NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - MICHIGAN VS TENNESSEE

March 18, 2022

Rick Barnes

Zakai Zeigler

Josiah-Jordan James

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Tennessee Volunteers

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: From the University of Tennessee we have Josiah-Jordan James and Zakai Zeigler.

Q. Josiah where does the personality of this team come from? How much do you think it's changed from October to right now?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: I think it comes from, you know, just being around each other on a daily basis. I feel like this group is goofy and fun-loving but we know how to flip the switch when it's time for practice, time for film. Off the court and on the court it's two completely different teams. Off the court we're joking around, never really too serious, really relaxed but it's completely opposite once we get on the court and start taking care of our work.

I think that's a big part of maturity. I think this team is very mature in that aspect.

Q. If you could describe your defense in one word and then maybe divulge the secret to wreaking havoc on the other team's offense?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: It really just comes from --

Josiah-Jordan James: One word.

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: Toughness, it comes from us being tougher than the other team. That's what we pride ourselves on. We know coming into the game if you can be tougher than the other team, trying to run them out of their offense that's the best thing you can really do. Stop them from scoring. That's what we do pride ourselves on toughness.

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: I would say suffocating. I think we have a great will to do whatever it takes on the defensive end not only one-on-one but we talk about guarding 5 against 1, everybody having each other's back and making fix-it plays. I think we have an outstanding will when it comes to defense.

Q. The offense now is night and day compared to earlier in the season. Is there a moment when you guys clicked in a game?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: I think the one moment is the second half, like the last eight minutes of the Texas game, we're down like 15, 16 points. We were able to come all the way back and have a shot to win it at the end, but that really -- even though we lost, I feel like we learned a lot from losses. That 8-minute, 9-minute run that we had gave us a lot of life and helped us to propel to the season that we're having.

Q. Zakai, how much you and Kennedy have helped each other going at it in practice and how much you think you have helped him improve and vice versa?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: I think we helped each other a whole bunch because I've never guarded anyone as fast as him and I'm not want sure if he's ever guarded anybody as fast as me. That helps me every day because we push each other, no matter if we're tired, not tired, no matter what we go out hardest against each other but that's really the biggest part that we never had to guard anybody as fast as we are so we've gotten each other better and in so many different ways, I can't even put a number to it.

Q. For both you guys, when you are going through film and preparations what's it like seeing the way that Santi is running all over the court the way you're looking back at games?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: That is very hard to guard because we have to guard that in practice so I know that what the other team really goes through. Guarding him helps us because when it's other players that do that we're already prepared for it because he runs around like nobody else in the country. So him running screens, screening for everybody, he is one of the hardest players to guard when it comes to that so he helps us a lot when it comes to that.

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: Going off what Zakai said, Santi -- he does a lot with -- I mean offensively and defensively but on the offensive end he's constantly moving and I think it comes from his IQ I think he has a really high IQ, and it makes our offense flow better and Coach is always telling us if we move as much as Santi we would be a great offense, really hard to guard and I know a lot of people try to emulate him, but it's really hard to move around like he does.

Q. Zakai I know you have a relationship with the Saint Peter's University staff. What were your feelings last night when you got to watch that basketball?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: I was happy for them, I have a friend on that team, Jaylen Murray, so I was happy for them once I seen them win. Them recruiting me and me playing against them and us being in the same facility, that's a really good feeling. I was very happy for them last night.

Q. Zakai, obviously your story and how you were recruited or not recruited for a lot of your high school career has been well documented. Do you have memories of watching March Madness last year and dreams of this moment? If so, what were those days like and how do you reflect on them now?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: It's a dream come true. I remember me and my mother watching all these games and me saying one day I'm going to be in this situation, one day I'm going to be there, win or lose, I'm going to be there. Now it's just me living this dream I've always had. It's the best feeling ever.

Q. Josiah, Rick talked about the post play and everybody is circling that match-up tomorrow and Rick talked about how it starts on the perimeter. What does that mean and what do you all need to do to help your four guys down there in the post tomorrow?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: We know that they're a two-point paint team. They like to get the ball inside. I feel like we know that we have to pressure the ball, make it hard for their guards from the time they get the ball to the time they get it over half court. Just trying to run them out of their sets. We know they're going to catch the ball in the post but we have to make it as hard as possible and try to tire their guards out.

