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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SAN JOSEMarch 23, 2019Elston JonesMax HazzardRobert CartwrightEvan LeonardSpencer RiversSan Jose, California MODERATOR: Welcome to UC Irvine student-athletes to the dais. Q. Robert, this team back in August, you guys went to Korea. Do you think that trip, what happened on that trip, has had any effect now, what's happening now in terms of bonding and all that? And what was your favorite moment or memory of that trip? ROBERT CARTWRIGHT: Yeah, I think it definitely played a big role in the camaraderie that was built with our team. I think one of the strengths of our team is how close we are individually and collectively. And that's allowed us to win tight games, believe in each other. We know we can look at the guy on our left and our right and know that we have each other's back. But for the trip for me, I'm a half Korean, so the fact I was able to go there for the first time was very special personally. My mother and brother were able to be there, and that was really special for all of us. And just being able to play the games was really the first few weeks I was able to be with the team since I came over. Just the fact that I was able to get some run with these guys was great, and it's definitely been very beneficial in our progress early in the season to now. Q. Max, Coach was talking yesterday about Irvine is always in the shadow of USC and UCLA down there. Does this feel like a chance to break out of that shadow? MAX HAZZARD: Yeah. We definitely have the opportunity to do that and kind of have done that at this point. At the same time, we're not getting caught up of UCLA and USC. Just want to focus on what UC Irvine can do, and we got a chance to go Sweet 16 which a lot of people didn't expect. We had big goals set out in mind since training camp. So we're definitely excited for the opportunity. EVAN LEONARD: Yeah, just like he said, we're not focused on USC, UCLA. We're focusing on Oregon. That's our next game. We're focusing on where we're at right now and where we're trying to be. Q. Robert, how difficult of a turnaround is it for you guys to flip the switch to Oregon and learn about their length and their athletic ability? Is it really difficult for you guys to scout in that 24-hour period? ROBERT CARTWRIGHT: Yes and no. I mean, that's the good thing about the college season is you have to do that game to game, and we've had tournament experience. We've had completely different teams that we've had to scout and play back to backs or with a 24-hour window. But we maintain the same level of preparation for every game throughout the season, and we're not going to change now. But Oregon is obviously a very good team. We know that they're doing a heck of a job defensively, made it really tough on teams, held teams to very low scores. So we know we're going to have to execute and play as good of a game if not the best game we played all year to beat them. We believe we can, and we're going to prepare all today and tomorrow to get ready for that. Q. Max, the last few years, you had a bunch of different teams go from lower seeds to the Final Four, Loyola last year being the latest. Do you guys think you have the ingredients to make that kind of run? MAX HAZZARD: I mean, obviously that would be amazing, but we're just focused on this next game. And if we can make a deep run, obviously that is a goal and that's something that everybody in the program and staff and team would love to do. But like I said before, we're just focused on this next 40 minutes and just taking it one game at a time, one possession at a time, and see what we can do. Q. Is there a team that you've played this year that has a lot of similarities to Oregon, anything you've used to prepare yourself for this game? SPENCER RIVERS: I would say -- well, the coaches have been saying a little bit like a team in our league, Cal Poly. Obviously they're not as skilled as Oregon is at all, but they kind of play the same matchup zone. That's similar to what we'll face tomorrow. So we've been kind of looking at film like that and expecting switching defenses and focusing on what we do on offense to execute. Q. Elston, interested in your scouting report on Oregon, what you've seen from the Ducks in the last 24 hours you guys have scouted them. ELSTON JONES: Not much so far. They're a long, athletic team. So we just gotta play smart, play disciplined on offense. That's pretty much so far. We just looked at that, looked at the athleticism and their ball pressure. Q. Evan and Max, your defense is second in the country in two-point field goal percentage. Why is your defense so successful? What do you guys do well to accomplish that? EVAN LEONARD: Yeah, I just feel like we definitely come up with good game plans, our coaching staff. I feel like we just have a lot of good guards on the team, a lot of good bigs, and we're able to play well together. And like I said, the guys that we have are able to just make the game plan that the coaches have, able to just make it come together. Q. Max, how many text messages did you get yesterday, and how cool is -- part of this experience is just you guys don't get a lot of attention, you don't get a chance to face us a whole lot. How much do you appreciate or how much do you enjoy just being able to get a chance to talk and kind of sell yourself and the program? MAX HAZZARD: It definitely still feels somewhat surreal. I haven't really even gotten to respond to all the texts yet, and all the media attention is definitely really cool, something I guess we all would have dreamed of and just dreaming of playing in the NCAA Tournament. But to be able to get a win and put ourselves in position to get another one and potentially go to the Sweet 16 is pretty cool, and definitely putting on for our school and families and all our friends and families back home, definitely cool. We're going to see how long we can keep playing. Q. This is for any of the guys. Several of you guys can answer this. So much is made of the Cinderella teams in this tournament every single year, and I guess UC Irvine could be looked at as this year's Cinderella. Do you guys feel like the Cinderella team, or do you feel differently about that? ROBERT CARTWRIGHT: No, we don't really look at ourselves like that. Obviously as a 13 seed, not many people projected us to win as maybe the fourth seed. But we believe in ourselves, and we looked at our matchup against Kansas State and believed we had a really good chance to win. And we look at the matchup against Oregon as another team that we're going to have to play very well, but we have a chance to win as well. And however the media wants to portray us, but we're a 31 and 5 teams that's played against high-level competition all year, and we've had great road victories throughout the season. And we don't see ourselves that way. But we understand that might come with our seeding. But we look at ourselves as a high-level team that can compete with pretty much anybody, and that's what we're going to continue to show hopefully throughout the rest of the season. SPENCER RIVERS: I think from the outside looking in, I think a lot of people are shocked that we're here, but, I mean, since the beginning of the year, like Max said in training camp, our coaches said that we're not going to be satisfied with just being in the tournament or making it to the tournament. We believe that we can advance. So for us this has been a goal all year long, not only to make it, but to advance. MODERATOR: Sounds like we're good. Thanks, fellas. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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