NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - PRINCETON VS ARIZONA

March 16, 2023

Mitch Henderson

Matt Allocco

Tosan Evbuomwan

Caden Pierce

Golden 1 Center

Princeton Tigers

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Let me introduce our student-athletes and coach from Princeton University. We have Caden Pierce, coach Mitch Henderson, Tosan Evbuomwan and Matt Allocco.

Coach Henderson, the floor is yours.

MITCH HENDERSON: We played our best basketball last weekend. We weren't in the tournament till Sunday at 2:00. Really hard-fought game. Got all the way out here. We prepared these guys to win. It's such a tough group. We are imperfect, but a very, very, very tough group.

There's going to be some comparisons from some of you, I'm sure, to Coach Carril. I want to be really clear that this group did this. That was a really long time ago. This group did something special for its university, for the fans, for the former players, and for one another. Very similar way that you see in the tournament, they just came together and did it.

We were down the whole game and just made big plays. That's a really good team. We out-rebounded them. We had more points in the paint. I thought we'd have to have five turnovers to get it done. We had 11. It's a heck of a win, and I'm so proud of them.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You're down 10, eight minutes to go. Anything specific you can point to that changed the tide of the game?

MITCH HENDERSON: No. Used all my timeouts. Cade used my last one on a loose ball. We were just trying to get it to four with four minutes left. We were hanging on.

Then we fought, which is what we've been able to do lately. We fought really hard. I thought the last five minutes of the game, two threes wide open that would have gotten us a lead.

The group makes eye contact with me all the time. Tosan allows me to challenge him regularly. He's just filled with great humility, and so are we. We take the lead of the seniors.

I was just so happy for them.

Q. Coach, I don't want to compare this game to the game of the past, but given Coach Carril's connection to this city and to you, what do you think he would say to you right now? What would you like to say to him?

MITCH HENDERSON: I remember when that win happened, he had lost a lot of first-round games. These games are very difficult to win.

He would be very proud of the group. He wouldn't want any attention to be brought other than what these guys did. They played to win. We knew we had to keep the game low possessions. They had eight fast-break points, mostly off of our turnovers. But that's really good.

Coach Lloyd, such an unbelievably well-coached team. I think we just knocked off a terrific basketball team. Again, I'm just really proud of our guys.

Q. Coach, the defense, that's what really kept you guys in it with Tosan getting those rebounds. Talk about the defense.

MITCH HENDERSON: Ryan Langborg had a few blocks on Ramey. Cade's defensive plays at the end. Zach Martini was unbelievable, all over the place. That's what got us here. It's what we hang our hat on each season, what we talk about all the time. This is what gets it done.

Hey, look, we want to win six games, just like Arizona does. In order to do that you've got to be tough defensively. We did not shoot the ball very well tonight. That's what we've been. We've identified toughness in recruiting. These guys are winners.

That's what got us the win.

Q. Coach, you mentioned for a while you weren't shooting well. Until late in the game, you just had the one free throw attempt. You're not getting to the line, not shooting threes. At that point what are you thinking as you're scrapping to stick around?

MITCH HENDERSON: How I wish I had more timeouts, you know (smiling). I thought there were some calls, we had three charge calls that I thought could have put us on the line, but didn't go our way.

But you know what, they only took seven free throws. They didn't get transition baskets for the most part. We weren't perfect, but they weren't getting what they're really good at.

We talk confidently, and the group believes in it. We thought we could win with four minutes left. Told them, We're going to win this game.

Q. I wanted to ask all of you, what was kind of the script you were hoping for for a win? Coach mentioned five turnovers. Four of 25 three-pointers. What were you expecting had to go right to stay in this game?

TOSAN EVBUOMWAN: Exactly what Coach said. We have full confidence in his game plan and the coaching staff's game plan. That's what we set out to do.

Low turnovers. You have to take care of the ball against a team like that, limit their transition buckets. Obviously play physical inside with the bigs.

Exactly what Coach said was our plan. We turned the ball over a couple more times, but other aspects of our defense meant we were able to get it done.

Q. Coach and a player, if you can. When you were up three, got fouled there with three seconds to go, you were wandering the sideline. Looked like you were trying to process it. What were your emotions at the moment? If one of the players can talk about when you realized you were going to win, what was the emotion like.

MATT ALLOCCO: Pretty surreal feeling. To beat a great team like that on this stage is a pretty special feeling.

But also I can't say I'm surprised. This team has been so good all year, so gritty. On paper, it's going to look like a big upset. But we believe in each other and we think we're a really good team.