Q. Josiah, you always hear the cliché you want to play your best basketball in March and peak at the right time. Do you feel like you're in the middle of that right now? Hitting on all cylinders?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: I think we're playing really good basketball right now. I think we have a lot of areas that we can get better in. That's the exciting part about it. I think that we have to continue to keep getting better, but I would say this is the best we've played so far.

Q. Josiah, what was your reaction on Sunday when you saw Zakai show up with the sunglasses postgame and when did -- how did sunglasses become a thing after that?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: My reaction -- he wears those glasses all the time. I can't really say I was surprised. I was surprised that he got them out there, I didn't know he had them. But my reaction was, it's just Zakai being Zakai. You would have to ask him where they came from. I don't know.

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: I had them in my bag already and I asked them to get them for me. I was planning on doing that for a few days, I'm not going to lie.

Q. I know you guys won't be guarding their center Hunter Dickinson one-on-one but as a team, how has he been addressed in practice as far as, is there a player your coaches have compared him to, given his size?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: He's a unit. He's a big dude. I just saw him walking in the hallway. He's a tough guard. Watching film about him, we've just got to -- he's comfortable when he's getting to his right shoulder, left hand, so we've got to try to take that away. You know he's going to try to bully dribble, try to get as close to the basket as possible. That's why I feel like our play on the guards has to be relentless from start to finish. The comparisons that we have, a couple of guys in the SEC are Colin Castleton and Oscar Tshiebwe. I feel like Hunter Dickinson is in a class of his own. It's going to take a lot to shop him.

Q. You guys win the SEC Championship and now you have a chance to do something else. How much does that get brought up in the conversation? How important is it to you guys?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: It's super important. It's my first year here so the history of being here as long, it's not as much to me but it's still, like, I want to win it all no matter what I'm doing. I just want to win it all. Just us winning the SEC that's cool but now we got a couple more games to win so we can get a national championship.

Q. Michigan may be getting back DeVante' Jones. Is there any plan how to cover him, how to get stops there?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: Same way as I guard every other guard, keep the ball in front, contain as much as we can and do what we need to do. That's really it. Contain the ball.

Q. How do you guys change your scouting reports at all? Do you plan for both players, either DeVante' starting or Frankie Collins? Is there any difference at all?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: We expect them to be at their best so we expect Jones to play. We have scouted him and scouted everybody they play. We expect him to be at full strength and the scouting report we have those guys -- we know what they like to do. We've just got to do what we practice.

Q. Josiah, last year John Fulkerson wasn't able to play in this when he was hurt. What do you remember about him being out and encouraging him and how nice is it to have him back and give him this opportunity?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: I remember it was sad when he went down. We knew he wasn't going to be able to play for the rest of the SEC Tournament and then in March, once we got here to March Madness we knew he wasn't going to be able. It was heartbreaking for somebody who has put so much into the game of basketball and to the University of Tennessee. We definitely wanted to win it for him but we weren't able to get the job done. Having him come back for hopefully his last year (Chuckles.) We want to send him out the right way. Fulky has been a phenomenal leader on this team and one of a kind, his heart, not only the basketball player he is, but the person he is. We want to send him out the right way and win as many games as possible.

Q. Zakai, Josiah-Jordan James and others have talked about the way last season ended here in Indianapolis. How do you navigate through that and learn from the lessons that they learned last year?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: First, we didn't want to end the season that way, that's first off. We knew we had to get a win just to make it better than last season. I've asked the guys a couple of questions, as far as how was it, and they told me it was the same thing, more intensity and everything's too loose. We just have to get out there and play your hardest and do what you have to do. Don't switch it up really, just be yourself.

Q. To piggyback off a previous question how do you separate the success you have had after winning the SEC Championship and a 32-point victory last night. I imagine that's difficult -- you have to balance the celebration but you have a lot more to do.

