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

March 21, 2019

Tulsa, Oklahoma

THE MODERATOR: Malik Benlevi, Devin Mitchell, and D'Marcus Simonds.

Q. When you guys are watching tape of you, what are some things that stand out to you?
D'MARCUS SIMONDS: They really like to play in transition. They work hard defensively. Really similar to how we play and, you know, they crash the glass really hard, and, you know, with us being a smaller team, we'll have to lock in our rebounding.

Q. You guys, whether you guys specifically or the team, has been in this position before, been in the tournament. Just curious, when you look at the seeding, you pulled off the upset before, how does that factor in when you look at people say you're a 14, you're going up against a 3, considering y'all's history that you've been here and done that already?
MALIK BENLEVI: To be honest, we don't really care what seed. We're going to come in and play hard regardless. We feel we can beat anybody with the defense that we're supposed to play.

D'MARCUS SIMONDS: Piggybacking off what Malik said, we haven't looked at the seed really. We knew we weren't going to be over a 10-seed-type deal. We were going to play somebody that was better. Yeah. We're just going to come play as hard as we can.

DEVIN MITCHELL: Yeah, I mean, if you look at we didn't really make that upset. I don't think anybody on our roster was on that team. We're more locked in on what our team has to do and what we can do to make our moment.

Q. D'Marcus, just I know the big thing consistency, consistency. What have you been doing this season to be more consistent?
D'MARCUS SIMONDS: I haven't thought about what anyone said. Just playing, man. End of the day it's basketball. Whoever scores more wins. Whoever plays better defense wins. It's a simple game. Playing hard every night and consistency will follow.

Q. Devin, you played Cincinnati last year obviously and so you've seen a team that just beat Houston. You had two wins over the SEC in preseason, but was there something about the Kansas State game on the road when were you ahead with 9 minutes left that maybe made you think this team is again going to do something special?
DEVIN MITCHELL: Yeah. I don't remember that game, but back in June and July when we started practicing, we just knew we had something different this year. I think we've just been comfortable all year in any situation and we're battle-tested in non-conference. That Kansas State game, being in the game with those guys, a defensive team at a tough place to play in Manhattan, Kansas.

We all looked at each other, hey, man, we're pretty good. We can definitely make some noise if we stay locked in, because we feel like that was the game we should have won down the stretch. Just being able to lock in and I think the biggest thing with us just being comfortable.

Q. Malik, you guys shoot a lot of 3s. Defensively they're a Top 10 in a lot of the categories. What do you see from them specifically and how they play defense and how big of a challenge is that?
MALIK BENLEVI: We know Houston is a very physical team. They'll be on you the whole game. We feel like we're the best 3-point shooting team in the country. We're going to find ways to get them up. Devin is top 20 with 3-point shooter, Jeff Thomas, D'Marcus, me. We're going to be able to knock some down.

Q. Just curious, the stories kind of made the rounds this week. For those of us who haven't been around you, the Selection Sunday, you have a new favorite truck stop on the way. What was that like? You hear the stories of how you find out, but that kind of at the top there?
MALIK BENLEVI: We found a new spot out there. We just on a bus and Coach just stopped and we looked and seen, man, what are we doing? We went in there and seen like lot of old people and like, "Who are y'all?"

We're Georgia State basketball team. We came here to watch the selection. We made a couple of new fans out there.

DEVIN MITCHELL: Yeah. Basically what Malik said. We're on the bus and Coach just like pull off. So, we stopped and -- forgot the name of the place, like The Red Zone or something like that. Definitely walked in. Everybody is, "Where are all these people coming from?"

We explained to them what was going on and they opened it up with their arms and we were good, good to go, and got to see who we were playing.

Q. Malik, will you talk a little bit about how your game has elevated the last couple of weeks? You've had three double-doubles now in your last three games, double-doubles at the Sun Belt Tournament and Georgia Southern.
MALIK BENLEVI: I feel I'm playing some of my best ball right now. The guys, they believe in me. So like when they see me open, they give me the ball. And I know we're a small team, so, I mean, I go in there and try to get every rebound. I just got to be that dog and I got my brothers with me, and they believe in me and I believe in them. They believe in me and give me more confidence to play harder and play well.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for the Panthers of Georgia State? All right. Thank you very much. Best of luck tomorrow.

The Head Coach of Georgia State is with us Ron Hunter.

RON HUNTER: Goes without saying we are excited to be here and Tulsa really nice town. I spent some time here before when I was the Head Coach at IUPUI. My team is extremely excited to be here. We've earned the right to be here.

I think that we're a little bit more relaxed this time than we were a year ago when we played Cincinnati. My kids were on a mission. We had a practice yesterday that got me so excited I was ready to play last night. And if any of you know me I don't get very excited often. So we were really ready to play last night.

I think our kids will be ready for a great Houston team, well coached. Kelvin is doing a great job with that program and we're just ready to get going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I just -- I want to know the thing with D'Marcus consistency, consistency. What are you doing about that?
RON HUNTER: He's been a better player. His numbers won't walk like that. We've got five guys averaging double figures. If we had an opportunity to go win games in NCAA Tournament, you have to do less scoring an other guys have to pick it up.

Last year we played Cincinnati. He out-scored our bunch, their team and the whole deal. We need to be more balanced. That's what we were this year. We've got guys, five guys that shoot 40 percent better from the 3-point line. We're a better team this year than last year. That's how he's got better because of his sacrifice. He's a much better player today than he was last year.

