NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - ORAL ROBERTS VS DUKE

March 15, 2023

Jon Scheyer

Jeremy Roach

Kyle Filipowski

Dereck Lively

Amway Center

Duke Blue Devils

Media Conference

Q. Jeremy, as the veteran on this team, what lesson have you tried to impart to all the new guys about getting ready for the NCAA Tournament?

JEREMY ROACH: I mean, yes, really it's a new season, and not to worry about -- really not to worry about any other game but what we have to do on Thursday. So just locking in on one game at a time, not looking ahead, round of 32 or Sweet 16 or anything like that. Just keeping the main thing the main thing, and we'll be good.

Q. Jeremy, how do you get the team to focus up and keep the mentality of it's a 5-12 matchup, a lot of history in those games, just focusing on the game itself.

JEREMY ROACH: Like I said before, keeping the main thing the main thing, not worrying about what we did in the ACC Tournament or how well we've been playing before. Just got to keep it going, do what we've been doing, don't try to change anything up, and just stay locked in.

Q. Jeremy and Kyle, how do you guys -- you mentioned the matchup, the 5-12 matchup. Do you talk about seeds as players? Do you care about what the seeding is, these type of match-ups are?

KYLE FILIPOWSKI: I mean, obviously during the selection show we talked about it real quick after we saw our seedings and things like that, but now looking at it, there's no controlling that. Can't really -- what's done is done. Can't really say anything, criticize, if we feel we should have been somewhere else or anything like that. We've just got to go out there, play our butts off and get the win.

Q. Kyle, how do you kind of, as Jeremy mentioned, focus on one game at a time when you have such a nice run going in, a nine-game win streak, ACC champions, 16-0 at home in Cameron. How do you forget about all the accolades, all the accomplishments and just kind of start fresh?

KYLE FILIPOWSKI: Because we realize now that it's a one-game season, and if you don't win the one game ahead of you, then you're not going to play another one.

Just recognizing that and realizing everything that we've done is in the past. We've got to focus on this one day at a time now before we can move on, and that's the main goal.

Q. Kyle, you mentioned that win streak. What did you see change during that stretch to allow you guys to go on that run?

KYLE FILIPOWSKI: Yeah, I think it was definitely part of our mentality. I mean, we got some disappointing losses before that, and that kind of also gave us a little kick in our butt. But just going in every game with a mindset, a mentality to don't underestimate any team. We've got to go out there, be desperate to win, because no one is still betting on us, and we've got to bet on ourselves.

Q. For Kyle, you guys obviously are one of the blue bloods of college basketball taking on a smaller college. Does it help with motivation that this is a team that upset Ohio State and made it to the Sweet 16 two seasons ago.

KYLE FILIPOWSKI: Yeah, they do have some returning players from that Sweet 16 run, and we've got to be prepared for that. But obviously that was a couple years ago. They did a lot of different things and good things this season, as well. So we've just got to be ready for whatever is thrown at us. Even though we're a blue blood, we've still got to come in with that dog mentality because still aren't believing in us and our full capabilities.

A. Jeremy, you're here at the Magic facility. Paolo Banchero was part of the team last year. Have you talked with him at all or anything like that?

JEREMY ROACH: Yeah, obviously been watching him all season. He's been killing, doing his thing. Obviously he's been coming back, showing support, texting me on the side, always showing love to Duke. That's the brotherhood. Obviously he went off to the NBA, but they still have that connection with us. They still love us. They still want us to win. It's the best of both worlds.

Q. Jeremy, how would you describe Max Abmas's game and what do you think about him as a player.

JEREMY ROACH: He's a great player. I think he tested the waters either last year or the year before with a Sweet 16 run. Great player, deep brains, one of the best guards in the country, can score like anybody in the country. We just have to make it tough for him. I think our length will kind of bother him a little bit. But to be physical with him all game, and we know he's going to get some buckets, but we've just got to make it as tough as we can for him.

Q. Dereck, Coach has talked the last couple weeks about you being such a vocal leader on the floor. Have you been that way your whole life or something you've been working on this year.

DERECK LIVELY II: That's definitely something I've been working on just at the end of high school and stepping into college. Just being able to add that defensive factor is something I've tried to emphasize, just being part of my role.

Q. Facing an ORU team, someone you've never faced before, you guys kind of mentioned the fact that you've seen them on the national stage before, but what kind of does that present knowing that you don't have a history with them and it's win-or-go-home time for you guys?

JEREMY ROACH: I mean, it's really -- we're really taking it one game at a time. They don't really have that much scout on us, and we don't have that much scout on them. Just locking in, it's man on man now. Every team is desperate. We know they're desperate, we're desperate. It's a one-game season, like Kyle said. Everybody has got to go out there and impose their will.

