NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - NEW MEXICO ST. VS UCONN

March 17, 2022

Dan Hurley

Tyrese Martin

R.J. Cole

KeyBank Center

UConn Huskies

Media Conference

New Mexico State 70, UConn 63

DAN HURLEY: Obviously, credit New Mexico State. We knew it was going to be a really, really hard game. Super physical team. They do a lot of the same things that we do, and just they, obviously, got a performance from Teddy Allen today that -- that sent us home, but probably just -- just wish we had the opportunity to coach these guys longer. It's a special group. It's a great group. They've done so much for UConn these last couple of years, so just sad.

Q. Tyrese, how difficult was Allen to guard? Obviously, he hit a lot of tough shots, and they seemed to get further back and higher arcing. Was it difficult to stay with him?

TYRESE MARTIN: We wanted him to take tough shots, but he just happened to take more tough shots than he missed tonight, and that's credit to his offense.

Q. R.J., what were they doing to frustrate you guys offensively? It took you a little while to get in the flow.

R.J. COLE: They denied everything in the first half. So it was tough to stay in the flow of offense. In the first half, they were a lot more physical than us.

Q. Can you just tell us how that locker room was just now? Obviously, I'm sure very emotional. Is there anything you can tell us about just what you said to each other and what Coach said to you about the season as a whole?

TYRESE MARTIN: It was emotional just knowing that that was the last 40 minutes of basketball that we're going to be able to play with that group together, so it was kind of like stunning and sad, shocking, a lot of whole different emotions. All of them probably hasn't set in with everybody, but I feel like once I walk out of there tonight, it's going to hit me.

Q. For you two both as seniors and as leaders, to keep fighting despite being down by 14, as you took it possession by possession, how did you manage to keep the edge up until the end?

TYRESE MARTIN: We fight. I wouldn't want to go to war without any one of those guys that were out there with me today, even the ones that didn't get in the game. Going through what we went through, it hurts going out how we went out. We're fighters. We just couldn't get over that hump, that one-point lead. We just couldn't find a way to get over that hump. That was the story of the game.

Q. R.J., you wanted to play at UConn. This was a dream of yours since you were a kid. What does it mean for you to leave this program better than you found it?

R.J. COLE: It means a lot. UConn is a special place. It means a lot. This group, we built a lot in the last two years, and honestly, just to see it all go away right now -- not all go away, but this game right here just hurt, honestly. We just -- I feel like we just gave it all back what we worked for this season, so it was a tough way to go out.

Q. This question is for the student athletes, whoever is comfortable answering it. As seniors, how confident are you two that you guys are leaving this program in the right hands, especially with guys like Adama and Andre in tow?

R.J. COLE: Very confident. They were part of this program when we first got in here as well, so we built it from the ground up with them especially. They're very talented, and I think they're going to do very big things in this program and help this program continue to make the rise that it needs to be.

Q. Dan, what's most impressive to you about Allen?

DAN HURLEY: Well, I mean, listen, the types of shots that he hit, you know, some of them were unguardable, which we still could have survived some of those unguardable rainbow, long two fade-aways. You just don't see a guy -- I don't think we've seen a guy take the type of shots he took during the course of the season or seasons. Our mistake here and the one thing we talked about for days was to not take the gyrations and the fakes and to not foul. He has a knack for getting fouled shooting jumpers.

There were just critical points there where, obviously, 13 fouls drawn, and a couple of those were on late shot clock shots that probably had very little chance to go in, but he was unguardable. Shots were unbelievable.

Q. You guys fought back and tied it twice. What kind of prevented you from getting over that hump?

DAN HURLEY: Well, critical possessions. I think he is going left in the second half. I think it's a one-point game, and he is shooting a tough runner going left off one foot. He was put on the foul line. We went one-three-one zone. They had nothing going in the possession. You know, he gets it with one or two on the shot clock. Adama closes out too much into him and fouls maybe down one with a chance to get the ball back and take the lead, but really it was the first half. Like -- I think we got a little bit spooked. We had those transition opportunities. Adama gets a steal and has a chance to get a dunk. We end up with nothing. Jalen has a chance in transition. Just getting ourselves down by ten and then down by 14, we put ourselves in a horrible spot.

Q. Was there anything they did to kind of surprise you? Obviously, you knew they could rebound and things like that, but the three-point shooting, not just Allen, but kind of everybody?

DAN HURLEY: Listen, we knew. It was a scary match-up. These guys -- scared to death of Rice, scared to death of Henry. Henry played and shot great in their conference championship game coming in. Henry was their -- they might have been their high scorer, might have had four threes or something in that game.

With the front court size and the athletes, I mean, we knew it was a tough match-up in a sense that our strengths, their athleticism and size and ability to rebound the ball mitigated some of the things we do best, and they were aggressive defensively in the first half, but I just -- for whatever reason, we weren't -- we were on our heels offensively in the first half.

Q. R.J. talked about kind of just feeling like they gave back all the progress that they had made all season. How difficult is that for you, and what do you say to them?

DAN HURLEY: It's hard. It's hard to sit up here after what this group has done for the program the last couple of years that this thing was at when these kids were either here or recruited here. I'm not going to -- I don't want to talk overall about the big picture of what the loss means. I think these guys have had a couple of really, really good seasons to get this program back in a really good spot, but we played poorly in the NCAA Tournament.

If you are going to be judged by just one game and in a single elimination tournament where pretty much anybody can lose to anybody, if that is the only way that your season is validated, then I'll allow media or other people to do that. I love this team. I've loved coaching this team. It's a special group of guys. They took a lot of big steps, you know, for us as a prime minister. Obviously, there are steps that we need to continue to take.

Q. How hard is it to see those guys walk off the court with all the work they put in and you just said taking this program and not get that one NCAA win?

DAN HURLEY: Crushing. I mean, come on. It has nothing to do with where we play and the history and tradition. It's about just that group and how much they've done and how great a group of guys they are. Just how hard of work and how much effort. Just what they've put into getting us back to the tournament back-to-back years. Just playing out some really strong regular seasons. It's just -- you know, it's crushing to see your guys not be able to get the enjoyment of that next game and the build-up. It sucks.