NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - BOISE STATE VS NORTHWESTERN

March 16, 2023

Chris Collins

Boo Buie

Chase Audige

Golden 1 Center

Northwestern Wildcats

Media Conference

Northwestern 75, Boise State 67

THE MODERATOR: Good evening. I'd like to introduce our student-athletes from Northwestern University, Boo Buie and Chase Audige, and head coach Chris Collins.

Coach, kind of nip-and-tuck the whole way. You had a little bit more at the end.

CHRIS COLLINS: Yeah, I mean, we expected that, though. We have a great deal of respect for Boise State having watched them on the film the last few days. They're a heck of a team, veteran team, really well-coached. Five guys in double figures, so they're very difficult to defend because they can hit you from five different spots.

I thought we had great energy. I just thought every time we had the lead for a majority of the game, but every time they tried to put game pressure on us with a five-point run or six-point run, we really executed well and found a way to score, found a way to make a big shot.

These two guys obviously led the way. They made great decisions.

Then was really proud down the stretch. There's a lot of game pressure in these games to take care of the ball, make free throws, not give up these in the last minute. I thought we handled the last couple minutes well to make sure they didn't make a comeback on us.

It's all about survive and advance, right? That's what they talk about in March Madness. Fortunately there's a lot of things we can do better, but we were able to come away with a great win and excited to have an opportunity to play on Saturday.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Chris, there was a moment with eight minutes left, blown opportunity in transition for your team, and you signaled to the guys calm down. What was your message to them?

CHRIS COLLINS: Well, I mean, emotions are high in these games. Everyone's excited. I just wanted those guys to see a look of strength on the sideline. The worst thing they can do is look over there and see me being a lunatic. The crowd is going nuts, we just kind of missed an opportunity in transition, they might have scored, a one-possession game.

I wanted them to keep their poise. We were still right there. That's all we talked about in the timeouts, Guys, we have a couple-point lead, let's get stops, keep executing, find a way to score.

We had great poise. I never thought -- every time they tried to speed us up and get us going a little bit too fast, we settled down, we executed, we scored.

When you have two senior guards, that helps, two guys that have been in a lot of big games throughout the year. They're used to being in those situations.

Q. Coach, it's hard to get in the tournament, hard to win. Can you talk about a little relief and pride.

CHRIS COLLINS: No relief. All joy. No relief. It's really hard to get here, especially when you play in the Big Ten. What we compete against in our conference, the 14 teams, night in and night out, the games you have to win to just get here. There's no relief at all. It's joy.

I'm so proud of this team. I've said it all year long. I can be really happy, but I'm happy for these guys, man. They've been so loyal to this program. They've stayed true to our mission. They've stayed true to the course we were on. They stuck through the heavy waters at times.

When you get to this point now, it's so rewarding and so joyful as a coach to see these guys celebrating and to be on the big stage like that playing well, finding a way to win and advance in the NCAA tournament.

Q. Chase and Boo, knowing Coach Collins' background, playing in the north part of Chicago, his dad playing at Illinois State.

CHRIS COLLINS: He's too old for them to know. They just know him as Papa Doug.

Q. What is it like playing under Coach Collins?

CHASE AUDIGE: It's amazing. Just having the opportunity to come here, Coach Collins given me and Boo a chance to come play at a school like Northwestern. Just to change the trajectory of what was going on the past couple years, really believe in us, kind of giving us the keys through the year to take this team where it needs to go. It's amazing.

Having Papa Doug Collins is just such a great resource. He calls me all the time checking in on me. You really feel the love. When he comes to the practice gym, it's like everybody's mood just shifts because he's such a great presence to have around.

Definitely amazing. A blessing to be here talking to you guys. A lot of words to be said, but really God is good, God is good.

BOO BUIE: For me, I probably wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Coach. I always tell the story. I was super under-recruited. He gave me my first and only high major scholarship. It was my commitment since day one to help him out and just do anything I could.

