NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - GONZAGA VS UCLA

March 22, 2023

Mark Few

Malachi Smith

Anton Watson

Rasir Bolton

T-Mobile Arena

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Sweet 16 Pregame Media Conference

COACH FEW: Obviously quick turnaround for us. We got home at, like, 3.00 a.m. Monday morning. But excited as heck to have another week with the guys and be involved in another Sweet 16.

And obviously we've got a lot of experience playing here at T-Mobile, even against UCLA, and it's going to be a great environment tomorrow night. And we know we're in for a huge, huge challenge with just their experience and their toughness and their kind of general will to win, but looking forward to it.

Q. 15 years ago the WCC and Mike Gilleran took a shot on Vegas by moving the tournament to The Orleans. How much credit should the WCC and Gonzaga, given its success -- 12 wins and the 15 (indiscernible) three runner ups -- how much credit do you guys take in having this regional in Las Vegas?

COACH FEW: We don't take any credit. You remember this, back then we were pushing hard for a neutral site of any kind. We used to play our conference at a predetermined site. Most of the time it was never even at the No. 1. When we first started our run, we basically had to go play a road game to qualify for this tournament.

So I give Commissioner Gilleran and the leadership of Gonzaga, Mike Roth mand our president for pushing that through. It ended up being a brilliant move. And we've been here, I don't know how long, what is it, 15 years? And I know you guys were here and felt this. But this year especially, it's a place to be now in conference tournament week.

There's just so much energy. And you're walking down the street and there's WCC teams, there's Pac-12 teams and fans, there's WAC teams, there's Mountain West -- it's like a mini little Final Four around here that week of the conference tournament. So it makes for a great, exciting environment to bring your teams down to.

Q. Can you talk about the significance of eight straight Sweet Sixteens on what it means for your program and the university itself?

COACH FEW: I think it's one of the greatest, probably 1A and 1B. The Sweet 16 run of eight years and making it 25 years straight is probably the thing I'm most proud about, what all our teams have been able to accomplish.

It means we've stayed relevant. We haven't dropped off. We haven't taken a year in the NIT or couple years in the NIT. We haven't lost the first round.

And, again, the guys deserve all the credit for maintaining that kind of winning DNA and just figuring it out. As you know, you followed us all year, this probably wasn't looking realistic there way back in November or early December.

Q. When you look at the teams in the Sweet 16, 11 different conferences are represented. What does that tell you about college basketball? And do you think, basketball-wise, it's still as important as it used to be to be in a big conference?

COACH FEW: I think it tells you there's a lot of really, really good teams out there. And I think with everything that's going on, from really, really good players leaving early to this COVID-year stuff where seems like 27-year-olds are playing now, that definitely everything is shrinking to the mean.

But when you're out there playing these games, you definitely feel it. And you feel how close we all are. And I think that's what makes an accomplishment like these multiple, eight in a row Sweet 16s even more remarkable.

Q. Tomorrow is the only the eighth time you've played them, but it just seems with the dramatic endings, it seems more than that. Do you buy into the rivalry aspect against these guys? And can you believe tomorrow is 17 years ago since Oakland?

COACH FEW: I can't even remember Oakland. I can't even barely remember last week or last year. The interesting thing about this is Mick and I worked really hard all offseason a year ago to try to put that game together here. And I thought it ended up being a fabulous environment. And it was 1 versus 2 right after Jalen's shot.

And so there's a familiarity with our teams obviously back to the '21 Final Four. You have a lot of -- not a lot, but Singleton, Jaquez and Tyger were obviously in that game and played a lot -- at least Jaquez and Tyger did, and Drew did for us.

And last year we have (indiscernible) watching enough tape earlier this week. We had our young guards in that game. Anton played a lot in that game, obviously Drew was huge. So a lot of the same characters. So it's kind of the act three within kind of a small timeframe.

Q. Coming out with the Baylor championship game in 2021, there might have been a perception about Drew that, hey, you could do this or do that, shut him down or get him off his game. What's he done in the last couple of years to sort of stand up to different challenges that people are throwing at him?

COACH FEW: First of all, I know that wasn't your take, but I'd just say that's kind of an idiotic take that the dude has been posting numbers forever. And they threw everything at the kitchen table at him that night and even fouled the living daylights out of him.

And we just didn't move the ball good enough to make plays. And Baylor played great. I don't know why anyone would judge him just based on that.

But he's been remarkably consistent his entire career at just -- he just delivers. He delivers, and this year our first 10 or 15 games we've leaned on him as hard as we've leaned on anybody, even in guarantee games we were in trouble and had to throw him the ball 12 straight times to eek out a seven-point win.

And so he's just -- as fun and as charismatic and goofy as he is off the floor, he's an elite-level competitor when the ball goes up. And I think sometimes people focus on these great defenders out there and describe how tough they are.

I would argue you have to be every bit as tough and a little bit tougher to consistently deliver night in and night out when the opponent is trying to stop you with everything they've got -- double teams, their best defender, fouling, anything. And he's just been able to rise to that occasion time and time again.

