NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL FOUR: HOUSTON VS BAYLOR

April 3, 2021

Jared Butler

Lucas Oil Stadium - Unity Court (South)

Baylor Bears

Semi-Final Postgame Media Conference

Baylor - 78, Houston - 59

JARED BUTLER: Jared Butler.

Q. Obviously you had a great first half, really came out on fire. What went into that? Were you just feeling it in a specially good groove or were your guys just getting it to you?

JARED BUTLER: You know, I'm a shooter. Sometimes the ball goes in. Sometimes the ball doesn't go in. It's just about me staying confident through it all. And tonight just the ball went in. And it's one of the big games, thankfully the ball went in when we needed it the most. So, yeah, that's about it.

Q. Your pick-and-roll offense looked good in the first half. In the second half what do you think you did so good against Houston to score so effectively in that action?

JARED BUTLER: We did a good job understanding what they were doing. We got in the groove of what they were doing and we were able to take advantage of it. They didn't switch up the ball-screen coverage that much. So we were just able to adapt to it and find out what was working and I think that was the reason why.

Q. Jared, the bench contributions, I mean you've all had it almost all year, but to get that like you did -- from Jonathan, from Matthew, from Flagler, even Mark Paterson hitting a jumper there at the end -- how big was that to see that contribution from the bench?

JARED BUTLER: It's the same. I say the same thing all the time. Like, when we're all connected and we're all united, it's hard for anybody to beat us. And we got a lot of guys who would start on other teams on Division I easily. Got a lot of pros, and I think that's why we're so good.

That's why we're making it to the national championship game. And that's what we're going to need in the championship game, too, as well.

Q. You guys have had little stretches where you've been so close to what you were back in January. Could you feel this happening, the crescendo building, not just with yourself but with everyone else tonight?

JARED BUTLER: It's kind of weird. I haven't thought about it in a while. But it's starting to feel like we're back to where we were before the pause. And it's great that this is the right time. And we thought it was the worst thing possible when we stopped and it was a three-week break.

But I think it worked out perfectly for us. And we can overcome a lot of things. And we're built different, and we've just got to finish it.

Q. Now that you guys have punched your ticket to the national championship, has that sunk in yet? What's that like knowing that you guys have made it to the national championship?

JARED BUTLER: It hasn't sunk in yet, to be honest with you. It still feels like we're playing basketball. We go back to the hotel. It's just us, us the team. And we just got one mission, one goal.

I think it will sink in later on in life or maybe two months from now when I'm, like, wow, we're really in the national championship game, or when I watch it next year and I'm, like, wow, that's what we did, that's what we were part of. But it hasn't sunk in yet, but I know it will soon for sure.

Q. What do you remember your reaction was when everything got canceled last year? Obviously you guys had a really good year. And number two, was it ever close to some of the guys not coming back, whether it was you or Davion to maybe go to the NBA, and what do you think pulled you back?

JARED BUTLER: Yeah, I just remember when it got canceled, it was like a tornado hitting our town in Waco, Texas and just destroying everything. It was, like, what? It was so crazy. We just couldn't understand it. We couldn't fathom it. And it didn't sink in until later.

I think once the season ended -- I don't think the COVID ending was like a big reason why everybody came back, but I think we all explored our options equally and we wanted to see where we were at in our basketball career. And we just made the decision to come back. And we felt like, each one of us felt like coming back was the best option. And that's what all there was and I think it was the best option for sure.

Q. If it is Gonzaga on Monday how do you all think you match up with them?

JARED BUTLER: I think we match up pretty well. They've got pros. We've got pros. They win a lot of games. We win a lot of games. I think we match up well.

Q. 17 in the first half and you didn't score in the second. Was that a change in your mentality, in the way that they were defending you? What was the difference for you between the first and second half?

JARED BUTLER: I think it's part of just me not being as aggressive. And then just opportunities, too, off the ball screen they were doubling basically off the ball screen. And it just gave me opportunity to hit other guys.

And like MaCio Teague stepped up in the second half and John stepped up and Flo. That's really what it was. I just tried to make the right read every play. That's about it.

Q. At what point in the season did you realize this team they can win the national championship? At what moment or what turning point was it this year, last year, that you say you know what, this group of guys can win the national championship?

JARED BUTLER: That's a great question. I knew we were a great team when we broke the record at Oklahoma. We won like 23, 25 games in a row -- 23 games in a row. And it was like the Big 12 record of winning streak. And we were in the locker room and everybody was, like, this is it, this is us, this is what we do, this is what we came to Baylor to do.

And I think at that point I thought wow we've got some guys, we've got some real winners in the room. And I think at that moment I feel like we can always make it to the Final Four and the national championship game.

Q. I believe one of your original scholarship offers was from Virginia. I was wondering, what are your memories of watching them win their own championship game a couple years ago?

JARED BUTLER: It was kind of bittersweet. I love Virginia. I think Tony Bennett does a great job and the guys -- Kyle Guy, De'Andre Hunter -- I went on a visit there so I kind of knew the guys. So I thought, wow, that's really cool. I thought it was really cool. I love Virginia, their coaches and stuff like that.

But it just kind of inspired me. And I felt like I could be a part of that. And I guess I am a part of it. So, cool.

Q. If you all win Monday. It would be the second men's national championship in any sport. What would that mean to Baylor? And do you feel like you guys are putting Baylor on the map more definitively?

JARED BUTLER: Oh, totally. That was one of my goals and I know some of my teammates' goals, just to leave a legacy at Baylor, create Baylor as blue blood. And get guys coming to Baylor and seen as highly touted, respected program. And Coach Drew is the coach for it, and the staff is the staff for it. And that's what I wanted to do.

And you've got to win national championships. You've got to win consecutively. And you've got to just be a great program, be about the right things, and that's what we were doing. That's what I want to do.

Q. You guys defensively have been so locked in all this year, but really just take us through the game today against Houston in the first half and how you pretty much shut them down with the exception of Sasser. What was the key defensively to get off to that start?

JARED BUTLER: We went through their plays pretty well. We studied those guys pretty well and knew their tendencies. We wanted to come out as the aggressors. And you've got to start that on the defensive end especially in a game like this. People can get hot and see the ball go through.

We had to set the tone early. We did a great job of doing that and fighting over ball screens. No easy layups. And defensive rebounding that was a huge key for us. And we did that well early on, and I think that just set the tone for the rest of the way.