NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST FOUR

March 16, 2022

Steve Pikiell

Caleb McConnell

Ron Harper Jr.

Geo Baker

UD Arena

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Media Conference

Notre Dame - 89, Rutgers - 87 (2OT)

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Rutgers.

COACH PIKIELL: Tough one tonight. I love my team. They've been a special group. We had an unbelievable season. Historic run, actually and these guys here turned this program around. And I said to them in the locker room I wish I could coach them forever.

This group is, in 30 years of coaching, just a special group. And you saw them today. I mean, they fought. And that's what they're made of. They really are. And it was just a tough game, tip of the hat to Notre Dame. They were one possession better. Really good team. Obviously Coach Brey is a terrific coach. Congratulate them.

But this group has been unbelievable for three years, three straight NCAA Tournaments. I just wish it would never end. These guys have given everything to our program. And they deserve to continue to play. But it's tough. It's just a tough night for us after playing the way we played and fought the whole time. But they were one possession better.

Q. Geo, the end of regulation you had that shot there, kind of after it came up short, kind of grabbed your head and kind of I guess just frustrated that you had the chance to end it there?

GEO BAKER: Yeah, thought I got a good look. Made that shot a couple times in my career. Felt like it was going in. Came up a little short.

Q. What was it like to play in a game of that epic nature? And what are the emotions right now of everything you've accomplished and to have this run finish like this, in crazy fashion?

GEO BAKER: A lot of pain right now. We've been through some real battles, us three. Luke, everybody on the team, Ralph. It's a lot of pain right now. And I don't really know what to say.

Caleb said it best in the locker room, just telling these guys to cherish this moment, cherish college basketball. Because it feels like we were just freshmen yesterday. We've got a special brotherhood now that's never going to change, that's never going to end. Just a lot of emotions right now. But playing in that game was really special. That's what March is about. We just came up short.

Q. Ron and Geo, what were the thoughts at the very end? Just to participate in this game and just to have it come down to the wire like that? Were you stunned? How do you feel?

RON HARPER JR.: It was a great game. We came up a little bit short. The emotion at the end, it was heartbreaking to see it all unfold like that. The people up here next to me up here, we sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today. For it to come down for them like that, it's just upsetting, it's devastating, heartbreaking. It's all the above.

Q. Back-to-back years going on such a heartbreaking fashion. What's that say about the NCAA Tournament?

RON HARPER JR.: It's March Madness. That's how it goes down every year. This game's just like that night in, night out. That's what makes it so special. Just sucks to be on the wrong end of it.

Q. Caleb, this is your hometown. You had a big first half. Just talk about the emotions and playing here and everything that just happened?

CALEB MCCONNELL: It's a very emotional game, coming home, being able to play in front of friends and family. I want to thank them for coming out.

It wasn't even about me tonight, honestly. It was just more about our team. Of course they wanted to win for us and for me. But, like I said, it's very emotional. Obviously we're very upset we came out on the wrong end of it.

But as you see we're very emotional now. And it's just sad that we had to end it this way. We built so much. Just take basketball and statistics out the window, just the stuff we did here, the brotherhood we built, the friendships we built with each other, it's going to last forever. But it's sad it had to end this way.

Everything has to come to an end. I'm just glad that I was able to do it with these guys, because these guys are amazing. Our whole team -- transfers, whatever -- just from top to bottom. We're just a good group of kids.

And like I said, it wasn't about me tonight. Even though my team wanted to win for me obviously since I'm back home. But it's bigger than that. It's bigger than basketball. Like I said, it just sucks it had to end this way.

Q. Ron, you've talked in the past about the importance of representing New Jersey and showing kids that Rutgers is a place that you can go to the NCAA Tournament. How proud are you of the way this team has performed and just been able to do what you've done the last couple of years, despite the loss, playing the way you have?

RON HARPER JR.: Yeah, I wanted to kind of be the kid that started the trend -- go to Rutgers, you can go to the NCAA Tournament. And I feel like I did good a job of that. But it never would have been possible without the guys to my left, my right, the guys in the locker room.

Growing up, all I ever wanted was somebody to respect me, somebody to tell me I'm good enough. And I found it here at Rutgers. I found a group of guys that believed in me, that trusted me. That's all I could ever ask for.

These guys made me the player I am today. These guys made me an All-American. These guys got me all those individual accolades. It sucks it had to end like this. But I love these guys. Like Caleb said, It's an unbreakable brotherhood.

We started something special up here. It's like sitting next to the three pioneers; we did it three years in a row. I don't care what anybody says -- COVID happened, we would have been right there in the mix. We did that three years in a row. And not a lot of schools can say they did, especially not making this for 30 years.

So, I'm proud of the culture that we've built. I'm proud of everything that we did. It sucks we came up short. But these last four years is something I'll remember for the rest of my life and I'll cherish and I'll hold close to me.

Q. What do you want to say to Rutgers fans who have become so invested in this team in a way which never really happened before?

RON HARPER JR.: Thank you. None of this is ever possible without the fans. They made Jersey Mike's Arena one of the hardest places in the country to play at. We're just so grateful for them. Ever since I stepped on the campus they've been all aboard about Rutgers basketball.

