MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9, 2023

Dan Akin

Taylor Funk

Ryan Odom

Thomas & Mack Center

Utah State Aggies

Postgame Press Conference

Utah State 91, New Mexico 76

RYAN ODOM: Really proud of our guys. It was a big-time college basketball game. All the games have been great. Certainly the one before us, obviously, going to overtime. It's a great conference all-around. I think what everyone that's been watching on television or has been lucky enough to be here to witness is that some really excellent players, individual players in our league, but more importantly, really good teams.

I can't say enough about all the coaches in our league and what they do for their programs. Obviously, everybody works hard and is trying to win at a high level. You know, I think in this particular game for us we knew it was going to be a battle. No secret Taylor got off to a blazing hot start for us, which there are a lot of nerves in these games.

When you are in the situation that a lot of us are in right now making a push and trying to make the dance, there's a lot of pressure. There's a lot of pressure. We tried to remove that from our guys as much as we could over the last couple of weeks and just focus on the task at hand. Tomorrow will be no different. It's not about the NCAA tournament. It's about doing our best every single day.

Taylor and his teammates did a great job today in this particular game of focusing on the task at hand, trying to defend at a high level, and certainly on certain possessions we came up short, but for the most part our guys did a really nice job.

Both teams got in foul trouble, and so we both were having to figure out when to play guys, when to put them back in. Not easy stuff there, but can't say enough about our team and that group of guys that we have in the locker room.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Taylor, can you just kind of go through that start? You missed the first shot. Six in a row you made. Just talk about what you were feeling?

TAYLOR FUNK: I think the open man is the best man, and we pride ourselves on the ball movement. Credit to all the other guys on the floor. They set screens and passed me the ball at the right time, and then it's just your responsibility to knock the shot down.

Credit to this guy. He set a lot of screens. You know, we do a lot of the give-action, and, yeah, Allick was going under a couple of the screens. Yeah, just kind of -- it's a feel thing. Yeah, definitely feeling it a little bit in the start.

Q. For Dan or Taylor, you have seen the rest of the games in this tournament. Nothing has come easy for really anyone, but you guys kind of did enough to where you guys were able to kind of cruise in the last couple of minutes and make it a little easier on yourselves. Tell us about doing enough to make it a little easier for you today?

RYAN ODOM: That didn't feel easy, did it?

DAN AKIN: Not at all, no. Nothing is easy.

TAYLOR FUNK: Nothing is easy out here, especially in this conference. It's a really good conference. It's a battle. I'm not sure of the rebounding stats here, but, you know, they're a big team, big aggressive team. You know, they make us work on every single possession. We really talk about every possession matters offense and defense, and I think our guys really took that to heart and really took advantage of our opportunity today.

Q. Dan, when Bairstow and Ashworth are both on the bench with four fouls and they cut it to single digits and the crowd was kind of getting into it, what was the mindset? How were you able to weather that storm there late?

DAN AKIN: Obviously, we knew they were eventually going to make a run. Obviously just tried to stay focused and just get good shots, and we obviously --with them two being out we have a good bench, obviously, myself, RJ, and Zee obviously have been doing -- being in that role the whole season, so we kind of knew what to do.

Q. First of all, Dan, congrats on the sixth man of the year.

DAN AKIN: Thank you.

Q. Just from -- I guess this question is for both of you. After the Mountain West Conference awards, for you Taylor or Dan, was there any extra motivation for awards you feel like you should have gotten?

DAN AKIN: I think Taylor did obviously from the performance you saw today. He should have been an all-conference player. I guess he obviously showed everyone that he is that guy.

RYAN ODOM: He is looking out for his teammate.

TAYLOR FUNK: You know, I actually said that me and Sean were talking, and our starting five, obviously, Steven got that, and he deserves it. Earned, not given.

I think any of us could have gotten it. It's not really one guy that really stands out on this team where it's that's the guy you've got to guard. You've got to guard all of us.

I think really anyone could have been first, second, or third team. You know, we didn't get it, but that's fine. You know, we talked about our goals in the summer. The first week we all get together, obviously me and Dan, newcomers, and we made our goals, and we're not going to stop until we reach those.

You know, they're cool rewards, for sure, but we didn't get them, but it's not going to stop us.

Q. For both of you, the whistle kind of tightened up there in the second half. There were some things that were kind of changing the pace of the game there, but when you needed to, you always had an answer it seemed like. How were you able to channel any maybe frustration you might have felt there to the offensive end?

TAYLOR FUNK: Yeah, Coach kind of got on us because we had the lead for sure, and we didn't want that clock to stop, but we just kept fouling. We definitely need to learn from that. Guard without fouling and just keep that clock ticking.

But I think on the offensive end when, you know, we weren't really organized as much as we should have been and we just kind of found a way to draw those fouls, so, you know, we're kind of fouling on one end, but we were also getting fouled on the other when stuff wasn't really going our way.

One of the plays that stands out is we were just kind of stuck. They were locking us up and the ball just kind of found Dan, and he took his time there and got to the free-throw line. It was a really, really big play for us. Kind of switched the momentum because their crowd got into it, and it kind of quieted it down a little bit.

RYAN ODOM: I think you have to give New Mexico credit. They were pressuring us and they were getting into the ball, and it's not easy, especially when fatigue becomes a factor and all of that.

We're not going to play perfectly, but I thought our guys did a really nice job down the stretch. Especially in a highly intense game for some of our guys off the bench, RJ and Zee in particular to perform like they did, you know, was really impressive.

