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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: LOS ANGELES

March 21, 2018

Los Angeles, California

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome Admon Gilder, Tyler Davis, and Robert Williams. Questions for the student-athletes?

Q. For the two bigs, Tyler and Robert, if you could take us through this match-up, how interesting it is with their ability to stretch out on the perimeter, but obviously your guys' ability to bang it inside against them?
TYLER DAVIS: We've guarded teams that can really spread the floor before, so it's really nothing new to us. They're a good team, they play really hard. They bring great effort, and we've just got to stick to the game plan and guard them.

ROBERT WILLIAMS: I'd just say it's a unique match-up, like he said. We've played bigs that can stretch and shoot the floor, but we plan on dominating the areas that we specify, so just keep that mindset.

Q. Robert, I'm curious, you and Tyler had big rebounding games in your first two games. When you look at the Michigan roster, is that something you're confident you can keep up against Michigan?
ROBERT WILLIAMS: Honestly, we're always confident in our rebounding skills, no matter the task we've got ahead of us. We feel like we take pride in rebounding, and our coaches stress that's a big part of us winning. So I definitely feel like we could control that part.

Q. Tyler, I think you were the only player who played in every game this year. With so many guys coming and going with injuries and suspensions, did you ever lose track on who was available, and did your confidence in the team drop in terms of making a run in March?
TYLER DAVIS: No, I never lost track, and my confidence definitely didn't drop in my guys. We had a great summer, the young guys did a great job of stepping up during those games. We lost a couple, but I thought we had a great practice leading up to those games, a great effort in the games as well. So I think we handled the ups and downs as best we can.

Q. When guys kept coming and going, did you ever think: What's going on here? Are we jinxed this season?
TYLER DAVIS: Oh, no. I mean, stuff happens. You go through it as a team. But you have to do the best you can to stay together and keep your head right.

Q. Admon, as a guy who has played the point at times throughout your career, whether it's by necessity or not, how have you seen T.J. grow in that position, and how have you helped him along in that position?
ADMON GILDER: You know, T.J. is a natural scorer, that's what he is. So I think he adjusted as time went. So I told him just go out there and play your brand of basketball. You could see it's benefiting our team because he gives us another weapon from the point guard position to be able to score in.

I think he's done a great job with his composure. He's a super confident guy, so we just tell him, just show it out on the court and do your thing.

Q. Admon, what have you seen on tape from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, specifically in his ability to score the ball in a variety of ways?
ADMON GILDER: They set a lot of up screens, ball screens to him. They do a great job of slipping out, too. That kind of throws defenders off because you don't know if they're setting the ball screen or if he's slipping.

So I think he's a great player. He's able to score from all three levels. He's able to get to the basket. He's able to pull off from three range and shoot the three very well.

So it will be a nice match-up that we know we're looking forward to.

Q. Tyler, when you start developing your footwork and all the post moves back in high school or maybe even before that, were there players that you looked at on TV and said I want to be able to do what that guy does when you were growing up?
TYLER DAVIS: Yeah, I liked Tim Duncan a lot when I was young. Just guys -- when I was younger, I really wasn't above the rim at all, so I used to watch guys I didn't see that were high flyers. But I liked Tim the most. He has great footwork, great face-up game. But I tried to do the best I could to use my body when I was younger, so it just kind of came along.

Q. Tyler, a lot of people don't realize you grew up in California and spent a lot of time here growing up. You were here two years ago for the Sweet Sixteen. What would it mean to you to not just get to the Sweet Sixteen in California but to go beyond that, to go where nobody in this school has ever gone before?
TYLER DAVIS: It would mean a lot. I feel like right now we're paving our own way, but I'm in the moment. We've got a game coming up, and that's all I'm looking forward to right now.

But it's exciting. I love being back here. Love the weather. I just love seeing the city.

Q. When you guys were 0-5 in the SEC, did you have a team meeting, did you talk about how we can get this right? What was going on during that time?
ROBERT WILLIAMS: We had a couple team meetings, you know. We just felt like everyone was kind of branching out when things started falling apart, they were doing their own thing. So we just had to buy into we're all here for each other. Letting the coaching staff know, too, along with the players, we're here for a mission.

ADMON GILDER: Yeah, that was a time when I was in and out of treatment and stuff like that, So I wasn't with the team a lot. Like I told -- I think we actually did have a team meeting, and I think the main thing was just next game. Because my freshman year we went through a stretch where we lost five games and we were five in the country. So it's capable of happening to anyone.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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