Q. Jeremy, you talked about Paolo previously. What can you share from the conversations you had with him on the advice that maybe he's given you for this reason or even throughout the season?

JEREMY ROACH: Yeah, just staying locked in. He already knows what it takes. We made it to the Final Four last year, so he knows what the tournament throws at you. But it's just staying locked in for all the games and taking it one game at a time. That's the big thing.

Q. Dereck, the last nine-game winning streak, big reason for that turnaround has been the defense. What have you seen get better in that stretch?

DERECK LIVELY II: I really think physicality has just gotten better overall. I think we've been able to take physicality from other teams, being able to not get locked off our line or being able to take physicality in the paint, outside the three. And just being able to throw the first punch, being able to come out in the first four minutes just to try to punch them in the mouth first so that they get knocked back is something that we've been trying to focus on.

JON SCHEYER: Well, first of all, for us it's an honor to be here. Never take for granted playing in the NCAA Tournament. It was exciting for our team to figure out finally where we were going, who we were going to play. We have a lot of respect for Oral Roberts. We know they're a great team who's been here before.

For us, the last 24 hours has been just trying to get here and get settled, get a feel for what the tournament is all about, and obviously lock into the game plan and what we have to do versus these guys because we know how good they are.

Excited to be here. Happy to answer any questions as we get going.

Q. I want to ask, the 5-12 matchup has a lot of mystique around it, a lot of people look for those kind of upsets. What do you guys have to do to avoid that, and why do you think that's a difficult spot to be in in the tournament?

JON SCHEYER: Well, it's funny, I talked to our team really right after we found out what our seeding was, who we were playing and where we were going. You're going to see a lot of opinions, predictions. And I've been on both ends of the spectrum, where one, they pick you to win the whole thing or they pick you to win where that doesn't happen, or it's the opposite where nobody thinks you have a chance.

I remember in 2010 we were the No. 1 seed and everybody said we were the first No. 1 seed that would be knocked out, and we ended up winning the whole thing.

Really it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what's happened before. Any seed in the history of the tournament has lost. So nobody is safe going into this. You can't take anything for granted. You have to just focus on one game.

We know when you get a 12 seed, I think a lot of the time you have a champion. Oral Roberts, they're the champions of their league, regular season and tournament. They haven't lost since January 9th. They're used to winning.

For us, it's -- regardless of who you were going to play, but especially with them, we know how good they are and what a challenge it's going to be.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about how Tyrese's ability on the court has opened up the play for Jeremy Roach, and just how much easier it's become the last few weeks to play when he's out there handling the ball?

JON SCHEYER: Yeah, well, I'm really proud of both of those guys. They've grown throughout the whole season. Tyrese, we threw him into the fire early on in the season, and he's just such a competitor. I love how his defense has just developed. He's been ready to shoot, his offensive game. And then really him and Jeremy have developed a close bond, and their strengths of how Jeremy can get in the paint and attack, they can both really shoot, but they've developed a great bond with that.

Really any of our great teams here have had two guards on the court at once, and those two guys have been there. I think they've done a great job, especially during the ACC Tournament, at playing off one another. Jeremy has initiated the offense some, Tyrese is doing it a lot. But then knowing how to pick their spots and get each other going.

So Tyrese has been that guy. I know he's excited to play in this, and he's not afraid of these moments.

Q. I remember being a kid in the suburbs of Chicago in high school and not believing the headline of 21 points in 75 seconds, which your guys don't even really know about. What do your guys know about that game?

JON SCHEYER: What suburb?

Q. Buffalo Grove.

JON SCHEYER: We won that. I know that.

But I remember -- it's crazy, I remember losing, actually. That was one of the most disappointed I've ever been, one of the most disappointing games I've ever been a part of because we had won -- I want to say it was 35 straight going into that game, 24 the year before. We were 11-0 that year, and we were down by 13, and my instincts -- I just wanted to win the game. And we cut it to 2 three times in that final minute, and I remember fouling out and just crying. After the game I was like -- nobody wanted to be around me because I was so upset we lost.

That's what it's always been about for me. I was surprised the next day the news about it. And if you were to tell me that day, I would still be asked about it, what is it, 17 years later, I would have been pretty surprised about it then.

But hopefully it just shows the will that I have to win and have always had. That's what it's always been about for me.

Q. The portal has been open a couple days. I think there's almost 1,000 players in it in basketball. I can't imagine that coaches like this turnover. What's your opinion of the portal? Is it good or bad for the game?

JON SCHEYER: Well, one, we haven't, as a staff, talked about the portal one time yet. We've been completely locked in to what we're doing now. I'm always in favor of players having choices. I also know there's something to be said for having continuity.

I'm not going to speak to other schools and decisions that are made, but for us that's been something that's really important, that we value. We'll get to that after the season. But right now we're focusing on Oral Roberts, and fortunately we have a game to play instead of thinking about that.

