NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL: ORAL ROBERTS VS ARKANSAS

March 27, 2021

Davonte Davis

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Arkansas Razorbacks

Sweet 16 Postgame Media Conference

Arkansas - 72, Oral Roberts - 70

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the NCAA March Madness post-game press conference, featuring the Arkansas Razorbacks. With that, we have joining us this evening, Davonte Davis. We're glad to have you here.

Q. Devo, I want to ask you about the play of Jalen Tate tonight. He scored in double figures in both halves, including 12 points and 7 assists in the second half and hit some pretty big shots late.

DAVONTE DAVIS: He's amazing. Like you said, he played well, and he was scoring the ball. We needed that spark, and he did it. Down the stretch, he contributed for us, and the last play of our possession, he drove, and they came in, and he kicked it out to me.

I stayed composed, and I knocked the shot down.

Q. The last play, you all might have wanted to keep it away from Max, but just detail what happened on that play and what you saw.

DAVONTE DAVIS: Once they called a second time-out, we knew he was going to banana cut. We just tried to make sure he catch the ball in front of us and not behind us. As you saw, he did that, but we tried not to foul him as well. So we did that, and we hope that he didn't make the shot. As you saw, it rimmed out, and that's what we needed, and we looked up and got that, and we ended the game like that.

Q. Devo, I was wondering if you could talk about some of the adjustments you guys made on the second half on both ends of the floor defensively.

DAVONTE DAVIS: We as a team, we really didn't need a lot of adjustments. We just needed to play harder and figure out ways to get to the basket because the first game we had like 57 paint points, and that's what we needed. We needed paint points, and as you seen, we got to the rim in the second half, and we out-toughed them, and that's what it came down to.

We figured the game out, and Jalen Tate led us that way, and there comes Moses and Justin and Desi and the rest of the team contributed as well. That's what we needed for sure.

Q. Devo, along those same lines, you all got down 12, and Coach Muss called a time-out. I was wondering what the message was during the time-out to spark your run to get back into it.

DAVONTE DAVIS: We knew we had to play harder. That's all it was. We wasn't playing hard. We was playing slow. We was letting them slow us down, and that's not what we needed. We're a fast team. We like to score in the paint, like I said. And as you seen, we did that.

And Coach Muss know that we're always going to compete. As you seen, the last couple games, we played down, and we need to stop doing that. But as you're seeing, we got the job done. We finished the game, and that's all it comes down to. As long as we get the win, we're fine with it.

Q. Devo, can you kind of us walk us through your progress as a freshman, or maybe it wasn't as easy -- coming as easy for you early in the year, and obviously now you're a starter, producing more. What have been the major important steps along the way for your development?

DAVONTE DAVIS: Just staying in the gym. Just being able to compete at practice and just becoming a better player and a better team player. That's what I wanted from the jump. Coming to Fayetteville is a choice that I didn't know I was going to make, and I made the right choice for sure.

I love this team. I love this community, and I love the coaching staff. I feel that we've come a long way for sure. Me as a freshman, I've come a long way as well, from not starting, from not playing, to being able to just have freedom, like Coach Muss gives me. It's fun playing with this team, and I love it.

Q. Devo, could you just describe that sequence where Jalen had the ball and then got it to you for the game-winning shot. You seemed pretty calm. How exciting is it to hit a shot like that to send your team to the Elite Eight?

DAVONTE DAVIS: It's a dream come true. I've never thought about something like this. Coming into this season, I was just trying to come in and make sure that I compete and make sure that we win games. Being able to compete for a National Championship is crazy.

Like you said, the last second shot, it feels good, but I can't worry about this game. I've got to put it behind me, and we've got to prepare. We've got 48 hours to prepare for this next game. We play Baylor, and hopefully we can come out with the win. We're going to compete for sure, and we're going to make sure that we get the job done.

Q. I believe this time last year you were sharing a state championship because the season where the final game was cancelled due to COVID. Can you look back at how you felt this time last year and how it compares to now?

DAVONTE DAVIS: I was thinking about that last night actually. It's wild. I mean, I wasn't able to compete for a state title, like you said, and it frustrated me a little bit, but I knew that, coming into this year, it was a different mindset. It's not just a state title. It's a national title now.

So just being able to compete to that coming into the Elite Eight, and just knowing the stage is bigger for sure, and I'm ready. I know the team's ready. As a whole, we're all going to come in, and we're going to play hard, and we're going to try to win this thing for sure. I know they're ready, and I'm glad that they trusted me, and I trusted them guys. We're going to come in, and we're ready to play for sure.

Q. I just wanted to -- you started out the game kind of denying Abmas the entire time, and the second half you changed to doubling him everywhere he went without the ball. What was the plan to guard him going into the game, and how did that change as the game went on? What was Coach Muss saying the entire time?

DAVONTE DAVIS: We wanted to play solid, just play solid, try to shade him one way, that's for sure. Like you said, we tried to get the ball out of his hands in the second half, and it helped us a little bit. I feel like that's what led us to getting the lead and tying the game up with the game. I feel that we did a pretty good job with the soft traps and things like that to help us out down the stretch.

I think that Abmas is a great player, and they were calling a lot of fouls for him. We were in foul trouble, so we were trying to play soft. Also, if we needed to switch, we'll switch for sure.

Q. Double double tonight for Justin Smith.

You talked about playing harder. How important was his activity on the boards, particularly down the stretch?

DAVONTE DAVIS: Phenomenal. He's a great offensive rebounder for sure, and that's one thing I love about him. He's going to work hard on the boards, and if he got four fouls, he'll get that fifth foul for the team just to try to get that rebound.

And that's what I love about him. He's always going to compete. He played 40 minutes a night, and that's tough to do coming in as a player, not knowing how the year's going to go for him.

He's come in. He's contributed to the team. He's a leader, and that's what we love about him. He's going to lead us, and he's going to play his hardest.

Q. Hey, Devo, obviously, congratulations on an awesome win. That's a really big win for you guys as a team and for you in particular. You're obviously a really young kid, so you haven't had to face as much pressure as you had tonight. So what was it like when you had the ball in your hands to take that final shot?

DAVONTE DAVIS: I think I put in the work. I put in the work, and I know that the work is going to come, and it's going to come, and that's what it came down to, just putting in the work. As you seen, I knocked the shot down.

Like you said, pressure -- I don't think of it as pressure on me for sure. I think I'm made for them type of plays. As you seen, I knocked the shot down.

Q. Devo, this is the first time Arkansas has gone to the Elite Eight since '95, the defending National Championship team, and almost won another one. What's it feel like to get this far as a freshman?

DAVONTE DAVIS: I can't explain this. It's wild. Just knowing that coming from my high school, where a lot of people don't get this opportunity to now, and it's crazy. I mean, I came to the game with my sunglasses on, things like that, and just knowing that I'm coming ready to play, and I know my team's going to compete with me. It's amazing just being able to be in this position right now as an individual and as an Arkansas player, I feel wonderful.

I know the fans are feeling good, and I know everyone else out there in Fayetteville, they representing. I know that we're ready to play. This upcoming game, we're not going to dig a hole. We're going to come out, we're going to compete from the jump, and we're going to grind it out.

Q. Digging holes seems to be working for you guys pretty good.

DAVONTE DAVIS: Oh, yeah, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Davonte, very much, and welcome to the Elite Eight.

DAVONTE DAVIS: Thank you. Thank you.