No. 1 seed that had just hours prior completed your 1 versus 16 game, how did you experience hearing or watching the Virginia result? And was that a little bit jarring as the coach of a fellow 1-seeded team?

CHRIS MACK: I don't know if it had anything to do with what we were seeded. But, you know, maybe we can relate a little bit to it more, because, you know, in the history of our program, we had never been a 1 seed.

I thought UMBC played -- at least I watched the last 10, 15 minutes of the game, played amazing. They played with such poise. They played together. They didn't let the moment rattle them.

I think that no matter who you are, 1 seed, 10 seed, 16 seed, that's how you have to play this time of the year to advance, because the moment, the environment can start to be overwhelming if you start to think about that and not of the task at hand.

So amazing game. Those kids will be remembered for the rest of their lives for what they did last night. It was pretty school. I can also feel for Tony Bennett who does it the right way. He's a phenomenal coach. He's a great person. He had a special year. Tough to see him go out like that.

Q. Chris, going into the tournament, there was some talk about Virginia, as well as they were playing, that their style of play, so reliant on the defensive end, that maybe it was a little precarious in the NCAA tournament where some might say you have to score to win in the tournament.
Do you have any thoughts on that?

CHRIS MACK: Well, you better score if you want to win. I think that Virginia could certainly win a national championship. I think you're fooling yourself if you don't think a style like that could do it. You look at the history of the NCAA tournament, you know, whether it's UNLV, the Runnin' Rebels of the '90s, Syracuse with their zone. Any type of team can win.

But I will say that it's a little difficult, when you play mostly in the half court and you get down 10 or 12 points and you're not used to manufacturing points in a hurry, it's probably hard to catch up a little bit more.

But that doesn't mean that their style or our style is more conducive to win a national championship, in my opinion.

Q. Chris, with a year in hindsight, how did you guys do what you did to Florida State last year? Can you take anything away from that game this time around because they have such a different team?
CHRIS MACK: Yeah. We were and we are now petrified of their ball pressure and their ability to rattle offenses. They get out in the passing lanes and deny. They have such incredible makeup ability when you get around them at blocking shots and that leading to the break.

We talked an awful lot a year ago about handling the basketball, handling the pressure that Florida State brings. We ran a few set plays. I think we got Florida State on their heels early in the game, and then I think, you know, the game sort of avalanched.

I don't think we, as a team, were as good as we played for 40 minutes, and I don't think Florida State was as poorly of a team as they played for that 40 minutes.

Having said that, it will have nothing to do with tomorrow. We have to be able to handle their ball pressure and not let them turn us over. So that they're getting out in transition. No team in the country is stopping 2-on-1s and 3-on-1s.

Q. Chris, I was wondering, is preparing for Florida State, is it similar system-wise, or is it different because they have so many different players than the key guys from last year's team?
CHRIS MACK: Good question. From the defensive end, I would say it's very similar because of their style of play. It's personnel driven when you start to talk the offensive side of the game.

To me, Florida State is a more together team. You know, I don't want to say it's equal opportunity, but you have three guys averaging around 12 to 13, 14 a game. You have three guys that are almost at ten a game.

You know, you have their 4-man using ball screens just as much as their point guard. So I see a team that plays for one another, that plays together. I think it's a much better sum of its parts team than maybe a year ago.

That's no disrespect to the guys that were on the team a year ago, but that's sort of what happens when guys start to climb up the draft boards and they feel like they're auditioning in March a little bit.

So we just have to worry about keeping those guys, as best we can, out of the lane and off the glass and then handling ball pressure that we're going to see tomorrow.

Q. With that said, when you're going up against a team same position as a year ago, second round, trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, how much do you prepare your team for Florida State looking for some revenge and payback, and a trip to Los Angeles?
CHRIS MACK: I mean, I don't know how you would prepare them for that. You just say it. Hey, they want revenge. I mean, it's not going to change anything X and O-wise. Our guys want to go to Los Angeles too.

You know, this year's a new experience. This is our 96th team in school history and these group of guys will never be together again.

So if we want to keep playing, then we'll figure out a way to win. It's not going to be easy. I'm sure Florida State's going to do the same in their locker room.

Q. So I guess Trayvon Reed ends up being pretty good preparation for the kind of front court you're going to face tomorrow night. What?
CHRIS MACK: I just don't get why we keep seeing these 7'4" guys. When I go recruiting, they're never around.

Q. Last year too, right? Arizona.
CHRIS MACK: Yeah.

Q. Same approach? You want to go at those guys? I mean, that's your philosophy? And does two inches of difference for the 7'4" player make any difference for you?
CHRIS MACK: Well, the difference is what's surrounding their big guys. You know, Florida State, as a whole, they have bigger, stronger, more talented players than Texas Southern.

No disrespect to Texas Southern, but you have Trayvon Reed and a bunch of guys who are 6'4". No you have Phil Cofer, 6'8", 6'9", shooting 3s. Every one of their wings are 6'5", 6'6", 225. I mean, they're high major, ACC caliber, talented players.

So we know that, and we're going to have to deal with that.

Q. Do we know any more about Naji today?
CHRIS MACK: He didn't feel great this morning so we held him out of practice. We're hopeful that he'll be well enough to play tomorrow. But I'm not trying to be coy. I just don't know. Hopefully, his back loosens up over the next 24 hours.

The good thing is, as you guys know who have had lower back problems or any type of problem physically, usually feel a little bit better at night than you do in the morning so I'm glad our game's later on in the evening.

Q. Out of all the basketball places we have in this country, I wonder if you could describe maybe what distinguishes and characterizes the City of Cincinnati.
CHRIS MACK: From a basketball standpoint or just in general?

You know, I would think that we have two programs that have a lot of pride in their traditions, in their history. I think you have two programs that are led by guys who played high school basketball right there in the city.

You have two very passionate fan bases that hopefully are handling their alcohol here in Nashville on St. Patrick's Day.

You have really good basketball players. You have some great players over the years. One of the best players of all time, Oscar Robertson, you know.

So there's a lot of tradition. There are a lot of other things that go on in the city. You have the Reds, you have the Bengals. So maybe college basketball in college towns may be a little different.

But it's pretty school what we have going on right now in our city.

THE MODERATOR: Chris, thank you. Good luck.

CHRIS MACK: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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