ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9, 2021

Femi Odukale

Pittsburgh Panthers

Postgame Press Conference

Miami 79, Pittsburgh 73

Q. What was different for you today? Obviously the 28 points are a career high, but what felt different out there for you, if anything?

FEMI ODUKALE: Nothing really felt different. I'm just trying to win, trying to find a win so we can keep playing. And today I just said I would do anything, and I'm going to play my game.

Q. I'm sure the result is kind of tough to stomach, but your performance personally, how do you take that into the off-season now and build of anything that could be a good building block going into next year?

FEMI ODUKALE: Yeah, I know I've got to just keep staying in the gym. I've got to make my free throws. That's what I was struggling with this year. I had a lot of confidence shooting them, but I've just got to knock them down so I can be a better player next year.

Q. What did you learn about your game this year and playing at this level?

FEMI ODUKALE: Just being mentally tough, always wait your turn, and just keep working. If you keep working, it's going to show.

Q. You have a lot of strong takes going in and drawing contact. That's something that Jeff Capel has been saying you guys need to do a lot more is finishing through contact. How much have you been working on that because it seemed like it really paid off a lot of times offensively.

FEMI ODUKALE: That's just a New York thing to me. I think from Brooklyn where I'd go to the park every day and we'd go like try to make lay-ups and just be tough. That's just something I always had in my game.

Q. Only four guys scored today. Did you feel like maybe you had to shoulder a bigger part of the burden today because of that?

FEMI ODUKALE: Not really. I was just playing my game. Whatever I felt like was a good shot, I was going to shoot it. Whatever I felt like was a good play, I'm going to do. I didn't really recognize only four guys scored.

Q. What do you feel like have been your biggest areas of growth over the season, and I guess specifically the past two weeks since you've stepped into a bigger role?

FEMI ODUKALE: My growth is my confidence. I believe in the things, I can do more. And knowing that I could showcase my opportunity without being nervous or what people is going to think. My confidence is just building over these weeks.

Q. Miami scored 22 points in transition tonight or this afternoon. What were they doing so well so make them effective in that area?

FEMI ODUKALE: They were just grabbing the rebound and pushing it, and they were just finding the right man, and the big men were just running hard. Credit to them.

Q. We talked with Coach Capel about this a decent amount over the past two weeks, just how much confidence he has in this program moving forward. As someone who's been there a year now who's going to play a primary role for them moving forward, what makes you confident in this program and the direction it's headed?

FEMI ODUKALE: That everybody got their edge back. Everybody is hungry to win. We were more together. Everybody was just looking for each other and ready to play ball. It's just like everybody got their edge back. I wish we had more opportunities to play with this group, but the game is short.

Q. How soon will you be back in the gym putting up shots?

FEMI ODUKALE: Five minutes after I get off the floor, I'm going to go straight to the free-throw line.