NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL - ARKANSAS VS DUKE

March 26, 2022

Eric Musselman

Jaylin Williams

J.D. Notae

Trey Wade

Chase Center

Arkansas Razorbacks

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

Duke 78, Arkansas 69

ERIC MUSSELMAN: We got beat by a better team today. Thought Duke was phenomenal. Would be surprised if they're not playing to win a National Championship. That's it.

Q. Eric, just from your perspective, what happened defensively during the 8-0 run to close the half, and then the 10-0 run that put it at a 15-point game?

ERIC MUSSELMAN: We didn't end the half very good at all. Obviously, with foul trouble, Au'Diese and Jay Will on the bench, two of our best defenders, if not our two best defenders. So we didn't end the half very well at all, Scotty, and I thought that really, really hurt us. We had the ball with an opportunity to either dribble the clock out or get a shot and potential five-point swing.

But having said that, I mean, we took three free throws in the first half, and that's like a post-up team never getting to post-up or a three-point shooting team never attempting a three ball.

When we got to the line, we didn't miss. That's our game. We're one of the best in the country at -- I didn't think settled tonight at all. They did a could good job, I guess, on verticality.

Q. Hey, Coach. Just a thought on Jaylin Williams' performance, if you would. I know right after the loss it's tough, but stood in there against a really tough Duke front court, and, obviously, he is right next to you, but how about a thought on how Jaylin played?

ERIC MUSSELMAN: I thought Jaylin played really well all season long. Obviously, Mark Williams is tough to score over. We left some baskets at the rim. Not just one guy, the whole team. We left baskets at the rim, but Jaylin has been incredible all year both offensively, defensively. He took some really difficult charges tonight when I thought we were playing really well early in the game. And then obviously, just if you want to speak about his importance when he is out of the game, you can see the importance. When he was in, we were +3, and when Au'Diese was in, we were +1. Tonight foul trouble hurt us in the first half.

Q. Trey, I know there's some finality for you in this moment. Only one year at Arkansas, but could you put into words what this season has meant for you personally and maybe J.D. and Jaylin, if you could just talk about the impact Trey has made in his time here?

TREY WADE: Yeah, just coming here, being able to compete at a high level and being able to have my game grow has been big for me. Being around these guys and learning from Coach and the rest of my teammates and just competing. I think my game has grown a lot, and I'm thankful for all these guys.

J.D. NOTAE: Trey, he has been amazing. He ain't had a perfect road that he probably wanted, but he just stepped in and played when he wanted, and he has been Trey Wade.

JAYLIN WILLIAMS: Kind of what J.D. just said. Trey has been a great teammate all year on and off the court. He keeps the team connected. He is close with everybody. He talks. He defends. He plays his role. He has been a great teammate all year, and I don't know if we get to where we are without Trey Wade. So he has just been a great teammate, brother all year.

Q. Hey, guys. This is for Jaylin and J.D. Kind of a two-parter, you guys have held so many teams under 40%, and Duke hit almost 55%. What do you think was the difference with their offense, and then to get here to the Elite Eight, second year in a row, but have a tough ending, how tough is that?

J.D. NOTAE: It was very tough. Just to get back here was a journey. We came up short, but it's been a great season and just playing with these dudes, man, I just can't be thankful enough.

JAYLIN WILLIAMS: Yeah, of course, we all wanted to get further in this, but the fight this team has showed all year has been incredible. For the way that we started off conference, nobody would have expected us to get this far. So I just think that this team just kept fighting the whole year, the whole year, but, of course, we didn't get where we wanted, but I'm proud of what we did. They were just a better team than us tonight.

Q. Jaylin and then Coach Musselman, if it's okay, I know it might not technically be over yet, but how would you encapsulate J.D.'s career at Arkansas?

JAYLIN WILLIAMS: Playing with J.D. has been great. He is a great teammate and on and off the court. He is a leader on the court, leader off the court. He does so much for this team. He creates for himself, creates for everybody else, he defends, he leads. He does everything. He keeps everybody connected. It's just been great playing with him. He is a great guy.