Q. Coach, curious if there's similarities or differences between coming to the big dance as a player versus as a coach, the excitement, the nerves?

JON SCHEYER: Yeah, I don't know that I feel different. I've been fortunate now, I think this is number 12 that I've been a part of, and each time it's so special. It's something I will never, ever, ever take for granted. I'm as excited as could be for our guys. I know they feel that way. No matter what, whether we have some guys who won't be here next year and they can go on to have long NBA careers. But there's only one March Madness, there's only one NCAA Tournament.

I just promised myself as I made this transition to being a head coach just to be in the moment fully this whole year. And that's when things weren't as good as I wanted them to be, that's when we are playing great, and that's in preparation for any game you want to play really well in.

Right now, just be in the moment with our guys, controlling what you can control, and locking in to what you actually have to do out on the court, because the rest of it, it really doesn't matter at the end of the day if you're not ready to play.

Q. When you looked at the film of Max Abmas where he can score at so many different levels, even at half court sometimes, how do you stop a guy like that?

JON SCHEYER: Yeah, I'm not sure if you stop Abmas. He's been around long enough where everybody understands what a special scorer that he is. He's a great college guard. He's going to have a chance to play beyond college, as well.

But he's a guy you have to be really disciplined with. You want to make it as tough as you can on him, understanding he's going to hit some shots. He has deep range. He's an automatic free-throw shooter. His passing is much improved. I don't think it's about stopping him. I think it's about just being disciplined and making life as difficult as possible on him.

We have really good individual defenders, but it can't be just one guy. The thing I think that gets overlooked with their team is the players they have around them. You can't just key in on him because they have other guys that can knock down shots and they have great spacing and movement, they know how to play. So a lot of respect for their offense and what they do. But of course he's a special player.

Q. You talked about how much respect you have for ORU. Does it help to hammer it home with the players?

JON SCHEYER: Yeah, well, it's a matchup right away where you know the name, and there's a respect level there. Sometimes even though a team is really good, you may not know them, and you need to do more explaining. There's such a respect that our guys have for them right away.

We're understanding what they've done two years ago, having a core group back, adding more players from that team, the record that they have, the winning streak that they've been on. So very quickly, I think our guys felt and see what a tough game this is.

It wasn't about convincing them of anything other than the game plan of here's how we're going to beat them. Just like they're going to sit down and say the same thing for them. It's no different from any of these other games we've prepared for, whether it's in the ACC Tournament or down the stretch here. Really focusing on what we can control and understanding it's going to be a really confident group and a team that's really explosive on the offensive end.

Q. Jon, this nine-game winning streak, you've really picked up on defense, and I'm just wondering, how big a factor has a healthy Dereck Lively been in that improved defense?

JON SCHEYER: Dereck has changed our whole team, it's not just the last nine games. I think really probably halfway through the season, he hit another gear of understanding, one, how good he can be, but also just the impact he can make in college. Because he's going to -- as his career goes along, he's going to continue to add things to his game and be such a difference maker. But his ability to protect the rim, to move his feet, to defend on the perimeter is a huge skill for us. We're very lucky to have him.

He changes the whole dynamic of our defense, and he has plays where he doesn't even get a stat or a blocked shot, but he's just out there and he makes you think about him. Not to mention his motor and just how he moves, his competitiveness. I'm really proud of what he's done. He's had a great year for us.

Q. I know Wendell Carter and Paolo Banchero are really excited you get to play in their building when they're out west. What communication have you had with those two about this building and Orlando and just the excitement of Duke being in their city?

JON SCHEYER: Actually I FaceTimed them today, and they didn't answer yet, so they're either sleeping or ignoring my call. I hope it's not ignoring my call. But I was able to come down here in the fall to see them and just to see what they've done. And I know Paulo last night, 27 and a loss and had a great game, but those are two of my all-time favorite guys. They're as talented as anybody to have come through here, but also as coachable as can be and great guys off the court.

I'm a Magic fan because of them, I can tell you that much, and hopefully we have some good vibes and good memories in their city while we're here.

Q. I'm assuming your parents will be here to watch this as your first time being a head coach in the NCAA Tournament. What does it mean to you having them here, if they will be here, to watch this game after they've watched you as a player, watched you coach at Cameron and here?

JON SCHEYER: Yeah, their support for me since I've been a little kid, my mom and dad have taken me to every part of Chicago, every part of the country for me to follow and pursue my dreams. They've done the same thing for me being a head coach. I know they're living and dying with every play, and they've been incredibly supportive.

They're everything to me. My wife, my kids will be here, as well, and I think a lot of our families are here, as they should be. It's the tournament.

But I love them, obviously, and they've -- I can't even speak to the level of dedication that they've given me since I've been a young kid to pursue a dream. So very thankful for them.