NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT: NORTH TEXAS VS WISCONSIN

March 28, 2023

Grant McCasland

Tyler Perry

Kai Huntsberry

Orleans Arena

North Texas Mean Green

Semi Finals Postgame Press Conference

North Texas 56, Wisconsin 54

North Texas 56, Wisconsin 54

GRANT McCASLAND: Man, that's a fantastic Wisconsin team that we have a lot of respect for.

Obviously the biggest thing for us to start the game was their pace. Their pace offensively and the way they screened and moved us, we were behind and it wore us out quick. You could tell, we were fatigued from that first media, and we doubled the post; and Hepburn really made us pay and made a three off that double-team, and then he got hot.

So it was a combination of their physicality and pace early, and then their ability to play inside-out really got us on our heels.

But man, we have a tough group. To all of them to -- no points or no baskets the last nine minutes, to hold them to 13 second half points, and I thought our team just got more active as the game went on. So over that 40 minutes, it just felt like that last five was maybe our most active.

These two guys came up with big steals in the middle of the floor that led to layups, and Wisconsin doesn't do that very often. I thought our physicality on the ball and our activity level, it was relentless.

Man, we have got a tough group. These guys hung attacking at halftime and believed that we could win. I thought Ross Hodges said it well at the end of that last timeout. We are all sitting there and he's like, "Look, we win close games. That's what we do." And sure enough, man what a tough crew.

Q. What was the key to the way you guys played defensively in those last few minutes?

GRANT McCASLAND: I thought it was ball pressure. When we weren't playing from behind, we finally found a rhythm and a pace to how they were moving and we were getting through screens like we needed to. Man, Moulaye and A-Scott's physicality at the rim, I thought was tremendous. I mean, they started scoring twos at the basket, and then down the stretch, I thought we stood them up and made them make tougher shots.

That block by A-Scott was phenomenal. Just the activity level on the ball, these two guys guarding the ball on pressure was really, really fantastic.

Q. Seemed like you guys never really lost confidence that you guys could come back even after getting down by 14. Was that the feeling there? Did you guys talk about that; that you felt you could make a come back?

TYLER PERRY: Like I said a couple days ago, we've been in every situation in conference, so the experience and being here before, we can't get rattled. We knew Wisconsin was a good team. They were going to make their run. We just have to stay us through the course of the 40 minutes, and that's what we did tonight.

Q. At this point in the season, how much is schematics making a difference in the game, and how much is it just saying, hey, we've just got to gut it out?

GRANT McCASLAND: Well, it's always a combination of both, but you'd better be able to do both well. I thought these guys, we were more physical at the end of the game.

I thought the last play was just kind of awesome. I mean, we walled them up, made them make an extra pass; walled them up, made them make an extra pass; then we had two guys dive on a loose ball and the game is over. Man, just felt like that's how our guys attacked the second half defensively.

Q. After Hepburn got off to a hot start, did you do anything differently on him defensively? Is there anything you switched up after that start?

KAI HUNTSBERRY: TP kind of just yelled at me. He's like, "Come on, Kai."

It's just the trust that they have in me to go out and play defense, and I know I have people behind me. It's the trust we built throughout the year, and throughout the whole time is, I have somebody behind me. Whatever I can do, just don't let them get hot and I know TP has my back or somebody else has my back there.

TYLER PERRY: Can't make it if you can't it get off.

Q. What would it mean to win this tournament? You guys are one game away now, you've navigated the waters. What would a win in the NIT mean?

TYLER PERRY: Everything. Like Coach Mac said, we knew this team wasn't done after the conference tournament and we wanted to find a way to cut down nets and we knew the NIT could be the way to do it.

We're here, and it's time to do it. We've got to finish the job. I can't explain the words right now or the feeling it would mean if we do cut those nets down on Thursday. It's a feeling you really can't explain, and so I wouldn't want to share any locker room with any other team than those guys, and I want that moment for them.

Q. Heading into the next championship game, how will you maintain this positive momentum going forward facing another team with a lot of positive momentum, and through the tournament as a whole, how do you maintain that winning trajectory?

GRANT McCASLAND: Honestly I don't think I'll have to do anything differently than what we've done because these guys really believe in each other and they wanted to play. They weren't down. They wanted to keep playing basketball together. They do love each other genuinely.

People would be worried about a team coming like this to Vegas, right. Everybody is like: How are you guys going to handle Vegas? Well they just like being at the hotel with each other; they are weird and they are awesome, and they care about each other a lot. Maybe Kai wants to go bowling but everybody else is good with just hanging out.

So we've got a really neat group, and they love basketball. You know what they would like to do is just go work on their game. Their legs are a little shot right now, but they would just like to go get some shots up. But it's a tough group that really does care about each other, so there's not a lot different that we would do going into this one.

Q. I know you've got one game more to play, but what do you think your league has accomplished this year in terms of a national perspective?

GRANT McCASLAND: Yeah, well, five teams in postseason, and one loss so far, so that's a pretty good run, I'd say.

Just a lot of quality coaches and great competition, right. Always makes you better. We did believe that we had one of the best leagues in the country, genuinely. We played a lot of teams, played a lot of great teams non-conference wise and a lot of different styles but competitively, guards, forwards, just a lot of great players.

We knew coming into this tournament that we faced great competition, and we were prepared and that's a credit to Conference USA and the schedule we played.

Q. So it looked to me like the ball was slipping out your hands a lot. I know there's been talk about the tournament basketballs being a little different. What do you have to say about that?

TYLER PERRY: It's hard. The ball is like super hard. But I can't -- you know, I can't make any excuse at the end of games. You know, as a leader of this team and a point guard, I can't have those mistakes at the end of games. I've got to be better because they could have made us pay, and y'all could be in here talking to Wisconsin right now. I can't make an excuse. I just have to be better.

Q. Moulaye really came through for you and got the clutch bucket at the end. Were you proud of the guy? He stepped in for your starting forward and really has played well for you in the tournament.

KAI HUNTSBERRY: We always thought Moulaye is -- everybody has opportunity to do anything, and Coach has recruited a whole bunch of guys that gel well together, and we have faith in everybody to go do something when it needs to be done. So Moulaye had his turn, and he stepped up, just like TP has had his turn, and Rubin. I'm proud of him just like I'm proud of TP and everybody else.