ERIC MUSSELMAN: J.D. has had incredible two seasons. His growth in his game has been remarkable on both sides of the basketball. He and I are connected on -- I don't have to say words sometimes to him. He kind of reads my mind, but he has had two really phenomenal years, and he had a phenomenal sit-out year too. He has a personality where everybody on the team likes him, and when you have a leading scorer and everybody likes you, it talks about his personality and how connected he is to the guys.

Q. Eric, you've made it to back-to-back Elite Eights. What will you remember about this year's team compared to last year's team and how special it was?

ERIC MUSSELMAN: Both years have been phenomenal. Obviously, this year not being in a bubble I think that the players got to experience much more. I think that -- I mean, obviously, Duke had a phenomenal crowd. It was close to a home game for them with the amount of people that were here, but having said that, we would much rather perform and play in front of the crowds that we've had, sellouts throughout the Tournament.

The spotlight felt a lot bigger for these guys this year, and we'll see. Only time will tell. Last year we lost to Baylor, and they were national champions, and like I said, I'll be shocked if Duke is not national champions in a week or week and a half, whatever.

Q. For J.D. and Jaylin, were there some frustrations for you tonight when you put the ball on the floor for dribble drives, maybe not drawing some of the whistles maybe you had gotten accustomed to? You had gotten some of those whistles all year long.

J.D. NOTAE: When you play a team like Duke, you can't expect to get those calls. It was tough. You just got to go in there and finish.

JAYLIN WILLIAMS: Yeah, what J.D. said. We just have to go in there and finish, through the contact, whatever, we have to finish those.

Q. I know it must still be pretty raw, but to think where you guys came from early January, maybe all you can touch on this, just how proud are you or just how great do you think you ended up doing? I know you didn't reach your ultimate goal, but a lot of teams start off 0-3 in the league, and you guys really responded.

J.D. NOTAE: We fought all season. That's been us all season. Keep fighting, keep fighting, never give up. That's what we did this whole season, just kept fighting and just had each other's backs, so I'm very proud of this team.

TREY WADE: We started off pretty slow, but like you said, we just kept pushing, keeping our heads up, and we fought back and put ourselves in a position to compete at a high level. I'm proud of my team also.

JAYLIN WILLIAMS: They got it.

Q. Eric, I think Jaylin had three three-point plays or something. A three-point play cut it to five. I think it was 53-48. They call timeout and go on a 10-0 run. What do you think was happening there? And that's where they sort of got control of the game.

ERIC MUSSELMAN: They ran a wedge play, a little mid-post up-screen for number 5, and he converted or got fouled, and we go down to the other end and didn't convert and hence the 10-0 run.

Q. Just some thoughts for the Hog fans back home? What did it mean to get Razorback basketball back in the spotlight, like Coach said, in such a big way?

J.D. NOTAE: It was tremendous. Just the experience of me not being from Arkansas, like I could say, it's one of the best places I ever have been, and I can't take that back. I'll come here every time.

TREY WADE: Just the fans have been great, man. It's a fan base that I have never experienced before, the games, the community. They embraced us. I got a lot of love for Arkansas.

JAYLIN WILLIAMS: Yeah, for sure being a hometown kid, the fans showing out how they were every home game, sold-out arenas, the love they gave us throughout the season has been amazing. It's just been great. Thankful for everything they did for us.

ERIC MUSSELMAN: The crowd the entire year was incredible, and I think the group last year that made an Elite Eight created a lot of excitement in the offseason, and I know that this group of guys has created a lot of excitement for us going into next season as well. So the enthusiasm for Arkansas basketball, we hope that it will be a little bit higher, if that's even possible.

Q. Eric, I think when you took the job, I think people were hoping to just get back to the NCAA Tournament, and now in two years you've raised the bar going to Elite Eights, and I think Jaylin said the other day in Buffalo, that's kind of the standard now.

How do you feel about where you've gotten the program to, and then moving forward with it?

ERIC MUSSELMAN: Everybody works so hard. The players buy into everything, and we've had two really good years, and I thought even in year one the guys played so hard, incredibly hard, and we internally have high expectations, meaning in that locker room, and we will have high expectations all summer. As soon as we get out of here I'm going to start working on next year. That's a definite.

Yeah, I guess the bar has been raised or whatever.