NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL: VILLANOVA VS BAYLOR

March 27, 2021

Davion Mitchell

Hinkle Fieldhouse

Baylor Bears

Sweet 16 Postgame Media Conference

Baylor - 62, Villanova - 51

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Davion Mitchell.

Q. Davion, looked like in the second half you all were attacking the basket much better, ratcheted up the defense. What was kind of the plan going into the half?

DAVION MITCHELL: Going into halftime Coach told us we could get to the paint anytime we want. All our missed 3s off the dribble, we was basically bailing them out. We wasn't making them guard. We were shooting contested 3s. But I think we did a great job the second half getting to the paint. I mean, don't matter if you got a shot-clock violation, we got to the paint and we knew we were going to keep putting pressure on their defense and they was going to collapse eventually.

Q. What does it say about the defense with a game like this (indiscernible) Kansas and Oklahoma State games?

DAVION MITCHELL: I'm sorry, you were breaking up.

Q. What does it say about where you all are defensively that you forced nine Villanova turnovers in the second half and they only had six combined the last two games?

DAVION MITCHELL: We knew if we wanted to win we had to turn them over. We had to make them feel uncomfortable. They're a really fundamental team. They don't turn the ball over. They're number one in the country in not to turning the ball over. For us to win, we had to get them out of their comfort zone, and I think we did a really good job of that.

Q. You guys just seemed to be more confident when you guys switched to the matchup zone there in the second half. What is it that helped you guys get that confidence there to the point where you go on that 14-2 run to kind of seal it?

DAVION MITCHELL: I would say our bench. They gave us a lot of energy. They don't get a lot of credit, but they gave us a lot of energy, especially the second half. They picked it up and we picked it up -- you can see on the floor defensively we picked it up just because of them. They're talking. Even our teammates on the floor, though, we did a really good job staying in front of our man. And we knew that defense would turn into offense and that's what it did.

Q. Can you talk about the defensive pressure that you put on them, and they don't make a lot of mistakes characteristically? Did you sense them unraveling a little bit (indiscernible)?

DAVION MITCHELL: Yeah, I felt I had to put pressure on the ball more. They were running their offense, and Coach Drew told me you've got to put pressure on the ball, especially because those guys are really good one-on-one. They make the right play most of the time. And if I can disrupt their offense and make them swing it to the other side and waste time it will help us out. I think I did a good job.

Justin Moore is a really good guard. He didn't play my pace, he kept his pace the whole game. I just tried to make it hard for him and we came out with the win.

Q. What does it mean to get to the Elite Eight with this group, and how critical is preparation for Monday?

DAVION MITCHELL: Means a lot. We put in a lot of work, a lot of time. Our whole life we've been working for this moment. I think we just love to win. We love to keep playing and we love being in the (indiscernible) obviously. So, we're just going to keep playing our hardest and go 1-0 each day.

Q. What do you think the biggest difference was from the first half to the second half, and how they guarded you and how you adjusted as a team?

DAVION MITCHELL: Like I said, we took a lot of dribble 3s. They was running offense. They were getting good looks. The second half we disrupted them defensively, making them turn the ball over. We got to the paint, like, the whole entire half. We shot, I think, like two off-the-dribble 3s. And Coach told us we're not going to win if we keep shooting off-the-dribble 3s. It's not falling tonight. Gotta trust our teammates. Gotta get in the paint.

I think Jared did a good job in the first half. He shot a lot of dribble 3s, but in the second half he trusted us. He was a leader on the floor. He was a leader defensively, offensively. I think that's what changed the game.

Q. As a team, when you get one or two turnovers, is there sort of a blood-in-the-water mentality that makes you want to ramp it up even more when you get a couple like that?

DAVION MITCHELL: Yes, for sure, especially with that team right there. They don't turn the ball over at all. Most of the time they don't turn the ball over. Like you said, the last two games they had six turnovers. They can handle the ball. They're well-coached.

Just them turning the ball over and us leading to offense really helped us a lot because I know that Coach is mad because he's not expecting them to turn the ball over because that's not what they do. So just disrupt them, definitely changed the game, too.

Q. When you beat Villanova last year, Collin Gillespie had 27 points. My question, number one, they seem like a completely different team without him. And number two, how do you prepare to play a team knowing that their star point guard will not be playing?

DAVION MITCHELL: We prepare every game the same. We don't look it as one player can beat us. They're really good. They feed off him. He's definitely a really great player. He's definitely a leader on the floor, you can tell. But we prepared like any other game. Whoever the point guard was, we just tried to make them go to their weakness. We try to stay away from their extremes.

And the first question, what was the first question again?

Q. They seemed like a completely different team versus with him versus without him.

DAVION MITCHELL: For sure they don't have a guy that gets to the paint every time like Collin does. They're kind of relying on the post, or they're kind of posting up. Collin can shoot it, get to the rim, get to the paint, get assists, shoot the mid-range. But he does a really good about that.

I wouldn't say they're a completely different team because they still play the same. But they don't have that guard that can get to the paint every time like Collin did.

Q. With you guys having the reputation of being such a great 3-point shooting team, what does it say about the resourcefulness that you guys were so committed to and successful going to the glass in the second half like you did?

DAVION MITCHELL: We're just a team that don't rely on the 3. That's what we do. We can all shoot the ball. We all work on that. But we know every night it's not going to fall. We know that for us to win we've got to be able to guard and then we've got to be able to get to the rim. I think our guards, every one of our guards can get to the rim and finish, can get to the rim and pass the ball. I think the second half that's what they did.

Q. Composure, how important was that at halftime in terms of being down seven? How did you imagine to keep your cool a little bit (indiscernible)? Composure, just staying composed at halftime, down seven, how did you approach the halftime break and how did it carry over to the second half?

DAVION MITCHELL: We didn't let our head down. We know they're a really good team. We didn't expect them -- to blow them out. They played really good the first half and we didn't play really good. We was down seven and we were 2-for-12 from 3, something we don't really do.

I feel like we did a really good job of keeping our head up and taking it to the second half. We kind of punched them in the second half as they punched us in the mouth the first half.

Q. Villanova was potentially going to be on the schedule for you guys to start the year and that game never even had a chance to happen due to COVID. Was there any extra fire you guys had to play Villanova, another team considered top in the nation, in this Sweet 16 matchup?

DAVION MITCHELL: I wouldn't say it was desire. I just feel like that was a team in our way to get to the Elite Eight. Whoever we were going to play we had to play our hardest. Yeah, everything happens for a reason. We didn't get to play them in the beginning of the season but we get to see them now. And I feel like they were in our way, and we took it to heart and we played our hardest out there.

Q. I want to ask you about the dunk that Brandon Slater had, put them up 39-33. It was like a pretty emphatic play. And yet just looking at the score sheet, that kind of was the turning point. I'm wondering how you guys reacted to that play.

DAVION MITCHELL: We were reacting to any dunk. He's really athletic. He's a really good player. It's just two points. That's the way we look at it. We don't really look at it like it's a hard dunk. It's two points, regular layup. We didn't look at it like that. We just try to go down the floor and get our best shot, and next time we try to get a stop.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.