PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 8, 2023

Bobby Hurley

Jamiya Neal

Warren Washington

Arizona State Sun Devils

Postgame Press Conference

Arizona State - 63, Oregon State - 57

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach and then we'll open it up to questions.

BOBBY HURLEY: I thought it was a gutsy win, just kind of, this was kind of like our games, our prior two matchups, slower pace game, less possessions in the game. I think the differences were our ability to generate points off their turnovers and also usually when we win the paint and do a good job in the paint then we get a pretty good result.

But I'm pleased with the contributions from a lot of guys and the bounce back from a tough week in L.A. Again, these tournaments, you survive and advance, no matter how you get it done, and just move on to the next round.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. You had that extended run in the second half. What were some of the key things that you took from that stretch?

BOBBY HURLEY: I thought that we were able to get our stops and speed the game up a little bit. When it was a constant grind it out half court game, we weren't as solid. I thought our movement without the ball was good. DJ Horne had two back cuts for layups in that sequence.

The game was just in this really narrow range for so long. It was key for us to build it to 12 points. And to their credit they didn't give up. They kept fighting. I think that tells you what Wayne has done with this young group. When you have young players like that that have a good future, you want to come in here and try and get them to know what it feels like to win, and they came in and played a winning game. We were able to make more plays down the stretch.

Q. Without Austin Nunez you had to bump the minutes up the last few weeks. Now playing four games in four days how have you changed your minutes with how to keep the gauntlet in mind?

BOBBY HURLEY: Well, that's where Jamiya Neal has stepped up and his role has expanded and he's done a very good job. He hit a big three in the second half. He got a loose ball that I think was very important. It was a broken play at the very end where he was able to go grab it with two hands and get fouled and then make his free throws and played very good defense for us throughout night.

So his role, and then I thought Luther did some nice things on our perimeter. So that's what we need. When you have a guy out and unavailable, it's kind of like next man up.

Q. How did you guys get Jordan to settle for threes that much? Because no one this season, I realize he's a freshman, but the distribution of threes to twos, he's never had anything like that. So how did you force him to settle for that many threes and just be that inefficient as a shooter tonight?

BOBBY HURLEY: Well, we knew what kind of season he's had and how good he's been. He was a guy that was a marked man coming in for us, understanding we had to make things as difficult as possible. Our guards did a pretty good job of trying to get back in front of the ball and in ball screen stuff. If we did switch, we switched up. We tried to keep him in front of us. We knew that was going to be a priority.

Q. DJ, can you talk about some of the baskets you had --

BOBBY HURLEY: DJ is not here. Sorry. That's Jamiya.

Q. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Jamiya, can you talk about your free throws and what it was like going to the line there in that situation when you guys really did need free throws?

JAMIYA NEAL: It was really no pressure for me. That's just my job, to be there for my teammates coming off the bench, just trying to be a spark wherever I can, and in this instance, the team needed me to step up and make the free throws, so that's what I did.

BOBBY HURLEY: Hey, that dunk wasn't too bad either, Jamiya.

Q. For all three of you guys, in a conference tournament like this where you play, you could possibly be playing so many days back to back to back, and you played a full 40-minute battle tonight, how do you guys get ready for tomorrow night against a team you haven't been able to beat yet this season?

BOBBY HURLEY: Well, I mean, it's a big test, obviously. I don't know how much this game takes out of you physically. We're going to get off our feet, we're going to get back to the hotel, we're going to rest. It's going to be a mental day tomorrow. We'll walk through some things. It's another day just to physically get your body back as much as you can and prepare for the next game.

But it's going to be a physical game. If it's anything like our last game on Saturday with USC it's going to be a war. Both teams need the game and certainly we got one tonight and we're excited for the opportunity tomorrow.

WARREN WASHINGTON: Like coach said, it's a quick turnaround. It's March, so if you're complaining about soreness and all that stuff, you really can't because everybody's sore. It's about your mentality and it's a quick turnaround, so we're going to get off our feet and prepare and come out ready tomorrow.

Q. I wanted to ask the players about playing USC again when you really just played them. What did you learn from the last game and what do you think you can do better to kind of have a better outcome this time?

WARREN WASHINGTON: I feel like personally for me I need to do a better job of making bunnies and just easy shots. That's something I can't control, but I do feel like there's some things I could adjust just within my game that can help me make those type of shots.

So I feel like personally I just need to do a better job of making those easy bunnies. Also, I could do a better job of getting more blocks, probably. But, yeah, that's about it.

JAMIYA NEAL: I think we just, this game needs to just put the ball in the basket. I feel like last game we were in the game, we lost by one possession, and we shot like, what, 29 percent from the field? So I feel like if we just would have made a couple more shots, if we just do what we did defensively last game and put the ball in the basket, we'll be all right.

BOBBY HURLEY: Your one game lob ban is over too, by the way. (Laughing.)

Q. How did it feel to be out there in this atmosphere to have the tournament now going into day two, how does it feel to be out there?

JAMIYA NEAL: Well, it feels good to make it to day two. So I can tell you that. But, yeah, just going out there and competing with my brothers. We all are like, we're so close as a group, so just going out there to win with them that just meant everything. So just to keep doing that, that's what we're going to try to do.

WARREN WASHINGTON: Yeah, we worked all year for this month, like, literally, so I feel like it's just all coming together and I'm excited. I know the guys are excited. Yeah, that's about it, though.

Q. We saw that Des came in wearing a walking boot. What's his status or his health?

BOBBY HURLEY: It's stuff like that we don't make excuses about. Like, with Warren touched on it, like everybody has stuff going on, like they're dealing with it as best they can. That's the best way that he could limit making something he has a little bit worse right now. But he's gutting it out. There's a lot of guys like that, and he's one of 'em. He'll be fine. He's going to play tomorrow. I have no doubt about it.

Q. Tomorrow night's shaping up to be a potential you win and go dancing type of game. What's the message to the locker room for you, coach; and then as players what's the message to one another?

BOBBY HURLEY: Yeah, we talked about coming here to try and win a championship. And everyone's saying that and stuff, but that's been our goal. We've won one already, a holiday tournament earlier this year in New York and we know, we got a taste of what that feels like. So that's our mission, really. We got to deal with a team that is very good, that has two of the best players in the conference on their team and other guys that really defend hard and crash the backboard and they have good size. So it's a legit test like what you're going to face if you want to play in the NCAA tournament. So we're going to do the best we can tomorrow night.