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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SAN JOSEMarch 23, 2019Kerry Blackshear Jr.Nickeil Alexander-WalkerWabissa BedeSan Jose, California MODERATOR: Okay. We welcome Virginia Tech student-athletes to the dais. We'll open it up to questions. Q. Has it sunk in that the season has kind of come full circle; that you started the year playing these guys in a preseason exhibition, and now here you are all these months later and you're going to meet now in a game with much bigger stakes tomorrow in the NCAA Tournament? NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER: Not really. It was a good experience. It was for a good cause, for hurricane relief. We're glad that we can use our platform to do such a big thing for the people that suffered from that tragedy. But it's good that we have a scout, someone that we already played. So we're not trying to learn about a team in 24 hours, where we kind of have a good feel for them. So I think that'll help. WABISSA BEDE: Like Nickeil said, it was a good cause for hurricane relief. And the biggest thing is we don't have a big enough scout because it's a huge turnaround. We wish we did, but we're now going to be following the scouting report that Coach gives us, and we're going to execute it. KERRY BLACKSHEAR, JR.: At this point in the season we're both completely different teams, so that game might not even matter as much. But we're excited to be at this stage and have the opportunity to extend our season. Q. Evan was pretty excited yesterday finally getting that first NCAA Tournament win in a while there. How has the mindset shifted now in terms of you want to make it to Sweet 16? Are you still riding high from yesterday, or has the mindset changed? NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER: You never want to be complacent, but always thankful for the moment. I'm grateful, but I can't go back to yesterday, and it's kind of moving forward. And you want to keep going. You never want the season to end short. I love my teammates, my seniors as well. And so as long as I get to play with them, that's what I'm trying to do, and I'm trying to keep the season going. Q. You guys took the suspense out of that game last night really early. You jumped on Saint Louis really early. I don't know how much of the other games you got to see, but you saw a lot of upsets early. Did any of that -- is that something you all talked about or noticed; that the underdogs kind of got the upper hand all throughout the day until you guys stepped on the floor? WABISSA BEDE: We just didn't want that to happen to us. We all were talking about it. The seniors, especially Ahmed Hill, was talking about the goal was to fight, keep fighting, and we didn't want that happening to us. He just wanted us to play hard and be like a dog throughout the whole game and don't let up. Q. Nickeil, you were talking last night about the fact that it'll be cool to be in San Jose and see a bunch of fans from Liberty and a bunch of fans from Virginia Tech and how it'll feel like a game in Virginia. For any of you guys, I know none of you are from the state of Virginia, but this will be the first time in the history of a tournament that two teams in the state of Virginia have played each other. Does that kind of add another odd element to this matchup, where it's sort of an odd setup and odd meeting to be on the opposite coast and play this game where it has such a Virginia-centric feel to it? NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER: I think it's cool. Like you said, that's the first time I even heard that. I didn't know. It's kind of funny how many statistics there are in this world. But just to know that we get the chance to have the opportunity to play in the first game ever. And you kind of want to have the bragging rights, per se, or the upper hand to say that you won that first game. And it's just about focus. We can control who we are and what we do. We can't control where it is, who it's against. But just as much as what we're doing to win the game is what's more important. KERRY BLACKSHEAR, JR.: For me personally, I think there's so much history on the line for this game that I guess that just adds to the back. We're just excited to be able to be here, extend our season, play with this group of guys one more time. This group of guys won't be together after this season. So I think that's what's most exciting for us, and I think it's a big game. Q. I know how much you guys have started talking about Liberty and tomorrow and looking back at the exhibition game, but is there anything you thought you did pretty well in the game in November that you kind of want to bottle and do again tomorrow? NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER: I don't remember it too vividly. So, I mean, we won, so I think we defended well. But it was our first really like actual setting with referees in a game and an away crowd. And so I think now it's a whole different team. Everyone's grown so much as players, and talent-wise, discipline-wise, maturity-wise. So I think that it was a good test for us early in the season. But that chapter is closed and it's a new season, and we're embarking on a new chapter. So I feel that everything, like K.J. said, has kind of gone out the window. It's March. As you see, upsets can happen at any time. So what you did before kind of doesn't matter anymore. It's win or go home. And that's how it is. MODERATOR: Anything additional? Sounds like we're good. Thank you, gentlemen. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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