When we're at our best, then I think we can beat anybody in the country.

MITCH HENDERSON: They had three shots at the basket from 21 seconds, I think three. Those usually go in in a game like this. Usually it's bang, now you're going to overtime. We got lucky. I was just really happy for the team and our fans. Our fans were awesome. We drew on that last weekend and we drew on it today. It was just terrific.

Q. Coach, talk about what this upset. This is the third consecutive year a 15 seed has upset a 2 seed in the tournament, so what does this mean to your program and to the university? Also, what did you tell the players during halftime?

MITCH HENDERSON: First, I said this yesterday, but we cast a wide net in recruiting, aim to find the best student-athletes in the country, and we have them here.

Maybe an upset on paper and the country, but not to us. I agree with Mush. We think of ourselves, and we have historically, as a national program.

Geoff Petrie is the GM of the Kings here for a long time. He was a first pick in the draft. Princeton alum. We have pros, too, just like they do. So that's first.

Second. Halftime, you're okay, down one, get the crowd on your side, have some fun. I don't know. Wasn't anything earth shattering, was it (smiling)?

Q. Obviously about this team, that's all it is in a lot of ways. On the other hand it's the year of commemorating Pete, with the patch on there, playing in Sacramento. Does that hold an emotional place for you in this?

MITCH HENDERSON: Certainly my focus, I've been the beneficiary of that game, along with my teammates, for a long time. But I'm the coach here. My charge, I'm very present about this, is I want that for them. That's very, very simple. They did that today. They made so many people proud and happy today.

They deserve it, you know. What a win.

Q. Yesterday you said you pinch yourself every day you're coaching. What are you doing now? Also, you talked yesterday about how big Arizona is. How you played big today...

MITCH HENDERSON: We played bigger, our stature is big, the group. They competed. We put a lot of emphasis on the things, we measure the things that you don't stat in the game, deflections, stop the driving kicks, blocked shots, extra-effort plays. That's the through line for the program for us, is the toughness, though things that are tough, the things that are really hard to do.

Try to take pride in those things.

Q. To you three fellas, I want to verify what Coach just said about his halftime speech. What did you see and hear at halftime? Also, what was the conversation in that locker room like as you guys were regrouping to come at 'em in the second half?

MATT ALLOCCO: Firstly, I would say just the players. One through 16, it was loud in there. Everybody had something to say. Stay with it. We got this. Stay in the moment. We're going to make shots. We're going to make big plays.

Like Coach said, he kind of came in and repeated a lot of the same stuff. It was just a collective effort. Stay in the moment, rebound, limit turnovers. A lot of the same stuff we prepped all week.

It was pretty special. Collective effort in the locker room.

Q. For the players. What do you hope the nation learned about Princeton basketball today?

TOSAN EVBUOMWAN: I think a team that never gives up, a team that always fights for one another, really selfless team. Yeah, a great team really.

I think we showed it obviously today. Mush and Coach said it, we think of ourselves as a great team. When we are playing our best, we think we can take down everybody. A great program, a selfless one, that plays our brand of basketball.

CADEN PIERCE: I think just overall toughness, you know. Obviously we were giving up a lot of size this game. But, I mean, we have a lot of heart in our program. When things weren't going our way, we were down 10 with eight or so minutes to go, we always were believing, we always kept saying we're going to win the game.

This group has heart. We've been through so much this season. I think it's just about playing for the name on the front of our jersey at the end of the day.

Q. Coach, looking forward to Saturday, you're taking on a Mizzou team. Comment on how hard it is to scout in a 48-hour period.

MITCH HENDERSON: We play -- the majority of our games in our league are back-to-backs. The day preparation is quite nice. We'll enjoy an extra few hours (smiling).

Missouri is really good, really good. They're playing great. We caught a little bit of the end of their game. It will be a fun challenge.

Q. Caden, when the shots aren't falling, talk about your team's ability to be gritty, get the big win.

CADEN PIERCE: I mean, obviously at halftime our message was the hardest part of the game was over, the opening four minutes, whatever it is. We really felt like we were in the game.

We thought our shots were going to start to fall, but obviously we didn't hit as many as we would have liked.

Like I said earlier, it's just the toughness this team has, making those winning plays, getting an offensive rebound, a charge, getting a hand on a ball you're not supposed to. I think this team has a knack for finding a way to do those things. It's really helped us throughout this whole season.

THE MODERATOR: Okay, gentlemen. Thank you.