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: We know what the next step is. We won the SEC Championship, we was pumped about it. We had the next day off, we knew it was our time, happy about it, but day after that we had to lock in, we knew what was at risk. We have a couple more games to win. We want bigger and better things. The conference championship was pretty big for us, now we have to do more. Next step.

Q. Josiah, you mentioned Castleton and Tshiebwe and you beat Arizona bigs. Is there something to say about the success you have had against highly talented bigs?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: Yeah, it proves we can get the job done but we can't let the success we had against other people think that it's going to be the same against Michigan tomorrow. We have to turn the page. We have to do what we practice, like I said, over and over again. If we execute the scout that we're given I feel like we're putting ourselves in a really good position but we have proven we can do it. We've just got to do it again.

Q. I don't know if you have looked at previous years of Tennessee basketball, did y'all know the last time Tennessee lost to Michigan was in Indianapolis in the Sweet 16?

ZAKAI ZEIGLER: I didn't know that.

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: I didn't know that either.

Q. None of the former players have reached out to y'all and talked about it?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: No, sir.

Q. Josiah, I know you have the big and small line up, I know you like to mix that up. I'm assuming you are looking at a lot of different guys and when you look at Diabate on film what do you see?

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: Someone who is really tall, offensively and defensively he's really skilled. He's one of the bigs we have to key in on, not only Hunter Dickinson but him as well. He's really skilled on the offensive end and we know that they like to go a lot through him and Dickinson so we have to be locked into that position, whoever is guarding him.

THE MODERATOR: Guys, good luck tomorrow. We are joined by Coach Barnes from the University of Tennessee.

Q. Michigan might have DeVante' Jones back. Is there an opportunity to prepare for him?

COACH BARNES: Yes, we will make sure we are aware of their players from a personal standpoint and knowing that he could play.

Q. Rick, do you think this team has adopted some of Zakai Zeigler's personality?

COACH BARNES: I do think so. I think from the time he arrived on campus, once he got settled in the way he endeared himself, you know as a teammate. I think the way the players look at him, see that he's fearless, he's got a very short memory whether he misses a shot or turns the ball over, even when I voice my opinion to him he has a great way of letting it run off his back and focus on the next play.

Q. Coach, can you describe Josiah's maturation as a leader? He's probably been one of the most liked guys on the team but now it feels like he's cranked it up a notch and is willing to hold people accountable as opposed to somebody who picks them up.

COACH BARNES: When Josiah first got here he came in with a lot of expectations from our fans and he actually came in and because of our situation had to spend a lot of time playing the point position, trying to learn to play that position at this level because of where the program was at that time.

You think about it a year later, Lamonte gets hurt and Santi comes in. The one thing he has always done is he has always been an incredible person, a tremendous worker. He has never, ever -- at times we thought he held too much in. We said, hey, you've got to -- he goes, everything is fine. It's always fine.

We know he struggled at times with some of the injuries he had. Obviously he's tremendously respected by his teammates because he never complaints. They know how hard he's worked. What he has developed into and, again I've said it many times, I think he's just really getting started, finding himself as a player, and the fact that he's been able to start scoring at all three levels. What he does night in and night out defensively and rebounding wise speaks volumes about who he is as a team player.

Q. Rick, you mentioned yesterday that the guards need to help the post players. What does that look like? What stands out to you about Hunter Dickinson?

COACH BARNES: Well, he knows where he wants to be on the floor. They do a really good job of moving him around to get him where they want him to be. When he gets over that right shoulder he's got great touch. He has proven he can make threes and pass the ball. So with that said it's going to take a team effort.

When you look at Michigan, they are a very heavy 2-point team at a very, very high percentage. Then you look at them from a three point perspective they are a very, very good three point shooting team this they don't take a lot but when they do they hit a big percentage. They know he's part of that and that's key, he knows where he wants the ball and where he wants to be effective.

Q. Rick, before the SEC Tournament you said to have success in tournament play you had to not only execute your roles that you have been doing, but you needed to elevate and play even better. Do you feel like you've done that? If so, in what areas?

