NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - CREIGHTON VS SAN DIEGO ST.

March 16, 2022

Ryan Hawlkins

Arthur Kaluma

Alex McConnell

Dickies Arena

Creighton Bluejays

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right. Welcome to the student-athletes from the Creighton Blue Jays. Mr. Kaluma is sitting closest to me, Mr. O'Connell, and Mr. Hawkins.

We will take questions from the room of the student-athletes. And then if there are any from those joining us on ZOOM, we will entertain those after questions in the room have been exhausted.

Let's start in the room, questions for the student athletes.

Starting on the left.

Q. All right. We'll get the Adam questions out of the way here. You mentioned on Sunday that the last time you guys played, you guys were playing one-on-one and you ended up busting his nose. I was listening back and I was, like, what? So what led up to that? How did that happen?

ARTHUR KALUMA: We were in a really intense game. I think this was the last game going in, like we were at our last spot. And I come down after making a layup, and my elbow hit him directly on his nose and he was leaking. So that's what happened when I busted his nose, for real.

THE MODERATOR: To the right.

Q. Ryan, Alex, being seniors, has it kind of set in that the end of the road is right around the corner? And are you trying to just soak up every last minute of these experiences?

THE MODERATOR: Go ahead, Mr. O'Connell, first.

ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I mean, it's definitely in the back of our minds as seniors. But I think we're trying to use it as motivation and use it as fuel to extend this last year as long as we can and, you know, win as many games as we can down this tournament stretch.

THE MODERATOR: All right.

Mr. Hawkins?

RYAN HAWKINS: It's just a lot different for me. So I'm kind of trying to make sure I'm enjoying it, enjoying the moment. It's the biggest stage in basketball. And so I know coming from the D2 level, I'm just trying to enjoy the experience.

Kind of like Alex said, we're not here just to experience it. We're here to win games and have a little bit of fun while we're here. so that's our attitude going towards it.

THE MODERATOR: Mr. Kaluma, being a freshman, do you feel like you're trying to play for your elder statesmen here knowing it could be their last time playing for Creighton?

ARTHUR KALUMA: I mean, definitely. I want my guys to -- all my teammates to be successful. And having a successful senior year is the epitome of great basketball. And I want them -- I want to share that with the team and share it with my seniors, as well.

THE MODERATOR: Back on left.

Q. The leading scorer for San Diego State, Matt Bradley, kind of a unique build, 6'4, 220, broad-shouldered dude, what's the challenge of guarding somebody like that?

ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah, I mean, he's a good -- he's definitely a good playmaker. He creates his shots off the dribble and off the jab and uses pump fakes. I mean, it's going to be a team effort in trying to hold him and limit his points tomorrow. So, I mean, we kind of game plan around that. It's just going to come down to who's ready and who plays tougher tomorrow.

Q. Arthur, in a game like this where both you guys and San Diego State are -- do so well on the defensive-end. How important is each possession going to be in a game like this, that will probably be a grind it out, every point matters?

ARTHUR KALUMA: I mean, in every game in college basketball, each possession really does matter. In this one especially, I mean, we're both very good defensive teams. So we should see -- we'll just see who's the better man that day. But I know we should pull it off.

Q. Ryan, you guys have called the biggest defensive player of the year. They've got Nathan Mense of the Mountain West defensive player of the year. When you watch him on film, what makes him a force on protecting the rim and whatever else he does there?

RYAN HAWKINS: Yeah. Long and athletic a lot like Paul Brenner; so he changes a lot of shots around the rim. So we've played quite a few guys like that in the big East. We're going to have to do it again today. We're going to have to get into the lane and create for others. So while he's a great, great shot blocker, we've played against a lot of really great shot blockers this year.

Q. Alex, for the younger guys like Trey, like Roddy who really haven't played in this setting before, what's kind of the advice you give to them to try and block out all the noise, all the fanfare that comes with playing in this tournament?

ALEX O'CONNELL: I mean, my advice to them would just be continue to play the way that they've been playing. These freshmen have played like grown men all season, especially with the adversity that we've handled and with Nembhard going down and Trey and our -- these young guys stepping up. So, I mean, for them to just continue to play the basketball they've played has just been really good for us; so that would be my advice.