I hope we made them proud. I know we came up short today, but we put our heart and soul on the line for this university, for that block R we rare proudly. We want to thank them for all the support, all the ups and downs. They kept showing up. So, we love the fans. And none of this is ever possible without them.

Q. I know you guys just came off an emotional game. Not thinking about your future right now, but there's finality to the way you're talking. Is this the end for you, is this the point of the college career after tonight?

CALEB MCCONNELL: Right now, I'm worried about right now. That's it.

RON HARPER JR.: I have no idea. I don't know what the future holds.

COACH PIKIELL: They have a lot of choices. One is the defensive player of the year in our league. The other is an All-American. So they're going to have a lot of opportunities to do a lot of different things. But I don't know if today, right now, is the time to, after a game like that, to be talking about those kind of things.

But I appreciate these guys, what they've given to our program and what they've given to our university. They're just great students, great people. And you saw them fight tonight. And it's not easy the whole season, back against the wall a lot of times. They just did nothing but respond.

And today proud. We were two points short in double overtime to a good Notre Dame team. But these guys have laid it on the line for a long time. And they came to Rutgers when Rutgers wasn't fashionable. And they built a culture that's terrific.

They'll have a lot of decisions when you're good like they are, a lot of decisions to make down the road. They'll make great ones. They've got great families. And they've got a great support system.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.

Q. When you look at the defensive end tonight, 58 points in the paint, 51 percent shooting, was it more just Notre Dame played really well, or do you think your defense wasn't what it usually is?

COACH PIKIELL: I think we played really well, too. But we tried to take away 3s. I thought we did a decent job of that. But they got into the paint. They finished some plays. But they want to shoot 3s is what they want to do. But it wasn't our regular defense. We didn't get any kills. That's three stops in a row. We usually get a lot of them during the course of a game.

But we needed a big stop at the end. We didn't get it. But we had some other big plays during the course of the game that could have changed the tide. But this is college basketball. This year it's been like that for us all year long, two-point games, one-possession games. Proud of the way our team played. That's a good team. They played well, too. I thought we played well. This may be the best game of the whole tournament. And it was played at high-level basketball game. It's a high-level program, Notre Dame, and we're a high-level program.

Q. I can't remember a more gutting press conference. I'm wondering what the emotion was like in that locker room and how, as a coach, do you handle that? What did you say to them after this one?

COACH PIKIELL: I just told -- I've been saying this all year. This is 30 years of coaching. I've never had a group like this. They've been -- I mean, we didn't have a bad day at practice the whole year. This group has been flat-out special. It's by far my best team. By far my best team since I've been at Rutgers.

They've given it. They played with their backs to the wall. We play in the best league in the country. We had to win games down the stretch. We had to win early games. And it was really tough. Ralph's been great, came in and gave us -- Luke Nathan, don't talk about him enough and what he's given to the program, gave him a scholarship. That's how valuable I thought he was.

Locker room, obviously Geo coming back and Ron coming back, and Caleb taking himself from being a player that's one of the best defenders in the country and obviously you saw him being able to score today.

And Paul Mulcahy, three years he's been with us. We hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament in 30 years, hadn't won a game in 38 years, and he's gone to three straight. Cliff, getting better and better. And our bench, too. Guys just have been great. They don't complain. They come to work. It's the toughest league in the country. Tough game today.

But it was sad. It was a sad locker room. And they put it all on the line. They fought the whole time. And that's what this group has done for three years. They've fought. And I'm proud of them for that.

But Coach Calhoun reminds me all the time, only one team is going to leave this March Madness happy. Unfortunately, this team, I want to coach this team forever. Sad locker room.

Q. After such a crazy game like that, what's your message to the Rutgers fan base?

COACH PIKIELL: The Rutgers fan base has been awesome. If they can't root for this team, this is as good a group of guys, a good team. And Rutgers fan base is awesome. I think they're real proud of where this program has evolved to.

We were 14th when I first took over the job. Didn't have any winning streaks. Didn't have any postseason bids. Didn't have any of that. They did an unbelievable job, finished fourth in the best league in the country.

Our fan base has been great. I've got a great athletic director who supports us. President of the university supports us. And we're going to continue to be a good basketball program. And we'll continue to work hard as a staff.

Our players will continue to develop. We've done as good a job developing guys as any program I think in the country. And Rutgers Nation will be there. They'll be selling out games at Jersey Mike's and continuing that tradition. Thankful for the following.

Q. I know it's a tough moment, but I did want to ask just in terms of the three seniors, Caleb, Ron and Geo. How proud are you of them just in terms of how they went out swinging? They all had huge moments in this game, and obviously to potentially end their careers. But just the way that they played tonight and indicative of their whole careers at Rutgers.

COACH PIKIELL: It really is indicative of their whole careers. Thankful too for Ralph and Luke Nathan. They were awesome too. But those guys have, from day one, swung punches. Geo was the 400th ranked recruit in the country. No one expected him to even play in the Big Ten. He ended up having an elite career. Dean's List student.

Ron, he's an All-American. Caleb was the defensive player of the year in the league. Those guys just kept improving. They kept fighting for the program. Kept fighting for themselves. They come from great families.

So real proud. Real proud and their best basketball is ahead of them. That's what I'm most proud. They'll continue to do great things in basketball.