He put the ball in my hands since a freshman. He just believed in me. Each year I've gotten better, he's helped me get better. Helped me see the game, read it, slow it down for me.

Couldn't be more appreciative of him and Papa D. Papa D, like Chase said, he brings a different presence and a different life to the practice when he can make it. Yeah, it's just been an awesome four years. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Q. Chase, you scored 20 points, your personal high since January. What did it mean to have one of your best games in the biggest game of the season?

CHASE AUDIGE: I think it's just about winning. It wasn't even about having a big game. If I had five points, we won, I'd feel the same exact way. It's so hard to get here and to advance against such a really good team in Boise State, really giving us trouble down the stretch.

For me, I'm very confident whether I have a bad game or a good one. I'm just trying to do what I can for my team, defensively, offensively, just continue to survive and advance.

Q. Coach, your starting trio of guards combined for 55 points. Talk about them taking over the game. How important was that against a solid defense?

CHRIS COLLINS: Yeah, I mean, I say it all the time. Whatever sport you're in, when you get to where it really matters, your best players have to be there for you.

Chase said it. It's not really have to be scoring, but they got to be there for you. They got to lead the way. They got to have the command. They got to do the things that got us here. They're a big reason why we're here.

I thought it was great, too, to see Ty. Ty had been struggling a little bit with his shot. Everybody stayed positive with him because we need his ability to help us with points and scoring, take some pressure off these guys.

But I knew if you're going to advance in this tournament, you advance because these guys are going to lead the way. To have those guys come out and play the way they did, it's why we won. Then everyone else starred in their role. Brooks is playing well. Robbie, Nick, Tydus and Matt, all those guys are equally as valuable with what they bring to the table.

Everyone understands what their role is. Not only do they understand it, but they work hard to star in their roles. That's when you have a good team, and that's who we've been all year long.

Q. Chase, you had 20 points tonight after a stretch when you struggled. What helped you push through that and have the performance that you had tonight?

CHASE AUDIGE: Trust in God and trust in my work. I put in a lot of work, a lot of shots. Even after bad games, sometimes I go back to the gym and shoot till I can't feel my arms anymore, really just try to stay confident and believe in my abilities.

Coach trust me, my teammates trust me. Try to be the best player I can. If I can't make a shot, I'm going to try to play defense as hard as I can, rebound, do whatever I can for the team. I'm just glad we won.

Q. We saw you towards the end of the game start hyping up the crowd. What did it mean to you to see the purple contingent here in Sacramento?

BOO BUIE: I was kind of waiting for that question (smiling).

I can't talk enough about just the support. To travel across the country and just see so much purple is just unbelievable. It means so much. It means so much more than the people who came. Actually, when you go out there, it's kind of natural to have the jitters as a player. It doesn't mean that you're scared. It just means you want to do well. It's an anxious feeling.

Going out there and just hearing that applause when you run out, kind of make it feel like a home game, if I'm being honest. I couldn't be more grateful for them. They've been here all year for us. Just to be able to make it out to the whole other side of the country and show that much support is amazing.

Q. Offensive rebounds you gave up at the end of the game seemed like a bit of an issue. What do you attribute that to?

CHRIS COLLINS: I mean, give them credit. I thought their physicality, they had some big wings. I thought especially Smith and Agbo, those two guys were just going to the glass the whole game. We had a hard time. We got to do a better job blocking out whoever we face Saturday.

This time of year you can't give up those second opportunities. That's something we have to shore up going into the next game.

Q. Your connection to the 2017 team has been documented. They've talked about what this moment meant to them, how excited they were for you guys. How would you describe it, hearing about it now living this moment?

CHASE AUDIGE: I think it's just amazing. Like, we got B-Mac on staff. A lot of those guys from the 2017 team come back to games and talks to us, messages us on social media. Just support, the advice they give, is unexplainable. Sometimes even you have arguments like who would win with us versus them in a game (smiling).