And if you look throughout his career, what he's accomplished and at one point at the start of our season he was almost -- had been ranked No. 1 as a player, as the team had been ranked No. 1 more weeks than he hadn't been. That's nuts. That's, like, Bill Walton stuff.

And I think he's going to go down as one of the greatest college players in the modern era here when we're finished.

Q. You said how this is kind of like an act three of this matchup. When you look at the last time you played here you led by 20 at halftime. I know we've talked about it in the tournament here, kind of slow starts. How important do you think it is to come out fast in this one?

COACH FEW: That was a very different game. You'd have to ask Mick about that. I think that was back when they were looking to play really, really fast, maybe. And that was a high-tempo, high-possession game. And Andrew Nembhard was unbelievable.

Since then, they've probably got a little more possession oriented. And, again, they have the luxury now being the older, more experienced team.

I think this game will come down to us taking care of the ball. Their defense is elite. And us being able to make plays and find baskets against it. And us, on the flipside, in somehow some way keep Jaquez and Tyger, and now they're getting great play out of Bailey since he's come into the lineup, do our best to keep those guys in check.

Q. Malachi and Rasir, seems like every matchup is good guards. Again here this is happening. Maybe another level. What's it like for you guys heading into this matchup having to D up those guys?

RASIR BOLTON: I wouldn't say it's TCU or Grand Canyon, but it's kind of the same concept of we gotta do our good job and get it done.

They definitely have a great back court with Tyger and Amari Bailey. They play very hard and smart. They all play together. And they're trying to to win and they're tough minded.

It's definitely going to be another tough matchup but I think Coach is getting us right with the scout. And we've just got to go out there and execute.

MALACHI SMITH: I think just having the same confidence and mentality in our defense we've been having all year, like Ras said, they're great players but we've got to go out there and play harder and play team defense.

Q. 3-point shooting we see is down this tournament. Have you noticed anything different about the balls? Are they overinflated, anything you can comment on with that?

MALACHI SMITH: I think just for the whole landscape, like a lot of the balls that we're using, a lot of teams don't play with it. A couple of teams in our conference use it. But there will be games, like Tuesday we'll play with one ball and then Thursday play with a different one.

So, I mean, coming to the tournament some of these teams have never used it. And having to prepare for two days with it isn't a lot of time. But maybe the moment or something, I don't know.

RASIR BOLTON: I'll go with what you said and blame it on the ball. (Laughter).

Q. Malachi, last year at Chattanooga, the way it ended, this year how many times have you kind of replayed that and maybe envisioned yourself getting another chance in a moment like that of late in the game and whatnot?

MALACHI SMITH: You were there last year. You talked to me. You saw how defeated I was. I used that whole moment for motivation in the offseason.

And you kind of have to just forget about it. It's in the past now. But coming in like just being able to have a different feeling and just going in there super confident, and just the fact we made it this far is it's been a blessing for sure.

Q. You've played them before. You know what it's like. Tomorrow will be only the eighth time the schools have met. Does that surprise you guys? Is there a rivalry because of the games I've sure you've heard about in the past and also the ones you've played them?

ANTON WATSON: I would say there's been a rivalry kind of building up the past couple of years. Every time we play them it's a high-energy game. There's going to be a lot of fans there from both sides. And they really want to beat us and we want to beat them.

It's going to be a fun game. We know what to expect. It's really just going to be competitive from the start.

Q. Anton and Ras, the last time you guys played here was a year ago. You were up by 20 at halftime. With how these games have been going of late, do you think it's important to get off to a hot start?

ANTON WATSON: Yeah, I would say so. You never want to start off slow. They're a good defensive team. So I think they're going to come out hard and try to pressure us.

But the last game against TCU we had a slow start, and it was harder to come back in the second half and build that lead. But I think getting a good start from the jump, getting stops and seeing some shots go down is going to be good for us.

RASIR BOLTON: I would say the same. I think a good start definitely helps out as far as team morale and just playing from ahead, maybe. But I don't think we expect to be up 20 at the half this game. It would be nice. I'm sure it will be a hard-fought game. Definitely getting out to a good start will help, but it's all about finishing these games.

Q. Malachi and Rasir, I'm curious, both of you have been at three schools now. What about Gonzaga makes it so different and so unique?

MALACHI SMITH: I would say the competitiveness amongst each other, but still a family. In practice having to guard him every day or guard 'Ton, that makes you better. There's not a lot of players better than these guys.

And just the mentality of winning -- everybody wants to win at the highest level. We're not satisfied with just winning 20 games or just making the tournament. I think from all the schools I've been at, winning's been the most important thing here, and everybody wants to win just as badly has the next. So I think that's what made us so successful.

RASIR BOLTON: I would say the same. I came here for the family feel. That's why I love it. I love being a part of this program, what they've done years before me and kind of continuing on that legacy.

Like you said, as far as practice and just the competition aspect. I've got to guard him and guard Nolan and Julian and Hunter all day. From that aspect, the talent and what we have on the team, it makes everybody better, and we're all competitive. But at the end of the day we're all together and we're trying to win and achieve the same goal.