BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2023

Kevin Willard

Jahmir Young

Don Carey

Donta Scott

United Center

Maryland Terrapins

Postgame Press Conference

Maryland - 70, Minnesota - 54

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by the Maryland Terrapins, head coach Kevin Willard, Jahmir Young, Don Carey, and Donta Scott.

Q. Donta, how's the knee?

DONTA SCOTT: It's good. I'm about to do some treatment and be ready for tomorrow.

Q. Also for Donta, you kind of carried the load scoring-wise in the first half. What was working for you?

DONTA SCOTT: My teammates really found me early on, and they all had faith in my shot, just like Coach had faith in my shot. Even though it wasn't falling, they told me to keep shooting, and I felt like I got hot early on, and they just found a way to find me, and I kept giving them assists.

Q. What was Minnesota's defense doing well that kind of limited you in the first half?

JAHMIR YOUNG: I would say just sending different reads, whether that's hedging or switches. But I've kind of been seeing it all year. Just trying to make plays the best that I can and find my teammates. It was a rough night for me, but the winning is all that matters.

Q. Don, you've really been hitting a consistent groove here now, double digits in the last five games. What was working for you tonight, and what's been working for you over this past stretch?

DAWSON GARCIA: I think the main thing is being shot ready and being ready to shoot the ball all the time so my teammates find me.

Q. Jahmir, your first Big Ten tournament. What were some of the feelings going on on the floor here in Chicago?

JAHMIR YOUNG: Really just excited to be here, ready to play and ready to compete with the guys that I've been playing with all year. It was just an exciting moment.

Q. Donta, your offense hasn't been as productive lately. What do you feel like went into today to have such a big first half?

DONTA SCOTT: Just having a mindset that when the ball come my way, I've got to be willing to knock down shots and be willing to not just shy away from the moment. My teammates believe in me. My coach believes in me, and I believe in myself.

I've been a good shooter before, and that hasn't changed. So I'm willing to pass a couple down to get some easy ones, but my coach always told me to shoot, so I've got to be ready to shoot.

Q. How important was this game to just bounce back from those past two road losses?

JAHMIR YOUNG: This is our third meeting with them, so they had a game yesterday and we haven't played since last Sunday. So it was good for us to get this win, this first win and get it under our feet.

Q. Jahmir, just going off that first half performance, I think you had double digits in the second half, every starter finished with more than eight. What kind of went into everyone kind of overcoming that first half and extending that lead throughout the second half?

JAHMIR YOUNG: It really started on the defensive end, getting stops, really just taking our time, slowing down on the offensive end, playing on two feet, passing up good ones for great ones, playing inside out. So I thought we did a good job of that in the second half.

Q. You guys not playing since Sunday, being on the road in a neutral site for the first time since December, you guys came out with a lot of defensive intensity. How were you able to bring that out here, 8:00 p.m. tip as well?

DONTA SCOTT: We pride ourselves on defense. It's all about defense. Defense wins games. We really get after each other when we have practice, and we take that mindset into the game. And we know once we lock in defense, there's not really much you can do to really disrupt our connection on that defensive end, because then we know our offense is going to flow once our defense starts flowing.

Q. Don, considering the woes the team has had on the road, how important was it to get this win?

DON CAREY: It was very important for us. In the tournament, the first game is the hardest game to break through. Minnesota got to break the ice yesterday. So it was important for us to come out with the W today to advance to tomorrow.

Q. Can we talk about the start of the second half, how we got the ball for the tip and then there was a jump ball during the first half, and then the start of the second half we don't get the ball. Can you explain what the refs were trying to explain to you?

KEVIN WILLARD: It's a bad rule, but it's the rule. If you foul before the ball comes into play, they don't count that as possession so the arrow doesn't switch.

That's the rule. I don't agree with it. We have a lot of bad rules. That might be one of them.

Q. Coach, you guys really had a good game plan for Jamison Battle tonight. What was your thought process going in, and how did the game plan work so well?

KEVIN WILLARD: We just wanted to stay home on Garcia and Battle. I thought over the last three games they've been really finding each other, playing well off each other. Garcia played 40 minutes last night. Even though Battle fouled out with nine minutes to go, he played all 31 minutes. He was in there.

It was more or less just stay at home and not get in scramble situations and just make them score over us.

Q. You talked about the disappointment at Penn State. How did you feel like the players responded this week, and was it reassuring to you as a coach to see them come out and play well today?

KEVIN WILLARD: Again, I looked at Penn State a little bit differently. I thought we played well on the road. Obviously Penn State just beat -- I don't know who they just beat -- Illinois. You look at what Ohio State's doing.

Our last two road losses are against teams that are pretty much rolling right now, and we should have won Penn State if we come up with a rebound and play a little better in the last three minutes. Ohio State's playing really, really well.

So we came out with a great mindset, had a good practice yesterday, good walk through. When you're in this as long as I've been in it, I always look at the big picture. And I look at Penn State and Ohio State playing really good, and those are our last two losses. So I thought we were playing good basketball. So I really wasn't that worried about anything.

Q. You don't get the double bye and obviously don't get the rest, but do you see value in playing this game, having to play on this neutral court and playing in this environment and then going into tomorrow having one under your belt?

KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I think there's a lot to be said about that. I think playing the first game -- I think that's why you see so many upsets is you have teams that aren't making the tournament, you have teams that are making the tournament, you have different levels of pressure.

So I think just getting back on a neutral court was really nice, to be honest with you. We've played well neutral. So I just thought after two tough losses on the road and playing really well the two games before that, it was good to just kind of get a different feel.

Q. Kind of curious how you were able to balance the substitutions when Julian then Pat and eventually Cal all got into foul trouble there in the first half.

KEVIN WILLARD: I would have stuck with Ju if I had to. I have a lot of confidence in Julian playing with two fouls. Even if he got his third, I might have stayed with him. He's a very smart basketball player. He understands how not to foul at times. If we had given up a couple two-point buckets with him out there, we would have scored with him out there, so it would have erased it.

I think I play guys with two fouls more than anybody because I have a lot of confidence in those guys, especially Julian.

Q. It was night and day between Penn State and tonight for scoring for Donta. What did you see from him tonight, and what was working well for him?

KEVIN WILLARD: I think defensively Donta had a much harder assignment, I would say, at Penn State. With what Lundy does and how they were doubling Pickett, I thought Donta had a little bit better chance of resting tonight on defense. I think when he doesn't wear himself out defensively, he kind of really helps us offensively.

But Donta's been -- you know, he struggled to shoot, but he's been so solid on the defensive end, he really anchors what we do defensively. There's a tradeoff where, even though he's struggling, he's usually one of our highest plus-minus guys.

Q. Quick turnaround, obviously another late tip tomorrow night. Any initial thoughts op the rematch with Indiana tomorrow?

KEVIN WILLARD: No, it's -- no.

Q. You mentioned the different levels of pressure in games like these. Your team going to the tournament, Minnesota not. How are you able to manage the pressure, assuming it was on you guys as a team with something on the line?

KEVIN WILLARD: I think the last couple days I've just -- we've had a lot of fun in practice. We watched film for a little bit on Penn State, and then we had two good days where I kind of -- we just have fun in practice.

I just wanted these guys to be a little bit loose coming into this week, going into next week. I wanted them to enjoy it. I didn't want them -- I can handle the pressure. I want them to enjoy this moment. We have four or five guys that are never going to play college basketball again. I want them to be able to sit back and realize this a lot of fun this time of year. This is what you work for.

If you're an at large team, that means you've had a helluva year. I've said this every year. It means your fan base should be happy. Your AD should be really happy. It's one of those things like I want them to enjoy it.

I think, as I've gone through this now -- I've taken a step back and I've really enjoyed it. It's not an easy thing to become -- to get into the tournament. It's not easy. And this team has done a phenomenal job. So I think my main thing is I want them to enjoy it and have some fun, smile, enjoy being around each other.

I'm enjoying it. This is my first time in the Big Ten tournament. So I'm trying to enjoy it. I do miss New York. I'm not going to lie to you.

I keep on talking because I'm kind of pissed that we went second. It's the Maryland guy up here.

THE MODERATOR: I know. That's what the manual says.

KEVIN WILLARD: I think the manual changed today.