NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - IOWA STATE VS. LSU

March 18, 2022

Kevin Nickelberry

Darius Days

Pinson Xavier

Tari Eason

Fiserv Forum

LSU Tigers

Media Conference

Iowa State - 59, LSU - 54

MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us. If we could have Coach Nickelberry start with a statement and then we'll take questions from the student-athletes, please.

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: First of all, I would like to obviously thank these players for dealing with a tough week and coming out and fighting an entire game. We had -- the last one gave us a chance to get a win and we were in the game till the end. So I know to the normal person -- I said all week it's just basketball, but the distractions were a lot and these guys still fought through those distractions, went out and gave LSU a chance to win tonight.

Darius had a great career here, so -- and I know this is going to be turning the page for him. Like I told him in the locker room, I thank all those guys, I love them and now we've got to turn the page.

Iowa State, we talked about the Jimmys and Joes, they're two guys that had a great game. They had -- they had a lot, they had a lot. Hunter had a big second half, some big shots down the stretch and that's what good players do. They did a good job of putting them in a position to win. Like I said, two possession game. We had a chance to win and unfortunately, the ball didn't bounce our way tonight.

MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes, please.

Q. Darius, how frustrating was tonight with the turnovers and just not being able to hit shots?

DARIUS DAYS: Very frustrating. I mean, it happens. You know, not really -- it was kind of a trend for the whole season, but we kind of played through it. Like Coach said, a two-possession game, the ball just didn't bounce our way. We fought hard, the guys really fought hard. There's not really too much to say other than that.

Q. Darius, you talked yesterday about just kind of what the week has been. I guess now that it's over, can you kind of, I don't know, just describe sort of what this last seven, eight days has been like?

DARIUS DAYS: Very hectic, for sure. You know, losing a coach, the guys -- you know, some of the guys not being here before, you know. Even we having Coach Nickelberry coming out here to coach, a lot of things happened this week and we just fought through it and stuck together with each other. Like Coach said, the ball just didn't bounce our way today.

But time will tell. Everybody's had a great career at LSU. It was very fun playing with these guys throughout the time I was here my senior year and I wouldn't play with nobody else but them.

Q. What was going through your mind as you were guarding Tyrese on those two big threes? Did you think he would pull up?

DARIUS DAYS: I don't know. I just didn't want him to go around me. My guys had my help. It was probably right at the logo, kind of past the logo, half court almost. He hit big shots. It is what it is at this point. Like Coach said, big players make big plays and down the stretch he made big plays. He put his team in a position to win and they put the ball in his hand and he came through for them.

Q. Darius, you had to play catchup the entire game, you know, only one lead at that point, ten turnovers the first half. Just talk about how tough that first half was. You couldn't set the tempo, anything like that.

DARIUS DAYS: We just couldn't get going, just being stagnant. Some of the guys wasn't moving the ball. Some of the bigs wasn't doing as the guards said. There was just a lot of things going on that first half, but it kind of opened up the second half and we started scoring the ball, getting transitions, getting steals, just like you said, was playing catchup and it was just too much in the end when they hit big shots in the end.

Q. Xavier, how much did you feel like your struggle on offense was what you guys were doing and how much do you feel was on their defense?

XAVIER PINSON: Say that again.

Q. How much did you feel like your guys' struggles on offense had to do with the way you were playing and how much did you feel it had to do with just how good defense they play?

XAVIER PINSON: They play really good defense, but me personally, I feel like I've been terrible since the return. I mean, I wouldn't say their defense is just me being able to do what I used to do before I got hurt. I mean, it's no excuses, you've got to come with it or go home, but I just think that was all on me.

Q. Tari, how frustrating was it in the second half? Y'all kind of got it going, you tied the score, they got back up by 10, you came back. How frustrating was it to not get over the hump? I think after you tied it, you only cut it to one one time.

TARI EASON: It hurts. It's frustrating, but just got to turn the page, honestly. Ball didn't bounce our way, a couple open shots we didn't knock down, a couple open shots they knocked down. Basketball's a game of runs and when they got hot, they stayed hot.

Q. Tari, you guys were talking yesterday just about the LSU versus everybody mentality. I'm wondering what sort of support did you get within the athletic department? Besides the basketball program, did Scott Woodward talk to you? Was there any of that that went on this week?

TARI EASON: Yeah, we had a talk. They basically just said, you know, obviously they're supportive 100 percent with us and they're backing us, they're rooting for us where we go in March. That was basically it. They just said we have their utmost support and just go out there and win.