COACH BARNES: Well I think in a lot of areas, because I don't think you can stay where you are. We need to be better tomorrow. We need to be better. We need to be better -- like I thought early last night Longwood did a terrific job of getting us into rotations we didn't want to be in, Michigan very heavy wall screening team, different areas of the court. So, again, I would like to think we can do better. We went to a defense where we were pretty much switching everything, won't be able to do that in this game because of the size they have there inside.

The fact is the things that we keep talking about, it all comes to fundamentals. It will come back to that tomorrow for both teams, you know, can we execute what we need to do with our defense, can we rebound the basketball, can we take care of the basketball. All coaches you ask them before a game if you could pick one thing most of us will say, hey, we hope we can make some shots.

We need to continue to get better in those fundamental aspects of the game.

Q. What makes Michigan's lineup with both Hunter Dickinson and DeVante' on the court?

COACH BARNES: Well I think the versatility and the fact that they again they do have some shooters around those guys you can't just dare them to shoot the ball, you just can't. They run a really good offense. They're a multiple offensive team, the sets and different actions they like to run. They have things they like to do on the outer third of the court and some things they like to do in the middle part of the court. With the balance around them. I think the biggest thing is they know exactly what they're looking for and exactly how they want to play. I think they're an unselfish team. I don't think they would still be playing if they weren't.

Q. Rick, you guys recruited Juwan Howard's son. What's the process like when you're recruiting a different coach's son, is this the first time you have had that in your experience senior?

COACH BARNES: Well, when we went at it -- I think a lot of people weren't recruiting Jett at the time because -- assuming that he would be with his dad, which he ended up being, but it so happened when we got involved it kept developing more. Got to know his family extremely well and Juwan was great with us and he didn't make the visit when they came down but getting to know his family, just a wonderful family. Absolutely beautiful family.

But in the end we knew it would be very difficult but we thought it was worth trying to make it happen. We certainly don't regret the effort that we put into it.

Q. Coach, about this team just finding -- seeming to define motivation in different ways. They had their goals in Tampa with the SEC Tournament but they get here and we hear Josiah and others talking about redemption and the way things ended in Indianapolis. What is it about this team finding motivation factors that lead them through the season?

COACH BARNES: It's been maturity. Josiah has been through a lot in his time. When you think about it when he came into the program we were in somewhat of a transition. Then COVID hit which I think was really difficult for everybody.

There was a lot of uncertainty. I have to, again, a lot of the credit with this group really does have to go to Josiah and Santi and John Fulkerson in his own way. I can talk about DJ Bailey, Zakai coming in, Kennedy Chandler, they have all -- for whatever reason they really do like each other and they're competitive. If you watched us practice every day I think you would see that. I've told everyone probably the best thing that can happen to Kennedy was Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi. Every day. Those two guys are highly competitive, what you see them do on the court they do every day, every day. With that said it's been a big part of this team, pulling for each other, sticking together and wanting to win together.

Q. Going back to Jett, Juwan said he was nervous he was going to lose that recruiting battle. On the flip side how confident were you that you might win it there at the end?

COACH BARNES: I learned a long time ago that blood is thicker than water. I'm tell you, he has a great family. At no point in time did we ever feel like we were being led on. We felt like there was a sincere interest. But I get it in the end, my last conversation with Jett was a sincere one and I get it, you know? I get it. If I had a son I would want him to play for me. I get it. I do. It's one of the great visits we had and because really a lot of the way -- their transparency, too, and we thought it would be difficult but like I said, we thought it was worth that chance.

Q. You said yesterday that this team goes when Josiah goes. Obviously his versatility is going to be important in this game but how important is it that he can guard 1-4 with Michigan's size?

COACH BARNES: It is important and Josiah yesterday -- and, you know, we know when he gives us the versatility like that that we need, and we even worked hard having Jahmai Mashack ready if Josiah got into foul trouble because Jahmai can do some of those things, but. He has looked forward to this, and Josiah has been a great player, always put the team first, maybe to a fault. We all want everybody to put the team first but at some point in time you have to be selfish in the fact that you have to know exactly what that team needs you to do and you have to do it. There has been times where he was reluctant to shoot the ball. We've told him for a long time you've got to shoot it when you're open. You have to shoot the shot you do at practice and the we have told him that for a long time but now he knows, and like most guys, he started to figure it out a little more each day.

