NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - AKRON VS UCLA

March 17, 2022

John Groce

Xavier Castaneda

Enrique Freeman

Moda Center

Akron Zips

Media Conference

UCLA 57, Akron 53

JOHN GROCE: Obviously we're disappointed. I know these guys are to my right, the guys back in the locker room. I am, as well.

But I think my biggest disappointment is I don't get to keep coaching this team. Over the last nine games, I told them back in the locker room it's about as much -- I've had some really good teams, been very blessed, fortunate to have had some great teams to be around and coach that I really enjoyed, but this one is right up there at the top over the last nine games.

It's because of the character of guys like these two guys and the guys that are back in that locker room. That's the most disappointing thing. Obviously the loss is disappointing, as well. I thought we had a chance to win it. I thought in some ways and aspects deserved to win it.

But that's not the way it works sometimes. You obviously give them credit. I thought a couple guys stepped up for them and made big shots late in the game. I thought Campbell's three was huge.

We had our chances. Defensively I thought we were spectacular, quite frankly, and then offensively we had some empty possessions here and there that we'll probably take a look at at some point in time and wish we could have back.

That's the way it works. I'm proud of our guys for how hard they fought. I thought we were super physical and played together. As X said, after the game in the locker room there, we win together, we lose together. That's what we do.

Obviously, this one didn't go our way, and we've got to figure out how to use it in some ways, this span over the nine games, I told them you want to go -- proverbs said you want to go fast, you go alone. You want to go far, you go together.

Hopefully they've learned that over the last nine games. The opportunities that we had were a lot, had a lot to do with the character of the guys and the fact that they stuck together and played together and they were a real team.

I feel blessed to have coached this particular team.

Q. Coach, what was the sentiment in the locker room after the game? You said you had won some aspects of the game. Can you elaborate on that? What aspects were you talking about?

JOHN GROCE: I think in the locker room, when you put what you put into this like we do, all of us together, players, staff, support staff, it's a total team effort. There's a lot of people involved in this, from our administration to support staff, staff and players. Just a ton of people that are involved to do something like we were able to do to have the opportunity to compete today.

When you do that, it hurts. It's supposed to hurt because you invest a lot. You make a heck of a commitment across the board.

I think there was a sense of disappointment. I told them that was normal. I'd be disappointed if they weren't disappointed. We believed that we could win the game. We prepared that way, and just fell a few points short.

Q. Enrique, what do you think -- he talked about how good your defense was. How did you guys keep up the physical nature the whole time, and what do you think happened down at the end that enabled them to take over?

ENRIQUE FREEMAN: Just like Coach said, I think they hit some really good shots at the end of the game. Campbell hit that three, stepped up, hit some good shots. I think our defense was pretty good tonight, and as a team we worked together to try to make something happen great.

Q. Xavier, you came through with big baskets every time you basically needed one. What were you feeling like about that, and did that add any pressure down the stretch when your team was probably looking for you?

XAVIER CASTANEDA: No. My mentality was just to win the whole entire game, defensively, offensively, just win the possession. That was basically my mentality going throughout the game.

Q. Coach, do you think the success you had this season is something you can build on for next season?

JOHN GROCE: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I haven't had a ton of time to think about that because our focus has been on what we're doing right now, what's in front of us, and that was the game today.

But yeah, we take pride in trying to find a way to take everything that we go through, and that's why we've been able to think -- this group has been able to deal with roster changes and COVID cancellations and postponements and three games in five days three or more times. Only two or three teams in the league did that; we were one of them. Guys coming out of quarantine playing pretty quickly, obviously through protocol, and playing, sacrificing for the team.

We've been through a lot. I think it galvanized our group, made us even more together, certainly something that we can build on when we get a chance to reflect, and we will do that. Right now it's just not the time.

Q. Coach, just talk a little bit about a game like this on this stage, an NCAA Tournament game, the nightcap against a program like UCLA. What does that do -- and then to perform like this, as well; what does that do for the program prestige of a school like Akron?

JOHN GROCE: Well, these guys, they got to the point where over the last nine games, we believed that we could beat anybody by the way that we prepared, how together we were. We were a team. You know, that's kind of how we operated.

I hope that people enjoyed watching these guys as much as I enjoyed coaching them because it's a special group. Pretty obviously tough and together. I mentioned all those things already.

You know, obviously I hope the people back at home, and I think they did, because we represented the city of Akron obviously today, we represented the university, all the students that have gone there before, currently, and hopefully they enjoyed, we brought a smile to their face a little bit. Because where we're from, you've got to earn stuff. It's blue collar. That's the way northeast Ohio is.

This team, I think that relationship with northeast Ohio, I hope they enjoyed watching this team because I think it embodied a lot of the values that are a part of our community.

Q. For the players, I wondered, there was a lot of upsets earlier in the day. I know you guys were confident, but were you aware of any of that, just maybe that added some fuel or excitement to what lay ahead?

ENRIQUE FREEMAN: I wasn't aware. We were very locked in on today's game. I think the last games, four or five games, we've always been picked to be the underdog, so this was nothing new, so we just came in like we go every game.

Q. Enrique, I know you fouled out late in the game with about two minutes left. Being on the bench the last two minutes, what was that like?

ENRIQUE FREEMAN: Part of me was a little disappointed fouling out, and then part of me also knew I could trust in my team and to cheer them on to get it done.