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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SAN DIEGO

March 17, 2018

San Diego, California

THE MODERATOR: We will start with the Marshall student-athletes today, representing Marshall is Jarrod West and Jon Elmore. Questions for our student-athletes?

Q. How are you going to slay the West Virginia giants tomorrow because they're a huge team?
JON ELMORE: We're looking forward to the challenge. Like you said, they are physical. They've a doesn't press. But we're looking forward to the challenge. I think we have a good team and we match-up pretty well. So we're going in confident and we think we can win.

Q. Jon, how do you think the things you have accomplished stack up against Marshall teams back through history?
JON ELMORE: I think we're set in history. Marshall team hasn't been in the NCAA Tournament in 31 years, but the thing we keep telling each other is we are not satisfied. Yeah, we have done a lot of stuff that hasn't been done in a long time, but we want to keep winning. Our goal at the beginning of the year is to win a National Championship. That's hard and only one team does it, but that's what we strive for and that's what we are expecting out of this run and we're going to take it one game at a time and see what happens.

Q. Guys, you're both West Virginia kids. You play for a West Virginia University. What does that mean to you, especially in the context of a game like this, playing against the state school?
JARROD WEST: We're excited for the opportunity. Obviously, playing against West Virginia on a national stage in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament can't be more exciting. It can't be more hyped up than that, but we're excited. WV is a good team. Us being from West Virginia allows us to play with more of a chip on our shoulder and play with that extra edge and competitive nature. We're going to come out excited to play.

Q. As players, you have no control over the history in this series, but just the fact that you are playing each other, after that long, regular season series ended, what do you think about all the discussion about the coaches barking back and forth and maybe more than that what you do control is the opportunity to finally go head-to-head with West Virginia on the court?
JON ELMORE: We don't worry about that. Yeah, it would be cool to have the game but people understand why they don't. I think it's an exciting time for the state. You talk to everybody back home, half of the state's population is probably flying out here right now for the game. The attention West Virginia is getting, shoot, half the media doesn't even know we're a state.

So it's definitely cool we are two teams out of West Virginia, both in the round of 32 playing with a shot to go to the Sweet 16. So we wish them the best and we're going to give it our best to hopefully keep dancing and keep this dream alive.

JARROD WEST: We're excited like he said. We try to stay out of the politics and all that stuff. That's not our responsibility. Our be responsibility is to come out and be ready to play. We're excited like he said, state of West Virginia is really excited. It's a great opportunity for the state. But we don't worry about the rivalry not being played the last few years we're just excited to be able to play them now.

Q. Jarrod, I was wondering if you've talked to your dad and how conflicted is he in this one?
JARROD WEST: Um, you know, he's excited. I wouldn't say he's very conflicted at all, really. I think he's definitely rooting for us really hard. He was excited. I called him yesterday after the game and they were watching the game in the Charleston Embassy and it was exciting and packed. To find out that we play West Virginia now that made it that much better, so he's excited. But there is not a lot of conflict there.

Q. Is he coming out?
JARROD WEST: I'm pretty sure he's coming out.

Q. Jon, was it your first or second game you played against the Mountaineers in your career?
JON ELMORE: My second game I had a torn up ankle. It was the second half, they grinded us down and wore us out. But we're a new team, a lot of new guys and hopefully it will be a little different.

Q. You guys, it seems like you genuinely like each other and you have fun with each other on and off court. How has Coach D'Antoni created that relationship?
JON ELMORE: I would say it's the environment. Every day you come into practice and you genuinely like, some of these guys are your best friends you see each other every day and you obviously enjoy each other's presence or you hate them and obviously we enjoy each other's presence. I think we have the most fun system in the country. We get up and down the floor, score a lot of points, shoot a lot of threes. The good thing about this team is nobody cares about each other's success. Everybody is rooting for each other no matter what is going on. Knowing your team has your back like that creates a petty awesome atmosphere and I wouldn't trade that team for the world.

Q. Jarrod, did you grow up a West Virginia fan?
JARROD WEST: No, I went to games and stuff like that. I supported them. I rooted for them. I wouldn't say I was a die hard fan. I wasn't like a hater, like, going to root against them, anything like that. I went to games, even football games. I know a lot of people that went there or go there now still. My dad obviously going there and stuff, being around it all the time. Yeah, I liked it. I supported them. I wouldn't say I was a die hard fan, though.

Q. And did they recruit you at all?
JARROD WEST: A little bit. Maybe not as much as I think I should have been, but not a whole lot, a little bit but not too much.

Q. If you guys could compare a style of play that West Virginia will use in comparison to who you guys have seen this season when you have started to watch tape did anyone pop out as a similar style?
JON ELMORE: Old Dominion, a tough, physical team, they have interior bigs with size, strength. I don't think anyone we've played so far has pressed at all. Some teams have thrown a little bit at us but I think we've handled it pretty well, but nobody has pressed to the extent West Virginia does. They have a heck of a press. Their guards get in you and they trap once they get you sped up. So I don't think we've played anyone like West Virginia, but there are similarities and I think we have done a good job of scouting this past day and a half and hopefully we will be ready.

JARROD WEST: I would say Old Dominion. UAB, they have some bigs. Western Kentucky has some bigs. From an offensive standpoint as far as points from the paint going to the offensive glass, even Wichita State a little bit going from the glass. But from a defensive standpoint I wouldn't say we have faced nearly as much consistent pressure throughout the game. There have been some teams that have pressed us, dead balls and stuff like that. But obviously West Virginia is relentless press and every play they make or miss they will be on us. So I would say not as far as defensivewise.

Q. Along those lines, how big is it that you have basically three ball handlers and you can throw Dean in there as a fourth? How big is that in handling a press?
JON ELMORE: I think it's huge for us. Like you said, the fact that we're confident with mostly all of our guys handling the ball, maybe one or two here or there that we don't want trying to break the press but I would say we have four gaze guys on the court at all times that are capable of handling one-on-one pressure. If you run a double they're smart enough to make the key pass out of it. I like our chances against the press just in the fact that all our guys have been trained and recruited here because they are so versatile and can do multiple things like dribble and pass. I think we will be just fine.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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