NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - NORTH TEXAS VS PURDUE

March 19, 2021

Grant McCasland

North Texas Mean Green

Lucas Oil Stadium - Equality Court (North)

Postgame Media Conference

North Texas - 78, Purdue - 69

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach.

GRANT MCCASLAND: First things first. Coach Painter, who is a friend of mine, we have a tremendous amount of respect for the way they compete. Purdue's a super physical team and we felt like we would have to do a great job on the defensive glass to give us a chance. I thought our composure was tremendous, even when they made a run. And then they started pounding us on the glass and got us on our heels, but we did fight back and that's what I love about this group, tremendous amount of heart in that locker room, starting with Javion Hamlet and Zach Simmons and it just carries over to the rest of the guys, but really proud of the effort and the way we found a way to separate even when we gave up the lead.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Outstanding win tonight. Ivey, Jaden Ivey had 20-plus points tonight but he didn't score a single point through the majority of overtime. Did you tell your players during the overtime huddle, Let's make sure he doesn't score anything in overtime?

GRANT MCCASLAND: I mean, not really just that specific, but you try to limit what he does well and he's so good at getting downhill going right. And James Reese sent a text message to our staff saying that he wanted the opportunity to guard him and he was the one on him at the end of the game and just did a really good job of making his penetration tough. Truth be told, when you look back at it, it will be Thomas Bell at the rim who walled him up and made him miss a couple shots at the basket. I mean, we couldn't stop him from three either. But it always takes a team in order to win. That's the way we're always going to be defensively and we did it as a team the second half in order to slow him down in the overtime.

Q. You had two days of isolation, so you had probably two days wait just to think. Did this extra two days away from everybody give you a chance to prepare better, because it seemed like the preparation was much better in overtime, so did you have a chance to see much more game film or any of those things while you had the extra two days?

GRANT MCCASLAND: Yeah, I mean, in our league we, Conference USA is tough. I want to just -- this means a lot for our league because we have to play on Fridays and Saturdays. And we'll play Friday at 7:00 and then turn around and play Saturday morning at 1:00. So our league's been doing that all year long and then you get that week of prep, so it's Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then -- you play Friday and then obviously Saturday. So we were used to the longer preps and our guys believe in our game plans and it's obviously a benefit to be able to have that long a time to get your team ready. But our guys and our league, this is a tribute to our league and how tough it is and we're excited to represent Conference USA and obviously the University of North Texas.

Q. Obviously on defense you got it done, but when we talked to you earlier in the week you said that Purdue's defense was going to be really tough to break down. What did y'all do on offense to give y'all some good looks and shoot 47 percent from the field?

GRANT MCCASLAND: Yeah, ultimately if you're going to try to involve their big guys in ball screens, then it makes it difficult to make the right read because they got tremendous -- because they have tremendous size. So what we try to do is maybe limit those ball screens and get other guys involved that we felt like could create advantages. And that's what offense is, right, I mean, you want to create advantages and give your guys leads in order to get great shots and we were blessed to make them. I thought Mardrez McBride really got us going from three today, obviously, then the ball got involved and we made some timely late clock plays at the end of the shot clock, just making the one more, no panic, jump stops, simple plays, and that's what we have been preaching to our guys. But we tried to limit those ball screens with the five because we felt like their defense was geared towards that.

Q. Javion was saying, with about five seconds left, he was kind of looking up at the Purdue fans and he was yelling at them, Don't ever doubt me. I was curious on your perspective on his whole story and really what he's just kind of done for you the last week, really.

GRANT MCCASLAND: Well, it is remarkable. I tell you what's funny about Javion is he didn't choose us the first time. That's the thing. He picked a great school, obviously, out of Junior college and we really, we really wanted him. He actually committed at one point. So I think we have got a unique relationship in that he trusts us and he believes in what we're doing and we believe in him. And that's what's fun about this, right? I mean, you want to be in the fox hole. You want to be in the locker room with guys that you believe in. And because of that belief, and our staff and our staff's belief in him and his belief in his teammates, you can see, I mean, a lot of people maybe be upset with as much as he dribbles up there up top trying to create opportunities, but we didn't turn the ball over very much and our guys know that he can do it. So, but, he puts the work in. There's no confusion with this. The guy works at a crazy rate. Every night, 8:00 to 10:00 he's in the gym and we practice in the morning. So it's anchored in effort. It's anchored in hard work. But his belief and how he actually lives it out on the court is just tremendous, man.

Q. Congrats on the win. I'm glad I was able to get out here and see it. But what can you say about Thomas Bell and what he meant to you guys tonight? He had the first seven points of the game for y'all and ends up with 16 points, five boards. What did he really mean to y'all tonight, especially with some of the struggles he might have had in the conference tournament?

GRANT MCCASLAND: Well, the first three games he didn't struggle. He just had a bad shooting night that last one. But I think where Thomas is just so versatile for us, and we got asked a question about what happened at the end of the game and how we were able to keep Ivey from scoring, and really Thomas Bell walling up at the rim has always been a tremendous part about what we do. And the other thing is, I mean, he had three assists and no turnovers. He's a decision maker for us, he makes the right play, and when you got a guy like that that can make an open three and can play with composure in space and make the simple play, man, his utility is remarkable, and he's so competitive and his rebounds, I thought, were unbelievable tonight when we needed them. And that's where we really got our backs against the wall was not being able to rebound and when your point guard has 12 and Thomas Bell has five, that's a good sign that, for us that we have got a chance to win.

Q. It sounded like you guys were having some fun in the locker room after the game. Can you just describe that environment, and then second, second of all, just how do you get your team refocused for whichever opponent you'll face on Sunday?

GRANT MCCASLAND: Well, you know, locker room celebrations, I kind of wish they weren't on video because you love them for the group that's in there and I'm a terrible dancer and it's pretty much embarrassing. It's out of body for the most part. But I just love these guys, and our team has put a lot into it, and it's funny, it's like they almost don't, they don't really want to celebrate, but they want to celebrate because they know we have more to play for. That's how I'll describe it. I mean, everybody's excited. But there's a resolve to what we're doing. We had to win four games in four days in a conference tournament, so there's not any confusion, like, we have come here and that's what we came here to do was win one game, not to say we can win any more, but I do know the belief in that locker room is that we came here to play for it all. And whether you do or not is to be determined when you play in the games, but there's a resolve in that locker room and an approach that we anticipated playing well and giving ourselves a chance to win.

Q. What does it mean for you, for the university, I know you talked about the Conference USA, you guys play like back-to-back games on the weekend, what does it mean for you personally, knowing that you brought a team to the NCAA tournament and knocked off one of the big blue bloods?

GRANT MCCASLAND: I mean, this is about that locker room, this is about the heart that's put into it. We have got a phenomenal university at the University of North Texas. We're the Mean Green, and may not be all mean, but great people. Dr. Smatresk, our president, really, his heart for students is tremendous. Wren Baker, our athletic director, really, he and Jared Mosley, those two guys in our athletic administration just pour their hearts into it and put us in position and give us the resources to be great. So when you have the resources in our league to give yourself a chance to win, then you just, you get behind your staff and Ross Hodge and Matty B, Matt Braeuer, do our defense with Coach Jareem Dowling, who is the mic guy, who was an unbelievable coach himself and, man, our defense is what I thought won it for us tonight. So it always takes a staff, and Nelson Haggerty and I have been close, and he's our operations, but he's one of my best friends. So it's just fun to be in that locker room with great people and you don't try to worry about all the big things, honestly, you just focus on those people you're around every day and you put your heart into it and you go out there and you try to put everybody in the best position possible to win and we have got a group and a staff that does it and a university that does that. So we're blessed. God's put us in an awesome position and we're thankful and grateful for it.

Q. You talked a little bit about what it means for the university, but what does it mean for your program to win a NCAA tournament game like this?

GRANT MCCASLAND: Yeah, I mean, ultimately if I told you that we didn't plan to do this, I would be lying. I mean, those guys in that locker room came here for this reason, to play in the NCAA tournament and to win. Now, you never know what happens when you get out there and scrap, because you play a team like Purdue, and you know you're going to have to play the best game you could possibly play in order to win. But those guys believe we're going to win. They really do. And that's the part that you love about sports. You just, you, no one out there is any better or any different than you when it comes down to the work you put in and what you control. And we feel like that when we're together we have a great chance to win. So I'll just tell you that it's affirmation of all the hard work that this staff and this program behind the players, and like Zach Simmons was doing rebounding drills this summer of his freshman year incoming and that dude's out there rebounding when it matters. It paid off four years later. So that part just is a blessing and I just tell you, it means a lot to those guys in that locker room.