Q. Houston's defense, rebounding they have a couple guys that can just light it up 3-point range. When you see that, what, in your opinion, the challenges that is on both ends?
RON HUNTER: Zero receive, we have no shot, buddy. I don't know why we're coming. Actually, you know what? Our kids are good players. The only thing I think Houston definitely has better, a much better coach. Their Coach is so much better. I don't know if I'm going to be in that game, I'm outmatched.

Kelvin, he's like my idol. When I was -- I think when I was 10, he was 60 at that time. I really look up to grandpa. Grandpa has -- he's got a great team, been coaching longer. I will ask grandpa if I should call a timeout. I'll ask him who I should start.

If it's four minutes to go in the game and we are winning, I will ask grandpa if it's okay to finish the game and we can win because I don't even know why we're here but -- no, they've done a great job.

The great thing about it, we were paired because we played Cincinnati year, almost identical. My top 7 guys were in.

RON HUNTER: the same position last year and same game. They know they're playing against great players and we are. I'm going to get out-coached. I told my wife. They're going to talk about me. I'm going to get out-coached because grandpa is on the other side out there.

Q. Coach, what specifically from the practice yesterday got you excited?
RON HUNTER: We made shots. When we make shots in practice, we usually make them in games. It's just the approach. When I first walked in there, I wanted to see their approach.

Last year when we came back from the conference tournament in New Orleans, I thought our approach was kind of just being happy. I thought our seniors were locked in. As a matter of fact, I was. I wasn't going to practice yesterday, have a walk-thru. No, they wanted to get after that. We got after it on a day we generally walk-thru.

I knew right then that the guys were ready to play and there was no laughing or joking. These kids were on a mission. We're going to lose about six out of seven of these guys. They want to go away with a win.

Q. I think I know the answer to this, and I think if I didn't already, I think you just hinted at it, but you feel like they got a chance -- you feel like you have a chance to win, do you not?
RON HUNTER: Most of the time when coaches get up, they give coach-speak. "Well, you know, we'll see, we're going to play hard." If I don't believe it, how are my kids going to believe it?

It's no disrespect to Houston at all. I will be extremely, extremely disappointed if we don't win this game. That's no disrespect to Houston at all. I've got a really good basketball team. We have -- we got beat by Cincinnati. Our whole goal was to come back here and win.

It was a tough year to coach this group because we had to go through the process. When you're a mid major, it's not automatic you're going to get there. We beat Georgia, we beat Alabama, we beat some good teams on the way. The problem that we had, we got to about January and they wanted to get from January to March. Now the kids are here.

So we know -- we knew -- that's one of the reasons why we left right after New Orleans and didn't stay for selection show. We didn't care who we made. We could have played a Boston Celtics. Our guys were on a mission, we want to win this game.

Q. Seems like one of the keys to the game is going to be rebounding. With your team specifically, what are you telling them in regards to that?
RON HUNTER: Gosh, we've won 24 games so far this year. I don't think there's one game in the last two years that we've out rebounded anyone. I won 24 games last year. Sometimes the rebounding is one of the most misleading stats that you have out there. Because we played the matchup with you, yeah, I want to be a great rebounding team.

Think about this: Not one time -- we've won in two years now we have won 48 games and not out-rebounded one opponent, not one. We know we're probably going to get out-rebounded. I also know that we're going to defend you and we're going to make 3s.

So those two things, you can book those two things are going to happen. We know we're going to get some offensive rebounds and get steals. Again, that's part of what we do. It's not something I'm just screaming about in that regards, yeah, we want to be a great rebounding team. I'd rather we want to be a great Rebounding team and not in the NCAA Tournament and not win those 48 games? Cincinnati was probably one of the best rebounding teams that we have seen, and up until that 4-minute mark, it wasn't an issue for us.

Q. Ron, for the Houston audience I'm curious, Ray McCallum is on your staff. Kind of having a coach like that who has been through the wars, had a lot of experience, what's he meant to the program and done for you?
RON HUNTER: I'll tell you what, Ray has been tremendous. To have a guy that has taken a program to the NCAA Tournament on a couple of different occasions, a guy that has won a lot of basketball games. It's so great to bounce things off of him.

I also hired him because I didn't want to be the oldest on the staff. He's older than me. He's been tremendous. Coach being -- he also worked for Kelvin at Indiana. Again, I think he knows a lot of Kelvin's tendencies. He's been extremely helpful on the scouting end. Ray has been absolutely tremendous.

It's kind of like night and day. Ray is kind of the quiet guy and I'm the crazy guy. We kind of balance each other out. I can't tell you how valuable he has been to me.

Q. Are you ready to retire the clip of you falling out of the stool or is that -- how do you feel about that? Cool at the time, but are you ready for a new clip?
RON HUNTER: It's funny, someone asked me that a couple weeks ago. My answer to that is absolutely not. Because what it did, it put a trademark to our program. I'll be honest with you, if that situation didn't happen, I don't know if we're back here. Everywhere we are, that's part of who we are now.

It's helped us recruiting. Some would say helped my son get to the NBA. Maybe it did. The whole situation changed, the dynamic of Georgia State, and changed my life, to be honest with you. It's not something that I shy away from. I get people to stop me all the time and ask me how my hip is doing. It wasn't even my hip (laughter).

Even when we got off the airplane, the guy said hello, representative from Tulsa. Stopped in and said, "Hey, I remember seeing you and your son." That's just part of who we are now and we embrace that. We absolutely embrace that. That's part of our culture.

Q. Did the chair make the trip?
RON HUNTER: I wanted it to but we were taking the band and everybody and it was either the chair or my AD. I thought, let's let the AD go. He's sitting back there now. We let him go and left the chair behind.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for the second oldest coach on staff? All right. Ron, thank you very much. Good luck tomorrow

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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