NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - USC VS KANSAS

March 22, 2021

Isaiah Mobley

Hinkle Fieldhouse

USC Trojans

Postgame Media Conference

USC 85, Kansas 51

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Isaiah Mobley.

Q. Yesterday you were talking about this is the type of moment that as a college hoops fan that you want to grow up being a part of. How does this feel now having punched your ticket to the Sweet 16?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: It feels excellent. Like I've been saying this whole time, this is the opportunity everybody dreams for. I'm glad that we made it. Our whole team is extremely, extremely excited. I think we can carry this momentum throughout the tournament and make an even deeper run.

Q. You talked before about how when you guys are playing confidently, you don't think anyone else in the country can beat you. Was this an example of what you were saying?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Yeah, most definitely. Everyone contributed tonight, whether it showed up on the stat sheet or not. That's the reason we won by the margin we did against such a great and prestigious school like Kansas. They've got great players and great competition. Like I say, when we're confident, I believe in our team, that we can go up against anybody.

Q. Is this what you visualized with you and your brother when you guys came? That was probably the most dominating performance I've seen.

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Definitely. This is what you always dream for. Me and my brother Evan had an excellent season. I think I had a pretty solid season, as well. Then just to cap it off, what a nice run into the March Madness is what any kid would dream for, especially one with a brother that plays at such a high level.

Q. Talk a little bit about the defense particularly, you going up against McCormack. How were you and Evan combined able to slow him down?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Just making sure we limited his touches. Man, he's a big dude, he's active. We also knew he had COVID protocol. I'm good friends with him. I knew we had to run him because he's been quarantined. That helped us a lot. I think it kind of tired him out and the pace of the game was fast. But just really limiting his touches helped us to slow him down. When he caught it in there, he was a load to guard.

Q. Even in your wildest imagination, could you have imagined it going this way? How surreal was this to be a part of?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Definitely, man. Like, this is literally what you dream for. It says it in all the songs, the Future says: Beat the odds, do numbers and remain humble. Just try to keep that motto and keep it rolling from here on out.

Q. What has been the difference for you in these last two games? When you and Evan both are playing like you did tonight, is there anything a team can do to stop you or are you just going to be too overwhelming?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Kind of like I said earlier in the week, it's a team thing. Our team does an excellent job of giving me and Evan good looks. When we are playing like this, I think it spreads to everyone, and we all just become dominant. Of course it gets me and Evan going, like you guys seen in this game, it got Isaiah White going, Max, Tajh got it going, Chevez. It spreads out like a cancer, a good cancer at that.

When we're rolling and everyone else gets going with us, I think we're going to be a very hard team to beat throughout our run in March Madness.

Q. Have you been kind of following how well the Pac-12 is doing? You really kind of put an exclamation point on the weekend for the conference.

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Most definitely I've been following it. I got friends all throughout, old teammates. And just as a member of the conference, you want to see them do well. Obviously now we got Oregon. Don't necessarily want to see them do too well next game just as a competitor.

But yeah, I'm happy for all the Pac-12 people. Even our rivalry, UCLA, glad them guys got their W, Oregon State, everyone, Colorado. It's a joy to see. I feel like our conference has been a little bit disrespected throughout the year, saying the Big 12, some of these other conferences were the more dominant ones. Now we're showing when it matters most what our conference can do.

Q. Curious how you and your teammates have kind of passed the time and stayed in check in the bubble environment? How are you staying fresh and focused as you turn the page to go to the Sweet 16? Is it tough to stay locked in?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: It's definitely not easy, definitely gets boring at times. We are still in school so there's that, that takes a little bit of time, which is nice. We practice.

Our team is an extremely close team chemistry-wise. When we are allowed to be around each other, we hang out, we talk. That passes a lot of time. Also us being an L.A. school where L.A. is a hotspot for COVID, it's kind of like the life you've been living throughout. We told ourselves if we're going to be over here in this bubble for a minute, we might as well unpack our bags, just try to stay for a while.

It's not nothing too much of an adjustment just because how locked down L.A. is and how strict we've been with our team to try to avoid the COVID restrictions. It's definitely not easy just sitting around. There also is March Madness going on, so that helps pass the time as well.

Q. You were really good from three today. That was kind of a shift from that first game where you only shot two threes. What was different in today's game?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: They were playing off. I've been shooting well, so the coaches have been giving me all the confidence to shoot it. When I got my opportunities, I took 'em. I think I went about like 4-5. That's pretty good.

I don't necessarily like to sit on the three always. But if they're giving them to me, I'm going to take them. I've been working on them, along with my free throws. As long as they keep giving me those opportunities, I'm going to keep taking them. Hopefully they just keep falling.

Q. You guys already matched up against Oregon earlier in the season. You beat them by 14. Obviously both you guys had big wins today. How do you think you match up against them?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Oregon is a really good team. They've been on a roll. I don't want to say necessarily they got luck because they are a good team. But they stole the Pac-12 championship from us. I think we match up well, though. We both have chips against our shoulders because we beat them, and they got the championship from us.

I think it will a great matchup. Not often do you see two Pac-12 schools, No. 1 and No. 2, match up in the Sweet 16. I think that will be interesting as well. We'll have to execute our game plan like we did tonight and take it to them.

Q. You've been shooting your three well this month. Even for you a setback was kind of a new wrinkle to your game. What does that say about the confidence you're playing with right now?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: I'm extremely confident. I have been playing at a high level for a long time now. So moments like this, they don't necessarily scare me. Like I said, you live for these opportunities.

Here also, there's some fans, so that also boosts, I feel like, at least my confidence a whole lot. And, yeah, just having faith in myself and God's blessed me with the talents that I have. I've got my mojo going so I hopefully just keep it going.

Q. It hasn't been since 2007 that USC has been to the Sweet 16. When you and your brother committed to USC, it had been quite a while since this program had been successful. What does it mean to be a part of that renaissance this year?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: It means excellent. Me and Evan, we always play to win, whether that means we score 40 each, 40 points each, or if that means 6 points because everyone else is hot.

We've always been a selfish soul. Whatever it takes to win, I'm willing to sacrifice. If that means I got to go get 25 rebounds, the game doesn't allow me to shoot a shot, then that's what I'll do. I feel like Evan feels the same way.

Then being part of a historic team, I feel like this team has made history all throughout the season. Why not make a little bit more? We swept Arizonas, things of that nature. We have one of the better records here.

Also just for me personally, I feel like I owe it to our alums who didn't get to go last year to the tournament. So I got to play with that extra chip on my shoulder. I kind of make sure Evan knows that as well, even though he wasn't necessarily a part of it as much last year.

Q. To kind of put a bow on this game, you took a demanding halftime lead. Was there a time you talked to your team as captain and said, They can't beat us tonight?

ISAIAH MOBLEY: Not really to be honest. In the words of the great, late great Kobe Bryant, I told the team at halftime: The job's not done. We just had to keep fighting because Kansas is an excellent team. I believe last game in the tournament they were down all game and they came back and won. We told them just step on the gas all the way through. Once my guys, Amar and Reggie, kind of came in, that's when I kind of let my temperament come down a little bit.

Yeah, I'm excited for our team and ready to go.