Q. Art, what did you learn from your brother about work ethic and -- I've heard that he was a very studious player growing up. What have you learned about him?

ARTHUR KALUMA: My brother was always, like, the hardest worker everywhere he went. And it's something I looked forward -- I mean, I looked up to growing up. I mean, I looked up -- he's the reason I play basketball today. Because I used to go and watch him play his games. And I'd see his approach to the game and his professionalism when it came to stuff like getting shots up on your own, really focusing on defense, watching film. You know, it was just inspirational to me. And it really got me into the sport.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Anyone else in the room?

Okay. Back on the left.

Q. Alex, they're a great shooting team percentage-wise. They're 36 percent as a team. How does that change your guys' responsibility on the perimeter knowing you have to kind of keep a hand close at all times?

ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I mean, we've -- kind of like Hawk said about playing against the shot blockers, I mean, playing in the Big East, you get a good feel for that. Some of the teams we played against later down the stretch were really good three-point shooting teams. So it doesn't really change our approach, but we're mentally preparing for that, and we know that that's the key to the game.

Q. Ryan, being one of those older leaders in the locker room, what's kind of the sense that you get from this team heading into tomorrow? Is it loose, is it a little nerves, a little confidence, some of each?

RYAN HAWKINS: I'd say it's pretty consistent with what we've had all year. We have a really energetic group who -- they don't understand fear. They're just not afraid of anything. The moment's never too big for them, and that's really cool to see.

Last night at the hotel, we were all nice and loose, handing out. And even today at practice, we were joking around beforehand. So I think the feeling is the same as any other game that it's been this year. But now it's win or go home; so we need to make sure we're ready for tomorrow.

Q. Apologies if you've been asked this before. But for any of you, when you look at film at San Diego State, do you see a little bit of yourselves in the sense that they play a lot of defense and sometimes struggle on offense and just kind of will their way to wins?

THE MODERATOR: Let's start with close to me, Mr. Kaluma.

ARTHUR KALUMA: Yeah. Their defense is definitely something to brag home about. Offensive, though, I don't see a lot of similarities. I mean, we got a lot of shooters, and we facilitate offense just like any other team. So I feel like we should -- like, there's not a lot of similarities between us and them besides defense.

THE MODERATOR: Mr. O'Connell.

ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I think we've played some games where it was defense. Like the last game we just played against Villanova, I mean, it was pretty good defense against defense. We're just going to take the shots that they give us and try to play our defense. And, you know, it'll be a good matchup.

THE MODERATOR: Okay.

Mr. Hawkins?

RYAN HAWKINS: I think Xs and Os, there's not a lot of similarities. Not a lot of similarities as far as the scheme that we're trying to do defensively. But I think the identity and the DNA of the teams are very similar, as far as we're going to slow down, grind it out defensively, and we're just going to play harder than you. So I'd say that's a very big similarity between us two.

Q. You guys played a lot. I think Matt called them "wrestling matches," those games where it's low scoring and slow paced for you guys. What does it take to win those kinds of games?

THE MODERATOR: Let's start with Mr. Hawkins.

RYAN HAWKINS: Those games, you've got to maximize every offensive possession you get. And when you get numbers in transition, we have to make sure we execute that and we've got to make sure we take care of the ball.

But the biggest thing is in those kind of games, you've got to make sure you get the D board. Don't give up second-chance points. That's where the momentum starts to kind of slip. And I feel like down the stretch of this season, we've done a great job of that as a team.

THE MODERATOR: Mr. O'Connell, you want to follow up on that?

ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I mean, Coach calls them -- or we call them rock fights. But, yeah, we've won a few of those games this year. And like Hawk said, it's important to value every possessions because you never know which one can determine the outcome of the game.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Mr. Kaluma, you want to complete the thought?

ARTHUR KALUMA: I mean, yeah. It just comes down to who breaks first, who makes the most mistakes and who has the stronger mental fortitude.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Anything else?

Okay. I'm not seeing any questions on ZOOM right now, so guys we'll let you go. Good luck tomorrow.