Q. (No microphone.)

TARI EASON: For sure. To know that the university cares about you and has your back is really important and I think that it was something that, you know, we like to see.

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: They were very supportive. Somebody from the administration called me at least once or twice a day every day just asking simple questions. Was I okay, was the team okay, is anything I can do to help? So I thought they went above and beyond to make sure these guys were comfortable in the toughest situation we could be in. I thank LSU. They gave these kids an opportunity to go out and have a chance tonight. They played all hard. It's just tough.

But like I said earlier today, you know, us against the world has been our motto all year, but this week it was us for LSU. And after those guys -- I'm proud of them, I told them. After the game I prayed with them because there's going to be some tough (indiscernible) for these guys. We prayed as a team, I told them I love them, and, you know, it's just life, it's what happens when you become an adult. You have to deal with adversity and these guys will be fine. They're resilient. They will be fine. I know they appreciate and I appreciate the support from the president, administration and everybody.

Q. Tari, have you thought about your future at all?

TARI EASON: No. I'm really in the moment, to be honest. I haven't -- I haven't really even -- at least right now, I'm very just -- my mind's kind of on the game and this team and -- yeah, I have no idea what the future holds. But I just know that I love this team and I really love LSU and everything that it's done for me.

MODERATOR: Let's excuse the student-athletes at this time. More questions for coach, please.

Q. Coach, first half, 10 turnovers, 19 points. Why was it so hard to get going?

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: I think it's easy to say that there aren't emotions, but we came out and we had some early turnovers. We had some foul trouble early, I think Efton got two and Tari got two early. So I just think our emotions got the best of -- we tried to do a little bit too much and we turned the ball over. Once we settled down, we were fine.

I mean, coaching staff did a great job of calling time-outs, keeping it within a distance for us to try to, you know, catch them in the second half. We were tied up in the second half and cut the turnovers down, but you have 18, 19 turnovers and go 4-19 from 3, it's tough. When Tyrese Hunter makes 7 of 11, that's tough. And he hit some big ones down the stretch, so that's tough.

Q. You've been pretty good at 3-point defense all year. What allowed Hunter to get so wide open? I don't think you've given up seven to anybody all year.

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: Hats off to T.J., they do a great job of moving the basketball and creating situations for us to close out and, you know, Jimmys and Joes. The three he made down the stretch were tough. They were deep and, you know, if you asked me before the game if that's a shot we want down the stretch and making a contested shot over a 6'-8" kid, I would say we'll take that. But he made them, hats off to him. We had some open looks ourselves. Unfortunately, they didn't go down. We had some open shots ourselves. Basketball's like that, sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't and tonight for them they went in.

Q. Kevin, on the technical in the second half for having too many players on the court, like what exactly happened on that and is that just kind of the thing that happens when you're scrambling as a coaching staff in preparation, that sort of thing?

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: I don't know what happened, to be honest with you. I went over and asked why we got the tech. He said we had too many people on the floor. I think probably tired -- we subbed somebody in and the wrong person came out and he tried to get back onto the floor. It's happened before. I've coached for 30 years, it's not the first time I've seen somebody get a tech for having somebody on the floor. It's unfortunate it happens. We had to do some new rotations tonight with the foul trouble issues we had. Unfortunately, we got in foul trouble again early in the game, so something that's haunting us all year.

Q. Kevin, what did you tell the team after the game, and I guess did you say anything about how much of that was what's gone on in the last week?

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: I just told them I appreciated them. I told them I appreciated them, I loved them. Told the coaches and the support staff and everybody, you know, for having -- supporting me and supporting these young men. Told them their life's still in front of them. There's a lot of basketball left for a lot of these guys, and I'll do anything in the world I can to help them. We hugged up as a team and we prayed and we said LSU maybe for the last time for some of us, we said LSU. I'll always cherish the opportunity to coach at LSU.

Q. Kevin, I know you talked about the support you guys got this week, but what do you anticipate happening, say, starting tomorrow when you get back?

COACH KEVIN NICKELBERRY: Haven't even thought about it. I mean, make sure these guys are straight and safe in the hotel tonight. We get on that plane tomorrow, we get back for Baton Rouge. Life has a way of working itself out. I totally believe whatever's best for these young men and our staff, it's going to happen.

I haven't thought about it. I put everything I could into this game tonight, so, you know, the adrenaline's still flowing a little bit right now so that's something we'll have to deal with tomorrow. I'm sure I'll sit down with the administration sometimes over the next couple days.