SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2023

Win Case

Robert Allen

Myles Burns

Bridgestone Arena

Ole Miss Rebels

Postgame Press Conference

Tennessee 70, Ole Miss 55

THE MODERATOR: We're ready to continue with Ole Miss. We'll ask Coach Case for some general statements on the game.

Coach.

WIN CASE: I want to first start off by complimenting Tennessee. Really good basketball team, well-coached. I thought they played a great game today.

The one thing we talked about in our scouting of Tennessee is that we cannot let those guys get going from the three-point line. I thought they did that, especially in the first half. That's something we never could corral.

Josiah James, I want to say he made three or four threes. That's going to be obviously one of the best three-point shooters. Can't let him get loose. I thought that was a big part in the basketball game.

I will say this. Again, I'm very, very proud of our team, how hard they fought. We held Tennessee to 31 points in the second half. We just couldn't score, especially in the second half. I thought that was a big key, as well.

But I want to take this time, as well, to just tell my seniors that I'm so proud of them. I thank them. I absolutely love them because they gave me every single thing that they got every single day in practice, every game. Tonight was no different. I just want you guys to know how much I love y'all.

ROBERT ALLEN: Love you too, Coach.

MYLES BURNS: Coach.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Myles, there's no playbook, you have to change coaches late in the season, things get thrown your way. How as a team were you able to maybe not act like it wasn't there but keep playing good basketball?

MYLES BURNS: When you have a coaching staff like ours where it's full of head coaches, the response to it was like a head coach. I think that's what definitely held the team down.

We didn't really feel any different except for we felt a little bit more motivation to play harder, just not for Coach Curran, but for Coach Case and the rest of the coaching staff.

We handled it like some mature individuals. We had a coaching staff that handled everything like head coaches.

Q. It seemed like house money was the main theme of what you had going on yesterday, playing loose. Was that the same thing today? How did things play out from the perspective of how you felt?

ROBERT ALLEN: Yes, I think that, yes, in a sense playing loose, that was I wouldn't say our game plan, we did have plays that worked previously in our last battle against Tennessee. But like Coach always said, we want our defense to develop our offense.

I feel like that's what worked for us in the first half. I feel like in the second half a little bit lack of our defense led to a lack of our offense. That's when we kind of turned to the game plan we had with the plays we ran over earlier.

Q. Myles, a lot of people talk about Tennessee's physicality, how it wears on you. Was it physicality? Not making the shots? What did you see?

MYLES BURNS: That's not funny, I'm sorry (laughter).

Honestly, I mean, I guess so. They're a physical, mature team. They know how to make adjustments. They know how to adapt. That's the reason they're one of the top teams in this league.

So, yeah, I would say that played a big part it in. Also shot selections. We didn't have a lot of time, we were forcing too many shots on the ball, not getting into the flow of offense that's really been helping us win some of the games that we're winning.

To answer your question, yes, the physicality definitely down the stretch is what played a big part in the loss.

THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse you and we'll continue with questions for Coach.

ROBERT ALLEN: Thanks, y'all. Appreciate it.

Q. The dagger three to end the half, down six, how tough was that for you?

WIN CASE: Very, very tough. I felt like they had the momentum going into the second half because of that three-point shot.

But it all started because of a bad shot on the offensive end. Then come back, make a mistake, have a defensive breakdown to give one of the better three-point shooters a wide-open three-point shot.

So, yes, gave them momentum going into the second half.

Q. Looking ahead to your future, what would you like to do next now that this is kind of over?

WIN CASE: Well, first and foremost, I just want to thank Keith, our athletic director, for giving me this opportunity to be interim coach at Ole Miss, which is a very, very special place. I love that place. My family loves Oxford. Just a special place.

Don't know yet what the future holds. I'm going to pray about it, just give it to God and see what happens.

Q. You mentioned last night you wanted to slow down Vescovi. You held him to 15. What did you think of your job on him?

WIN CASE: Again, we talked about it with the team for the last day or so, just knowing that he is the key to everything that they do. Not just making threes. I mean, gosh, he plays so hard. He's in exceptional shape and never stops defensively.

We tried as best we could. He got loose a few times for three-point shots. But we knew going in that he was going to be a big key.

Q. Without Zeigler, obviously, Tennessee has been a little different from the first time you saw them. Did y'all see an opportunity to create some of those turnovers, pressure?

WIN CASE: Yeah, we did. We did. Zeigler, obviously, great player. I gave him a big old hug after the ballgame. I mean, very, very special, special player.

We knew going in that with him out, it would definitely give us a chance. But again, like I said before, we had to slow down Vescovi. Josiah James, we had to slow him down. We didn't do that with the guards tonight.

Q. In the second half, what do you think changed when it came to shot selection?

WIN CASE: Yeah, again, we've had this problem all year long, where we run into droughts of scoring. For whatever reason. It happens, rears its ugly head today in terms of just could not make timely shots.

I think we scored, what, 22 points in the second half. Again, going in as well, we knew good shots was going to be hard to find because Tennessee is such an exceptional defensive team. If you're going to get some points, you're going to have to get it in transition. We didn't get a chance to get out in transition as much this game as the game before.

I think that was a big key.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.

WIN CASE: Thank you, guys.