Q. Just curious your guys' thoughts on playing Boise State tomorrow. You beat them a few days ago, but you split the regular season with them. Obviously a lot more on the line tomorrow. What's your thoughts?

DAN AKIN: Yeah, obviously we know it's going to be a battle, so I think we're well-prepared. Obviously we just played them a few days ago so we know the game plan. Obviously we can tweak it a little bit.

But, yeah, I think we're ready for them, and they're ready for us. Obviously should be a good game.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you. We'll continue with Coach.

Q. I'll try and word my earlier question a little better. It obviously wasn't an easy game, but despite the pushes they made, you kept them at arm's length for most of the game, and especially at the end. What was the keys for you guys to keep this game if getting tight down the stretch?

RYAN ODOM: Obviously scoring, right? We ended up with 91. You have to score. They were making a run. Mashburn is getting to the basket pretty easy and making some good plays and dropping it off to Allick and Udeze. They made some key threes.

Johnson makes that three in front of their bench on the opposite side, which was an important one for them, but, you know, we fouled too much. We fouled too much. It was a disjointed game from a substitution standpoint.

As coaches we all want it to be perfect from a foul perspective. You don't want to have to make decisions like that, and both of us were in the same position in terms of trying to figure out how much do we play these guys?

It's not the ref's fault. It's our fault for not playing the right way. You know, it's a physical game. When guys are driving it at you like they were extremely hard, you know, you run the risk of having some fouls.

Steven got a couple that were just -- that you don't see all the time, right, and House does a good job of denying him. Then all of a sudden their arms get tangled up, and it was clearly a foul on Steven, but it just -- you don't see those all the time.

The key for us offensively was just trying to hang in there, trying to run stuff to give our guys space to be able to work, to be able to get around the defense, and then make the right plays.

Max, you know, Max's ability to make several of those baskets for us was huge. That, to be honest with you, was probably the key for us to be able to maintain a margin where it wasn't too close.

His threes were huge.

Q. Obviously, a lot of attention to Mash and House, but Udeze had a great season as well. Only seven shot attempts tonight. Was there a specific way that you --

RYAN ODOM: With House?

Q. Udeze only had seven shot attempts, which is low for him, and he had been a key factor. Was there anything specific, or just a credit to the fundamental defense you played tonight?

RYAN ODOM: I think the game tells you whose turn it is to shoot at times, and certainly Trevin is a big body, the kid that we have, our starting center. He is a big body. He is tough to score on in there.

Dan is not big, but he is quick and athletic. So the goal was to try to limit the catches as much as we possibly could knowing that we weren't going to be able to do that for 40 minutes. He is going to catch the ball, and they do a good job of moving him around and getting him in positions to where he can catch it and have an angle to the basket to be able to score.

We didn't really get to the doubles because they were trying to get him more in the middle of the lane, which is really tough to deal with. You're right. He is a great player, and certainly has delivered for them all season long.

Q. A week ago in this building Taylor Funk only took three shots. You said after the game he fulfilling his role. You weren't worried at all about him. How great is it for the biggest game to this point in your season he steps up and plays like he did?

RYAN ODOM: Yeah, I mean, he has had several good games in a row recently. Obviously shooters are going to have stretches where they don't shoot it like they want to, and he certainly had his a little bit earlier. He was able to break out of it.

That doesn't mean it's going to continue, you know, because things can change. They can always change. But he faces a ton of pressure, right? I'm talking about from the other team at all times. They get up underneath him. They try to be physical with him, and that's not an easy thing to do.

I think our other guys, like he mentioned, do a really good job of trying to free him up as best they can, and then when all of a sudden a scramble happens, now he is able to get free and get a clean look off.

You know, once one or two go down for him, you know, it's like most shooters, he thinks all of them are going in, you know? That's what you love. You love guys that are confident in their abilities, because it's not always going to be perfect for you and you have to answer, and he has answered in a big way down the stretch for us. We wouldn't be where we are if he wasn't playing like he was playing.

Q. We've seen a lot of great Aggie performances. Specifically the championship run in 2020 that started with New Mexico and Sam Morrow really carried them. I know it was mentioned before, the strength of your team is the team, but how important would you say it is to have marrow moments where someone like Taylor Funk in the first half. I know weave talked about it, but how important is it?

RYAN ODOM: It's what March Madness is all about, right? The big plays. UNLV with the three in a corner. That's what it's all about. You've seen it.

You've seen it in the men's game. You've seen it in the women's game in the last two weeks. It's just a special time of year, and we're all blessed to be able to be a part of it. You guys doing your jobs. Us doing ours. Most importantly, the players, student-athletes, having an opportunity to go for it and compete for it.

You know, you're always -- that's why that first weekend is so special because the upsets obviously happen. The last second shots happen. It just is what we all -- those that follow hoops, you know, it's what it's all about.

Q. Do you feel like you're in the NCAA tournament right now, or do you have to win tomorrow?

RYAN ODOM: Yeah, we have no idea. You know, I think we'll wait until Sunday to figure that out, but right now we're just immersed in what we're doing here, and that's what we came to do was just be immersed in the Mountain West tournament, do our best regardless of the result, and then we'll see where we are at on Sunday.

You know, tomorrow obviously is a big game for both teams, and we just played a week ago. They cracked us at their home, and we were fortunate enough to win at ours. You know, we know it will be a good hard-fought Mountain West battle. Like you've seen so far in a lot of these games.

Thanks.