BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2023

Caleb Daniels

Kyle Neptune

Brandon Slater

Madison Square Garden

Villanova Wildcats

Postgame Media Conference

Creighton - 87, Villanova - 74

COACH NEPTUNE: Congrats to Creighton. They came out, played extremely hard, got us on our heels. Came away with the win.

Q. (Inaudible)?

COACH NEPTUNE: I thought we were, actually to start of the game wasn't that bad. He's obviously a great player. They go to him a lot. They made a point to go to him often. But you look at the first half, I thought defensively it actually wasn't that bad. I thought they got out in transition a little bit too much.

As we went we had to play catch up, and they got loose a little bit because we were trying to play catch up. I didn't think the defense was that bad. Obviously gotta go back, look at the tape.

Q. With Caleb and Brandon, how did you feel they played tonight in a game that could end up being one of their final games in a Villanova uniform, if not the final game?

COACH NEPTUNE: The way we evaluate our guys is all about mindset. And these two guys specifically have just brought it all year from the very beginning. Even from the summer, they brought it. They have been giving us everything we possibly could ask from them. So that's how we evaluate our guys. So I'm proud of these two.

Q. Brandon, there's a certain measure of pressure that comes with playing in the program. You experienced that, Caleb has experienced that, certain expectations that people outside the program expect you guys to hit. How did you feel like you guys handled that all season, given the ups and downs, the obstacles, all that stuff?

BRANDON SLATER: With all due respect, the pressure, it comes from within. Pressure comes from wanting to play for your teammates and coaches. There's really no pressure if you can really look at your teammates and coaches in the eye after every practice, after every workout, after every game and say that you gave it all out for them and you played your heart out for them.

So that's really where the mindset of pressure comes from. It comes from your teammates and your coaches wanting to play for them and make plays and do the things they ask of you.

Q. I would imagine this has been a whirlwind of an 11, 12 months for you and for this Villanova program. How would you kind of summarize this year for your team and your program?

COACH NEPTUNE: I'm going to have to take some time and go back and evaluate that and take a deep breath. I think the game right now is just a little too raw. I'll go back and do some meditations and think about that when the season's over.

Q. Just mentioned when the season is over thing, but you've said all year you want to be the best Villanova team you can be by the end of the season. Was tonight not being as good as possible? Was it Creighton being good? What happened with that?

COACH NEPTUNE: I thought they came out and played extremely hard. I thought their physicality affected us. And hats off to them. I thought they played great.

In terms of us, I wouldn't say that was our best game. But in terms of the thought process and coming out and trying to execute, I thought our guys were there. Creighton just played better than us today.