Just having that experience on our bench, just hearing from those guys. Again, just seeing what this all means to Northwestern community, people who have been waiting for another just opportunity like this, it's amazing. It's a blessing. We just want to keep it going.

BOO BUIE: Also this guy right here sitting next to me, you know, he's the reason for both of them.

CHRIS COLLINS: Thank you.

Q. Coach, Rice and Agbo combined to shoot 5 of 17 from three. Can you just speak to the defensive focus on those two and what made them uncomfortable?

CHRIS COLLINS: It was definitely a focus of our attention the last three days. We understood. We watched enough film to see what they can do. When they get going, they're electric. Rice shoots it from 30 feet. Agbo is so tall, if you're not there on catch, he can shoot it in your face. He's tall, he's long, he's got a high release point.

We talked about it for three days. You got to be there on catch. We wanted those guys to be drivers. We wanted to get them off the three-point line as well as we could. Agbo made two early. I don't think he had one in the second half. Overall I thought we did a pretty good job eliminating those two guys' threes.

Q. Chase and Boo, at the end of the game you had sort of a long embrace. You were talking. What was said there?

BOO BUIE: So we were kind of just talking about -- I went up to him and just told him I was proud of him, how proud I was of his leadership. Before the game we were kind of quiet as a group. Chase was kind of the first person to say something, then I kind of followed along after him, then it was kind of us two leading the way with the talk, the pregame layup lines.

Eventually everyone started getting into it. I was telling him, Hey, way to play, super proud of you, we're moving on.

It's been Chase and I this whole way leading this thing. Our leadership. It feels good. It feels good to be able to go out there and get a win. I was just letting him know how proud of him I am and how much I love him.

CHASE AUDIGE: I love you, too.

Q. Coach, you're back in the round of 32, just like 2017. You know those two squads best. What are the similarities and differences?

CHRIS COLLINS: I mean, they're different teams with the makeup of the teams. But the similarities are both teams have been all about winning the whole year. That team, their whole focus was being the first team to go to the tournament.

Ever since we met day one as a team in the summer, when there was a lot of negativity being spoke about what was the future of this program, we didn't have enough talent, the coach doesn't know what he's doing, all those things, we got together and we just said, like, we have enough. Forget what the outside noise is.

From that day forward, it's been about winning. It hasn't been about these guys scoring. I'll give them credit, never about their shots, their touches, scoring. It's all been about winning. That's what the 2017 team was about, as well.

Both teams have terrific leadership. When you have great leadership and everybody's all in and bought in on winning, you have pretty good talent, you got a chance to be pretty good. To me that's where they're very similar as teams.

Q. Other than one time it was tied early in the second half, what kind of went into not letting them make a run? How did you keep pace and keep control the whole way?

CHASE AUDIGE: Well, I think a lot of the stuff that kind of happened down the stretch was self-inflicted, us not boxing out, us letting them get second-chance points.

But through all that, like, we didn't break down. We wasn't screaming. We might have screamed at each other, but it was a good type of like, C'mon, let's be better.

I think every single time we just executed, whether we missed a shot or made it, we got a shot we wanted or liked. Just down the stretch, making free throws, them fouling us, not letting them get back in the game with us making free throws.

Q. (No microphone.)

CHRIS COLLINS: We're going to get back and get some rest. That's what we pay those assistant coaches the big bucks for. They better be not eating popcorn and concessions over there. They better be over there figuring out, doing what they do.

We have an amazing staff. They are so good with the scouting reports. They help these guys out getting them ready.

We need to get back to the hotel, get these guys off their feet, get them some food. We'll watch plenty of film on who we play on Saturday. Obviously we'll probably watch on TV when we get back, second half. And we'll have, whatever, 36 hours, whenever the game is, to get ready for two outstanding teams.

When there's only 32 teams left, everybody's really good. You got to really focus. You got to really focus. Got to be at our best. That's what we're going to hope to be on Saturday.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys.