NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - MARYLAND VS ALABAMA

March 18, 2023

Nate Oats

Jahvon Quinerly

Brandon Miller

Legacy Arena

Alabama Crimson Tide

Media Conference

Alabama - 73, Maryland - 51

THE MODERATOR: We'll take an opening statement from Coach Oats, and then we will have questions for the players first.

COACH OATS: I'd like to thank the city of Birmingham and everybody for putting this on. It's been unbelievable to play in front of our hometown fans. The chance to go to the Sweet Sixteen. I thought that was great for our program, great for the state of Alabama, great for the city of Birmingham. So just thank whoever is responsible for bringing the tournament here and putting it on. It was good. Thought we had a pretty good crowd, pro-Alabama crowd tonight. The start of the game wasn't what we wanted. I think they hit their first 4 field goals. We hung in there. Our defense picked up from there. They hit 2 out of their next 20 from that. And we outscored them 24-10 and able to keep the lead and hold them off. The second half, we were better. Obviously, a little concerned. Reese only played 4 minutes in the first half. And they were plus 6 in those 4 minutes. He played 16 minutes in the second half. But we did a good job. I thought Charles did a good job, Clowney did a good job. So you know our defense picked up, our offense struggled at times tonight, but I thought Quinerly, we needed him to make some shots. I mean these two guys were the guys that made threes. We usually shoot a little bit better. We only got 21 off. I thought Maryland did a really good job. You have to give Coach Willard a lot of credit. They did a good job with us. They weren't trying to give many threes up. We got some of our guys loose in transition off O boards, loose ball plays. But you know we got to the offensive boards, you know, they did too. They had 10. We had 15. But second chance points were 16-4 us. Give our guys a lot of credit -- I just told them, we may not make shots but we have constructed a team, we have a style of play that even when we don't make shots our defense is good enough, and we get to the O boards, we just can't turn it over. Second half we only had 3 turnovers. Getting to the O boards and eventually were able to make some shots. Break the game opener in the second half. Charles, I think it's his fifth double-double of the year. That was big. Get him to make some free throws it would be even better. But I thought he was outstanding on the glass and on defense. It was a great game. Looking forward to playing San Diego State up in Louisville. We'll be ready to go Friday.

Q. Brandon, how did you feel out there and how did you feel about having a bit more success than you did on Thursday?

BRANDON MILLER: It felt great, just being out there. It's just a blessing just being out there. I think growing up as a kid -- for all kids, it's a dream for them. To be here is just a blessing to be here to play and compete with my team.

Q. Jahvon, this site here, it's a little bit of a rarity where the top two seeds in the tournament are both here in the first round. Just wondering what you made of Houston, what you were able to see, and just you know these two teams can kind of get up-close, personal look at each other even though they are not playing each other yet.

JAHVON QUINERLY: We played Houston earlier in the year. That's a really good team over there. Kelvin Sampson is a great coach. And you know, I think we're just focused on San Diego State right now. And you know, preparing for them.

Q. This is for Brandon. What was the key for you to get into a rhythm? I know it looked like they were trying to get you off early, since you weren't able to make any shots in the first game. Did you get stiff at all? I know they did a lot of rehab for you in the last couple of days?

BRANDON MILLER: I think the biggest thing coming into this game is just preparation. Things you put in your body. Things how you -- just come out and get loose with your team. And I came out with a lot of energy. The energy me and my teammates needed to get a win over a great team..

Q. Jahvon, you tweeted the other day about Jersey being different. FDU wins, Princeton goes to the Sweet Sixteen, you are out here scoring 22 points. What's going on with Jersey basketball?

JAHVON QUINERLY: Man, that's a good question.

COACH OATS: He's got the shirt that says 'Basketball meets Jersey'.

JAHVON QUINERLY: You know, Saint Peter's made the run last year. I was really excited for them. After we lost in the First Round rooting for them. I went to high school right around the corner from Saint Peter's. FDU, I lived around the corner from FDU. Really excited for them. I got a high school teamate that plays for them as well. Jersey is just different in March.

Q. Jahvon, this is for you and Brandon. Clicking at the right time, last year coming off the knee injury around this time. How confident is your game? It seems like it's really clicking at the right time. Brandon, how big is it to have him, he's scoring 20 plus in these games?

BRANDON MILLER: Man, just looking at his injury and where he's come from, I think it's crazy. Rreally proud of him. Look at him like as a big brother. Always looked up to him. Not even just about him scoring 20. I think it's him sitting down on defense and getting stops that we need. That's not just about scoring the ball in the hoop; it's the margin plays, diving on the floor, who is getting all the rebounds. Just a great person to have around.

JAHVON QUINERLY: You are getting me sentimental over here.

Q. Congratulations on the win. Jahvon, just talk about, you played against Maryland a couple years ago. What did they look like today that looked different from two years ago?

JAHVON QUINERLY: You know, they had a coaching change, Kevin Willard, really great coach, recruited me coming out of high school. I'm really familiar with him. And you know, they just -- they had a different style, I feel like. They played a little bit slower than they did two years ago. And they really value possessions, and you know, that's a really good team over there. And you know, yeah.

Q. Brandon, you said you felt good. From a pain factor scale, where were you heading into this game?

BRANDON MILLER: I'm 100%. Just really, like I said, it's just the preparation. I feel like Nate Clarke prepped for this game. Just physical-wise. So I think it's the biggest thing was the preparation coming into this game.

Q. For both of you. How much of a difference maker has Chuck been down low since postseason started whether it's rebounding, or scoring, whatever?

JAHVON QUINERLY: He's been a huge presence for us. I really think he made that jump from this year from last year. And he's been huge for us. You know, I feel like he doesn't get a ton of credit, but, you know, his teammates are definitely -- we try and let him know that he's a huge part of what we do.

Q. Going from here, how do you manage to keep your poise, your leadership ability? How do you manage to stay so focused? You got the Sweet Sixteen coming up, what are we going to do there? How is this going to parlay over from being in Birmingham to being in another location?

BRANDON MILLER: I think just about us being focused. Great win tonight. I think we're going to come in tomorrow, probably get our bodies back together and start from the basics to prepare for San Diego State.

JAHVON QUINERLY: Playing in the Sweet Sixteen and losing to UCLA two years ago, I remember that feeling. I'm just going to let the guys know that, you know, we're close. We're very close, but we still got a ways to go, and we're definitely going to, you know, prepare as best as we can.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. At this time the players are dismissed. We'll start up front.

Q. Coach, it's like a broken record, but I wanted to mention a couple of Noah Gurley's key plays. He created a turnover in the second half, it was big. And then he got a big offensive rebound put-back that kind of iced the game. And my second part is you just got through playing against a team that is more of a half-court team, slows it up. Do you think that will help you against San Diego State. I know you haven't had a chance to dive into them yet.

COACH OATS: I didn't even watch the San Diego State game today. I was busy still watching Maryland film. With the short turnaround, I just -- I'm a big fan, but when we got a game to win, I try to lock in on the team we're playing. So I know San Diego State's defense is elite. That's what I've been told by our staff. Furman is a really good team and they shook Furman out, so we're going to have to spend a lot of time prepping for them. We'll spend a lot of time tomorrow. The players will be off tomorrow, but the coaches will be in working. As far as Noah Gurley goes, I was really fired up on that offensive board put-back. I thought he made a great play, drove the ball in, kicked it out, got Brandon a great shot, didn't go, stayed in there, got a put-back. I was really happy for him. And then the steal he forced was out of a timeout. Our two guys in the pick-and-roll didn't do a great job. I thought Reese was coming free for a dunk or a lay-up and Noah kind of put his hand in there, got a deflection, knocked it off Reese's leg and made a huge play for us. He played 10 minutes tonight. We were plus 3 when he was in. I think his last four games he was 6/9 from 3 going into that. Didn't make any there, but that's fine. He was 0/2 against A&M, 0/2 today. Probably means he's set up for a couple good shooting, get back in the gym. When we're back. He spends a lot of time in the gym, he will be primed for a good shooting game hopefully against San Diego State up in Louisville.

Q. Want to ask you about the three-point shooting. You are only able to get off 7 attempts in the first half. Twice that in the second half. What was Maryland's defense doing in the first half to prevent the looks and was there a change at halftime to open it up out there?

COACH OATS: Defense is somewhat ours. They try to guard pick-and-roll with two guys, they drop the big, they don't really help off. They weren't helping off our shooters. We didn't do a good enough job attacking their bigs in the pick-and-roll. I thought that backup center's in without Reese in. We didn't do a great job the first play out of the second half, we kind of tried to screen the big. Quinerly got downhill, got the layup. They made other adjustments. To be honest with you, I thought we got -- and I have to go back and look at this. I thought we got a lot of our 3's in the second half off offensive rebounds, some transition opportunities, kind of broken plays. Because they had a good play and they did a good job. We got to do a better job with our offensive plan against a team that's going to do that. I told our guys, 1/7, that's not how we play. We'd like to get 30 plus up a game. Only got 21 up tonight, but able to get on the offensive boards. And we got 23 shots at the rim, so did they. They were 12/23. We were 13/23. Kind of the difference was they ended up taking 21-9 at the rim 2's and we only took 8. So, you know, we were able to take a lot more 3's. We made 6; I think they only made 1. So, you know, it's still a difference. We got little different styles. We were able to get off a few more. Quinerly was able to get off a few off the dribble in the second half. He's going 4/6. He's playing at a pretty high level right now.

Q. You hear J.Q. say he's going to tell the guys we're close. We still have a ways to go. What does it say about the leadership of the guys coming back that want to advance further than Sweet Sixteen?

COACH OATS: We have been there. Q has been there. We shot 12/25 from the free-throw line. We have to get back and work on some small details like free throws. Q has been there. Close. Went to overtime. You know, we've got more in us, I think. So San Diego State is a great team, we are going to have to prepare really well to play with them. We have to get some better production out of some of our other guys. I think the leadership that Quinerly, Gurley, and even some of our freshman has been giving us is great. Quinerly is the one that's been there, was that close and missed. You know, so we're going to get our guys focused and prepped and we're going to do a good job these next five days leading into this game.

Q. Nate, you didn't dip too much into your bench this game. Normally a strength of yours. What went to the decision to lean more on the starters today?

COACH OATS: They were playing well. You know, I think getting into your bench is a lot more important in your first game when you play two games in three days. I kept asking them if they needed one. Quinerly needed one, come out, Charles needed one. We got Pringle in. If they needed a break, we would get them one. If I could tell they were a little tired, we would give them one. You also have longer timeouts in the NCAA Tournament. These timeouts seem like they go forever. So, you know, you get a little more rest time than their standard media timeouts. And we had some timeouts close, you know, rested guy. I think there was 8:44 mark. Rest them. For those, get the next media timeout. Kind of, they didn't sit that much game time, but were able to sit a lot real time. I trust our bench. Just our starters were playing pretty well. And we, kind of, rolled with them. You know, first game I think Rylan led us in minutes with over 21. Today all the starters were, you know, at least 27 minutes. So we can go either way with it. Nimari played double-digit minutes. He was the only one off the bench. Trust the guys. I thought the starters were playing well. And we kind of rolled with them a little bit more tonight.

Q. You mentioned J.Q. and you being here two years ago and now tonight. How is your relationship with him evolved over that time?

COACH OATS: Look, I love J.Q. He has a big heart. He's trying to lead these guys. He's grown up a lot since he got here. You know, it was ironic when we played at A&M, Jay Wright had our game. Me and Jay were talking, you know, Jahvon came over and gave Jay a hug. Jay said, "Man, he has grown up a lot as a leader since I had him." He's grown up a lot since we first had him. He's made big strides. He understands what's important. He speaks up when he needs to speak up. He's taken ownership of this team. Like, it's his team. It's a lot of guy's team, we got leadership from a lot of guys. He's definitely one of them. And he finds a way to come around and play really well at the end of the year every year. He was SEC Tournament MVP two years ago. I thought he was playing his best basketball last year. Tore his ACL. I would like to think that game would have gone a different way if we had had him for the full 40 minutes in the tournament. He's playing his best basketball by far right now. He doesn't want to let his teammates down. He wants to take this team as far as we could go.

Q. I know Brandon also saying he will be 100% healthy. How far do you think he actually was going into it? Did you think he'd be able to play 34 minutes?

COACH OATS: You know what, I didn't know how many minutes he would be able to play. It seemed the longer he went the more loose it got, the better he was. I saw him kind of wince early. He didn't have the same pop. You know, I'm looking at his stats. He ended up 3/11 from 2. And a lot of those are at the rim. I thought his finishing had been really good the whole conference play and everything. He definitely wasn't 100%. He's going to tell you he's 100%. He's a tough kid that's going to play through some stuff. And not let people on how much he's hurt. Him and Clarke spent a lot of time together over the last 48 hours. And give him a lot of credit. He was going to go. There was no question ever about whether he was going to go or not. We'll rest him how we need to rest him until they feel like he's ready to practice. If we don't have him for a few practices, that's fine. We have to get his groin as close to 100% as we can by Friday.

Q. Nate, you talked about in your opening offensive rebounding. Just how much has Charles have you seen him improve in that area the last couple games, and maybe his aggressiveness in that area specifically?

COACH OATS: Yeah. It's been huge. You look at our second chance points and it's 16-4. It's a big difference in the game. I think he's been going. Some of these teams will switch us. Because we don't post a ton. He's been punishing the switch on the glass. Our switch attacks, a lot of times guards going at the big on the perimeter, part of that is we tell our guards you can't get shot blocked. Or coming downhill and bigs rotating over. Don't get your shot blocked at least get it up on the rim, because now our bigs got a guard on him, trying to block him out. We need to punish the switch or punish the smash down. Charles has been doing a great job of that. Look, he had 5 offensive rebounds. He had a third of the team's offensive rebounds. He's playing great for us. He's a great kid. You guys have gotten to know him pretty well. He's very soft-spoken. But the whole angry Chuck deal is very true. He has a side of him that comes out when we need it to come out. Part of his offensive rebounding is him playing aggressive and hard. Punishing the switches. He gets them on the guards. He gets them on the bigs too. He would have had another one if he didn't have the over-the-back call. Worked on trying to get him to not go over the back and still rebound the ball pretty well.

Q. With everything going around you and now you are going on the road, you are in the Sweet Sixteen, what are you saying to this team to stay focused only on basketball and going to the next level? What are you telling them directly?

COACH OATS: We talk about we've got big picture items and we got to be concerned with that. And then we have the details that matter when you get to practice, in the games, when I say matter, they matter to the game. Like you have to focus on what matters in practice. You have to focus on what matters in the game. And you are where your feet are. When we're in practice, we're focusing on that. When we're in video, we're focused on the preparation for the practice or game. When we're in the game -- and we kind of had that talk going into the SEC Tournament. I thought our guys did a great job focusing on the task at hand for three straight games of the SEC Tournament. I think they have done a really great job for two straight games here. First two rounds focusing on what they need to focus on when they are at practice, video, games, whatever it is. And then, you know, the appropriate big picture stuff will take -- you know, our guys know they are dealing with on that other stuff.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you, Coach.