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STATE FARM MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 7, 2019

St. Louis, Missouri - Arch Madness

THE MODERATOR: SIU Salukis are here. They'll play the Panthers at 8:30 on Friday. Barry Hinson, the head coach, Armon Fletcher, Sean Lloyd Jr. represent the student body. We're going to ask Barry to open up with a statement on his club being here in St. Louis. Barry, please.

BARRY HINSON: It's good to be back. 16 years in a row for this guy -- or not in a row, but 16 years for this guy. The city of St. Louis and our staff at the Missouri Valley Conference has always done a tremendous job.

We're extremely excited to be here and even more thankful for everybody and the work that they've done. I'm surrounded by two outstanding young men. Both these guys are really playing well down the stretch as well as our ball club. We're coming in here with a three-game win streak. We feel good about our team right now and how we're playing. This is the team that we thought that we had going into the season, and it's just good to be playing at the level that we're playing at right now, and hopefully we can continue that.

Q. Barry, we heard at lunch today you're the second longest-tenured coach in Valley history, so congratulations on that. You've been in the Valley for quite a bit. Going back to your time at Missouri State with several NCAA Tournament snubs, how undervalued is the Valley, and just mid-majors in general, by the tournament selection committee?
BARRY HINSON: We're going to start it like that (laughter)? Oh, boy. You want to get me wound up right off the bat. We're trying to make SportsCenter right away, aren't we? How do I answer that question?

I've been fortunate, I really have, to be at the highest level I have, and I've been fortunate to be at the highest level of a mid-major that you can possibly be at. Boy, I'm trying to be smart here, and it's going to be hard for me to do. The landscape for mid-major conferences at mid-major basketball has changed dramatically, specifically in the last ten years. Stats don't lie. In order for a mid-major to be included into the NCAA Tournament, it's almost less than a miracle to get in.

This a great example. This league, 2006, we had four teams that got in. I know four teams. One team didn't get in with a 21 RPI. We had multiple bids coming out of this league, and that's not the case anymore, and it's not the case for any mid-majors. There's five power conferences, Power Five, and then there's two conferences right behind them that act like they're Power Fives and continue to call them the power sevens. But I think the mountain is getting harder and harder to climb for mid-majors, and there's only one answer to the equation, and the answer is you have to expand the tournament.

When I started at Oral Roberts University, I think there were 237 Division I programs in the country. There are 357 today. They've only added four teams since I was a head coach at Oral Roberts. I mean, do the math. That's just not right. It is -- until they change this, it is no longer a true tournament. It is no longer an opportunity for Cinderella. The Cinderella chances are diminishing year in and year out. And last year was a great example when we're watching the finals and Loyola's playing in it, and the announcers kept saying they have to win the game just to be in the NCAA Tournament, and that team went to the Final Four. I don't think I'm saying anything that would take Einstein to figure it out.

I'm very biased. I'm very passionate about the mid-majors. I was very passionate about it when I was at Kansas, but it is simply weighted, and it is not weighted in the direction of mid-majors.

Was that politically correct enough? I didn't even use one bad word.

THE MODERATOR: Not bad. Not bad.

Q. Armon, this is for you: Just talk about being able to play close to home one last time and what this tournament means to you.
ARMON FLETCHER: This tournament means a lot. I've been here for five years, and to end the season coming back home and playing in front of family members is always fun. I always try to have a lot of fun here, but knowing this is my last go-round, it's even more emphasis on trying to win, knowing that I don't have any more years left.

Q. Coach, you swept the season series against UNI, but it's been a while since you guys met up. How difference is this team since last time you guys met up?
BARRY HINSON: I think both teams are different. I think, if you asked me that question ten days ago, I'm going to tell you that Northern Iowa is the best team in the league. I think you're going to see a heck of a ball game. Jake's teams have always played well in the tournament. The guy's won four championships in the tournament. Northern Iowa always plays well in this tournament.

So I think you have two different teams, and both of them, I think, have improved dramatically. The two teams that played in January aren't the same teams that are going to play in March.

Q. Coach, the two guys sitting next to you the past couple of games have really started to turn things on. What's been the key to that?
BARRY HINSON: I think you're going to have to ask the guys that. My standard statement is good players and seniors play down the stretch. That's what I think. I think these boys have a sense of urgency. I think they know what's at stake. But I'll let you direct that question to these guys. They'll be able to tell you better than I will.

THE MODERATOR: Sean, you're first, then Armon.

SEAN LLOYD JR.: I think it's after the Valpo loss, we all just got together and had kind of like a team meeting. It was like, we can't go on spring break early. We can't plan to play in games. We've got to come together and give it our all every single game we step on the court.

ARMON FLETCHER: Like Sean was saying, it was just us pretty much just bearing down and figuring things out in ourselves individually and coming together as a collective group and putting it all together. Everybody is playing for each other. Everybody is playing extremely hard. We know that's the key for our team to keep winning, play defense and get out and play on offense.

Q. Coach Hinson, you had two players named on the Scholar-Athlete Team. What does it mean to you personally and also your success for the program?
BARRY HINSON: Armon, you want to tell them what I said yesterday?

ARMON FLETCHER: He was saying that he would rather have guys make it on the scholar team or whatever more than a player making Player of the Year or First Team All-Defense or you know what I mean? Stuff like that. So he values the schoolwork over the athleticism.

BARRY HINSON: I cried when Marcus Bartley was named Academic All-American. That's a big deal to me. That's a big deal. Marcus was somewhat embarrassed by it because he wanted to be recognized for his athletic talents instead of his academics, but as these guys will tell you, 10, 15 years down the road, I think he'll be recognized as one of the all-time greats.

There's only one award that we would like to hold up at the end of this, and that's a team award. It's always been that way.

I'm proud of these guys. I always recognize them. I've got Armon's Second Team plaque back in the hotel room, and I look forward to giving it to him. But it's just individual stuff has never meant a lot to me except in the world of academics, and I'm really proud of Aaron, and I'm ready proud of Marcus. I'm hoping Marcus can be a two-time Academic All-American, and I'll cry twice.

Q. This one's for both Sean and Armon: You guys during this three-game stretch that you guys have been able to put three wins together, defense has really been a highlight. Is that what we can expect tomorrow night against UNI?
ARMON FLETCHER: Of course. If it's not broke, don't fix it. What we've been doing in practice and the last few games has been outstanding. We've just been focusing so much on defense and getting stops, and we know everything else will handle itself if you just get stops. We know focus on your energy level.

SEAN LLOYD JR.: I think we're finding our identity. We play good defense, our offense is just going to flow. That's kind of how it's been. So as long as we keep playing defense, our offense will keep coming.

Q. Coach Hinson, you've been at this tournament a lot. How different does the field feel this year, just how the regular season went and now the way the seedings turned out and how wide open it feels? Is it that wide open this year?
BARRY HINSON: I don't think there's any question. I mean, we've got a team that was picked second playing in the play-in game. How would you like to play that team as your first game? So, yeah, I mean, my wife's driving me nuts right now, I don't mind telling you that. It's just pretty constant doing that. She just kept saying, I don't want to play them. I don't want to play them. Finally, I just said, who do you want to play? "I don't know." Well, exactly. Who do you want to play? There's a team in the play-in game that swept us. I mean, figure it out.

So ten coaches on Monday went into the practice, and every one of them stood at midcourt and gave the exact same speech. We all have a chance. We all have a chance. Sunday we're going to find out who that team is, but that team started on Monday saying that exact same thing. So I think you're going to see -- in my 16 years, I can't fathom a better tournament written on paper before it started than this one, maybe 2006. Maybe. Man, the parity throughout the year has been remarkable. Congratulations to you guys. What a great year.

THE MODERATOR: Salukis and Panthers 8:30 Friday.

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