Q. What are your thoughts on the job Juwan Howard is doing at Michigan? As a guy who had not been a head coach in college and dealing with bumps in the road this year?

COACH BARNES: I look at Juwan like I really look at Jerry Stackhouse, two great basketball coaches that played their dues. They paid their dues in this game working certainly in the NBA and if you look at both of them, they have some of that background that you would expect them to have.

Just terrific coaches. When I watch Juwan's team now really up close for the first time, you're impressed. They've got really good schemes and I think, again, the best way I can tell you is the best thing a coach can do is put his guys in the best possible position that he can be successful and he has done that.

Certainly I'm impressed watching them, more so over the last couple of days, going on a day now, but I know his background. I know it wasn't like he just -- he's been around the game a long time. I think he was in Miami for a long time and when you come out of that organization sitting on that bench with those guys and working as hard as they had. He was ready. Just like I feel Mike Schwartz, who is leaving us. He's ready and certainly Jerry Stackhouse and Juwan have been ready for a long time certainly with the opportunities they've gotten.

Q. Both these teams have a lot of freshmen and freshmen who play big minutes. How do you coach-up freshmen and get them ready to play? Are there similarities knowing that coaching has to be individually too?

COACH BARNES: To be quite frank, when I go on the court I don't look at class, and I coach 'em all the same, and I think they would tell you that's pretty hard and demanding, and I expect great things from them, whether they're freshmen, sophomores, juniors. We're going to coach 'em hard and create as many live game situations as we can, and I do think practice has to be difficult. I think you've got to stress players in practice to get them to understand what they're getting ready to go up against when they go out on the court and get ready to go out on the road, whatever it may be.

So when freshmen come in, I think I've gotten more patient. At one time I wasn't very patient, but players will probably tell you I'm not now. The fact is we're going to coach 'em all hard, all of 'em, regardless of their class.

Q. The freshmen that haven't played a ton. How important is the example that VJ set this year when his role changed, to keep finding a different way to contribute?

COACH BARNES: I think it's really important. As a coaching staff we go into a game with a game plan but we don't know how it's going to play out. We can have the best laid plan tomorrow thinking if it all goes right we stay out of foul trouble, we're making shots, whatever it may be. But if it's not, you have to start with the adjustments in the game.

Telling guys that for weeks on end, hey, you've got to be ready, and then they don't play. They don't play. I think VJ is a perfect example of a guy that every game has been ready. He's gone games where he hasn't played and he's come in -- he really helped us at Missouri. He helped us a great deal last night. Helped us in the Kentucky game. He went over 4 and a half minutes where the clock didn't stop and actually took himself out of the game.

I do think it's a great example, because we say the same thing to Jahmai, Quentin, we tell all those guys they have to be ready, because we don't know. For the fact that those guys have -- for the most part VJ certainly has been, and Jahmai, as a freshmen, I think it's been difficult for him at times, but he has stayed with it. They all have. That's something. That we're really happy to have a guy like VJ that shows them how to do that.

Q. Coach, your players might have watched the Kentucky game last night. Is that a wake-up call to some of your younger guys, knowing this thing could be over in a snap of a finger?

COACH BARNES: I would like to think through the years as they watch this tournament they know that. At this point now you get to this starting now, Michigan has played as tough of a schedule as anybody and coming out of a league that has nine teams in the NCAA Tournament. I think our players all year long have respected our opponents, I do, I really do. We talk about -- we start talking in November that this is an NCAA game.

If you don't think so, wait until March when that Selection Show comes on. It's important. We try to build that into them realizing that everybody can play. We watch in our league now, we have some guys that have transferred into our league from lower level schools that have made all-conference teams. We tell 'em everybody can play, doesn't matter what's on their jersey. There's a lot of guys that you guys don't know that are at places that can play. I respect our team for understanding that, and I thought that was one reason yesterday -- I think the best compliment you can give an opponent is you come out and try to play your best basketball. I know yesterday that was a compliment that we gave Longwood. We knew we had to play well to beat them and we did play well.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach.