NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - GRAND CANYON VS IOWA

March 20, 2021

Luka Garza

Indiana Farmers Coliseum

Iowa Hawkeyes

Postgame Media Conference

Iowa - 86, Grand Canyon - 74

THE MODERATOR: We'll start we'll start with questions.

Q. This seemed like a methodical performance. Did you kind of relish the crowd that was facing you a little bit and kind of the upset bid that was coming?

LUKA GARZA: I don't think so. I think they're a really good team with a lot of weapons and they got a great size. They know how to get the ball inside and it's tough to guard when they're raising all the wings and I'm supposed to front. So it makes it hard when they throw that over the top pass. So I think throughout the game, I think for us we needed to do a better job getting stops, but with me getting in foul trouble in the first half, it kind of stopped us from being able to get a bigger lead in the first half.

But we had a lot of guys really step up, but I wouldn't personally call it methodical. I think we definitely got to be able to be better on the defensive end, especially in the second half. I think we got a really, really good lead and I think we kind of relaxed a little bit on the defensive end and it started trading baskets and they started making some shots and we were able to pull it out, but I think we got to definitely do a better job on the defensive end in the second half.

Q. With not having a game for a week and being in the hotel as long as you've been, how do you account for being as crisp as you guys were coming out of the shoot?

LUKA GARZA: I think we have been working really hard. We're really glad that we have the opportunity to be able to get in the gym as much as we are. We have practice every day and we have shooting times and different things like that. So everybody's been able to get locked into getting our shots out, staying ready. We pushed ourselves to stay in shape and did a lot of conditioning drills this week, because we know, when you take a week off playing and you don't do anything in terms of conditioning, you can lose that a little bit. So I think we did a really good job and you could see none of us were tired at all, even after a week break from games. So that, so I'm proud of our guys for being able to do that.

Q. This was one of the best teams in the country when it came to defending the three, yet you guys were able to hit almost 50 percent, and in your case you were 4-5 from three. Did you see that as a potential matchup going in, that you, something you could exploit, just simply because they were going to want to come out to hit you on the three-point perimeter, and how, across the board, how good of a performance was this shooting from the perimeter?

LUKA GARZA: We definitely talked about it going into this game that we wanted to be able to kind of drag their big man. He's really, really good, but we wanted to be able to put me in pick and pop situation because we know, especially even myself as a big man, it's really hard to guard a pick and pop. So I think I tried to do that early, and I think that kind of messed them up in terms of their ball screen coverage, and then J Bo was allowed to get some pull-up threes and then I think we did a really good job in screening and pushing the pace throughout the course of the game to find our shooters some open shots, and I think we definitely shot it well, and we can shoot it even better and obviously we can clean up some stuff on different things.

Q. When there's a big upset in this tournament it seems that the team that pulls the upset gets off to a solid start. How important was it that you guys did start as quick as you did with the quick 11-2 lead?

LUKA GARZA: I think watching all the games yesterday we got to learn some lessons from other teams, and in terms of not being able to come out as good as you want to. So we wanted to make sure that we threw the first punch tonight, and they're a really, really good team, and they were able to punch back and they have held their own against a lot of great teams, Colorado, Arizona State, a lot of teams. So, you know, we knew what we were facing and we knew they weren't just going to back down, so we had to continue to keep fighting. I think we threw another punch at the beginning of the second half, but we had kind of a stretch there where we weren't as great on the defensive end and that's what led to this game getting closer than it maybe should have.

Q. The bench helped you guys kind of recover a little bit early. Did you notice anything different from your bench today than you had seen from normal?

LUKA GARZA: Can you say that one more time? You broke up.

Q. The bench helped you kind of recover a little bit towards the beginning of the first half, so did you notice anything different from the bench today than you've seen in normal games?

LUKA GARZA: I think we have had that mentality all year about next man up and I think our bench has been so great for us throughout the year. And I think especially when couple guys started to get in foul trouble, you saw Keegan Murray, Patrick McCaffery, Joe Toussaint, Tony Perkins, so many guys come in and really, really step up and help us get this win. They did a terrific job. They came with a lot of energy and I think we all know those guys can do that and they have done that over the course of this year and you look at our best wins, those guys have great performances off the bench and are helping us out a lot.

So especially when we don't have Jack Nunge, who is another key piece of the bench and you get another guy to step up like Keegan Murray on the inside, it's really great for our team.

Q. What have you observed I guess just in this week in the hotel that leads you to believe you guys are ready to be here awhile?

LUKA GARZA: I think we're really focused. I think everything we do, every meeting, every film session, everything, you can tell this team is really locked in and we know what we have to do to be able to move on. This tournament is survive and advance, you got to be able to be focused every single possession of every game and I think to be critical of ourselves, I think in the second half we lost that a little bit on the defensive end and we're going to pick that up and make sure that we don't do that on Monday.

Q. Oregon Monday. They got a bye of sorts. Do you have any thoughts about that?

LUKA GARZA: Honestly, with this COVID year, you got to be able to expect the unexpected. We have seen it all year, conference tournaments, different things like that. This stuff is going to happen. Teams are going to get sick. It's what happens. You have to be able to adjust, you have to be able to be ready for anything, and I think Coach McCaffery has been preaching that all year. So for our group, I don't think this bothers us at all. We're going to come in locked in and be able to go out there and give our best.

Q. You talked earlier about the three-point shooting. As far as your own stats, I believe that, obviously all year you were fantastic, but in your past four games in March you only made 2-14 and then tonight exploded for 4-5. Is it something that teams have been focusing on you recently at the three-point line or were there better looks tonight or were you more confident? What was the difference?

LUKA GARZA: I think, honestly, if you look at all those threes, I didn't take a bad three. I was just missing some. I think that the great thing about being a part of this team and program is they were preaching so much confidence into me going into this game. They were telling me before the game the whole game plan was for me to pick and pop. And for me to feel that after knowing that I've been on a little cold streak from three it gives me confidence. I know I'm a great shooter, I've worked so hard at it, and I think in a couple games, besides the Wisconsin game on senior day, in the conference tournament I think I got a little gun shy from three. I missed my first couple and I let myself think about it. Tonight I went into this thinking that I wasn't going to do any of that, no matter -- I'm going to take a great shot every time down and if it misses or it makes, I'm going to do the same thing. Obviously I missed some shots I could have made tonight, but I kept battling and I kept going and that's my mentality every single game.

Q. Just to jog your memory, I realize you're fresh off the game, but you played Oregon two and a half years ago. They're a very different team now than they were at Madison Square Garden that night. But in terms of initial reaction, do you remember from their matchup zone and how you played them against their defense in that game?

LUKA GARZA: I think for us that was a big weekend for us in terms of the New York 2K Classic as a program. We were coming off a 14-19 year and we were really focused on being better on the defensive end. So when you look at that game, we did a really good job defensively through the game and they had a lot of really good players and some guys that are still there, but obviously a lot of them are gone now, but we're, we know that the type of style of play they have and we have a couple guys who are back from that team, so we're excited to start watching some film and get ready. We know they have some incredible guys. You talk about Duarte and LJ Figueroa, Omoruyi, who we saw at Rutgers, I played against him and a lot of guys have played against him. So we know they have a lot of really, really good players, so we're excited for the opportunity to play such a great team.